UMass Amherst Secures $2.1 Million for Advanced Optical Tweezers and Micro-Patterning Systems to Accelerate Drug Discovery
Key Insights
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (search) awarded over $2.1 million to UMass Amherst for an advanced optical tweezers system and micro-patterning equipment suite.
The $1.63 million optical tweezers system, the first publicly available instrument of its kind in Massachusetts, will be installed by mid-2027 to support next-generation drug development for heart failure (search) and cancer (search).
An additional $497,230 grant will establish micro-patterning capabilities in the Nanofabrication Cleanroom, enabling organ-on-a-chip models, micro/nanorobots for targeted drug delivery, and minimally invasive device development.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded more than $2.1 million in grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (search) (MLSC) to acquire cutting-edge research instrumentation, including an advanced optical tweezers system that will be the first publicly available instrument of its kind in the state. The funding, announced on July 9 at the Wyss Institute in Boston, is part of a broader $19.7 million MLSC initiative supporting 23 projects across Massachusetts.
The centerpiece of the award is a $1.63 million grant for an optical tweezers system and associated components, scheduled for installation in the Light Microscope Facility at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (search) (IALS) by mid-2027. Optical tweezers use highly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate microscopic particles, enabling scientists to measure and visualize the minute forces that power living cells at the molecular level.
"This powerful tool will enable academic scientists and biotech industry partners to develop the next generation of drugs to treat a myriad of diseases, including heart failure (search) and cancer (search)," said Ned Debold, professor of kinesiology at UMass Amherst.
Micro-Patterning Suite to Bridge Infrastructure Gap
A second grant of $497,230 will fund a new suite of micro-patterning equipment housed within the IALS Nanofabrication Cleanroom. This technology platform is designed to support the development of organ-on-a-chip disease models, micro- and nanorobots for targeted drug and cell delivery, miniaturized ultrasound devices, and magnetically guided tools for minimally invasive procedures.
"This new micro-patterning system fills a critical infrastructure gap for life-science and biomedical research in western Massachusetts," said Hongsoo Choi, professor of biomedical engineering at UMass. "By housing this capability within the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (search)' cleanroom, we're opening the door for collaborators across campus and throughout the region to bring biomedical innovations from concept to reality faster than ever before."
Expanding Regional Research Capabilities
The IALS facility on Thatcher Road houses 30 open-access core facilities that have supported more than 80 startup companies and pre-startups, providing over $4.5 million in translational seed awards to address unmet individual and societal needs, according to the university.
"These MLSC awards enable the important role that shared research infrastructure plays in driving innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development," said Peter H. Reinhart, founding director of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (search). "These investments will deepen industry engagement, expand workforce training opportunities and further strengthen Massachusetts' leadership in the global life sciences sector."
James Chambers, interim director of Centralized Core Facilities, emphasized that the new instrumentation will broaden research community access, expertise, and training on advanced platforms. "The result will be new discoveries, novel products and sustained economic growth that return real value to the commonwealth," Chambers said.
The latest awards build on earlier investments at IALS, which earlier this year utilized $3.6 million in grants to acquire a next-generation mass spectrometer for molecular research and a two-photon, 3D printing system for precision biofabrication.