Tour: Biomedical Science Tower 3
Duration: 1 hour
Overview
The University of Pittsburgh’s Biomedical Science Tower 3 (BST3) is evidence of the region’s growing biotech industry. Built in 2005, the $205.5 million state of the art research facility houses some 50 laboratories and approximately 500 scientists, graduate students and technicians engaged in such fields as molecular genetics, cellular biology and biochemistry. Their research will result in new advanced medical therapies that are destined to help patients for years to come.
What you’ll see:
- The largest zebrafish colony in the world. The BST3 houses more than 10,000 tanks of zebrafish, a vertebrate that has transparent, rapidly-maturing embryos that are carried outside the mother, making them an ideal model for the study of fetal development.
- The Drug Discovery Institute. Led by John Lazo, Ph.D., the DDI is one of only a few university-based pharma programs and has the technology to rapidly screen tens of thousands of small molecules and compounds in the hunt for better drugs. Of particular interest in the DDI are the so-called orphan diseases that affect smaller numbers of people but are often highly prevalent in the developing world.
- A whole-body, 7-tesla magnetic resonance imager. It’s one of the strongest such imaging devices available anywhere in the world used for clinical research.
- The Center for Vaccine Research. It focuses on the development of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for viruses and other infectious agents of global importance. Some of these agents occur naturally and can pose great health risks, particularly in developing countries, and some also can be used as agents of bioterrorism. The center’s research encompasses both basic immunology and the development of candidate vaccines for human use.
- Innovative, informative design elements. The mouse genome is recapitulated in the flooring through the building. The color scheme of the glassed-in stairwell, which is visible from the street, reflects the double helix of DNA.
