![[photo, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Columbus Center, 701 East Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/biot/images/1198-1-1752.jpg)
In 1985, the General Assembly authorized the Maryland Biotechnology Institute (MBI) at the University of Maryland. The Institute unites diverse research disciplines across the broad spectrum of biotechnology within the University System of Maryland. The Institute also provides a core of expertise and state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to research, training, and economic development in biotechnology.
University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Columbus Center, 701 East Pratt St., Baltimore, Maryland, March 2007. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Administered by the University System of Maryland Administration, the Institute consists of four research centers: Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology; Center for Biosystems Research; Center of Marine Biotechnology; and Medical Biotechnology Center. The Institute also administers the Center for Bioscience Outreach, Education, and Ethics. In research and academic activities, each center works closely with government laboratories, other academic research institutions, and the State's biotechnology business community.
In June 2009, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted to close the Institute and align the Centers with other University System of Maryland institutions. This restructuring is to be completed by June 30, 2010.
The Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology was established in 1985 to build and cultivate a multidisciplinary center of research excellence in protein engineering, structure, and function. Through collaboration with industrial scientists and cultivation of a basic research environment beneficial to industry, the Center fosters advancement of Maryland's biotechnology industry.
Located in Shady Grove, the Center's scientific programs are managed by the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Programs are administered with advice from a board of overseers representing the University System of Maryland, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Montgomery County government, and the local biotechnology community.
Created in 1987as the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, the Center for Biosystems Research adopted its name in 2002. The Center studies molecular biology and bioprocess development relating to problems in agriculture, industry, and the environment. Researchers concentrate on plant and animal protection, particularly of plant-pathogen interactions, poultry virus and vaccine production, insect genetic engineering, and biochemical engineering. Research programs integrate molecular genetics and biochemical engineering methods to study gene expression. The Center cooperates with scientists at the University of Maryland Engineering Research Center and the National Agricultural Research Center, including the Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Center of Marine Biotechnology is devoted to the application of molecular biology and molecular genetics to marine organisms. Initiated in 1985, the Center studies the molecular biology and molecular genetics of aquaculture and fisheries biotechnology, marine microbial products and processes, and marine pollution and bioremediation. Center research then is applied to improve methods of seafood production, develop new marine-based compounds and pharmaceuticals, devise new medical diagnostic test methods, and implement novel techniques for environmental cleanup and biofilm prevention. The Center also is conducting research on Pfiesteria and related micro-organisms.
In 1993, the Center opened the Aquaculture Research Center at Fell's Point in collaboration with the Columbus Center and the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The Center of Marine Biotechnology moved to the Columbus Center at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore City in 1995.
Established in 1986, the Medical Biotechnology Center studies health-related aspects of molecular biology and biotechnology at the basic applied and clinical levels. The Center focuses its research on molecular medicine, including gene therapy, antisense therapy, molecular neurobiology/muscle, and molecular genetics. The Center also is concerned with biomedical photonics and molecular cell signaling, including biosensing, bioimaging, bioprocessing, clinical sensors, protein and membrane dynamics, and fermentation and monitoring of bioreactors. Laboratory and clinical research facilities are housed at the Center.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Science education programs are offered for students in grades 6 through 12. Programs cover topics such as Biofilms and Biodiversity, Bioluminescence, Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction, and Oysters. They are presented by the Center of Marine Biotechnology in partnership with the Extension Program of the Maryland Sea Grant College.CENTER FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
9600 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850
CENTER FOR BIOSYSTEMS RESEARCH
Plant Sciences Building, Room 5115, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742 - 4450
[CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY]
CENTER OF MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY
Columbus Center, Suite 236, 701 East Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202 - 3101
MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER
725 West Lombard St., Baltimore, MD 21201 - 1595
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