Lone Star College System continues to strengthen its ties with industry partners that reinvest in the future of its communities. Recently, the Biotechnology Institute at LSC-Montgomery received five tractor-trailers of laboratory equipment and consumables valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“This equipment will not only enable cell therapy training opportunities for our students but also help us keep pace with the rapidly changing biotech industry in Houston,” said Daniel Kainer, Ph.D., LSC-Montgomery Biotechnology Institute director.

The generous donation includes advanced laboratory instruments, such as real-time and conventional PCR thermocyclers, flow cytometers, and LOVO cell processing systems, as well as freezers, refrigerators, and incubators. Additionally, it includes essential laboratory supplies, including pipettes, tubes, and vials, that will enable training opportunities for students hoping to enter the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

“These resources give our students the opportunity to work with the same equipment and protocols they’ll encounter in real biotech labs,” added Janeu Houston, Ph.D., department chair of Biotechnology at LSC-Montgomery. “It’s a powerful step forward in preparing them for real-world careers.”

Additional donated materials include stainless steel lab benches, transfer pumps, gowning materials, and monitoring equipment that will enable students to gain valuable cleanroom training experience.

“These resources will prepare students to work in high-demand fields such as cell therapy, cryopreservation, immunotherapy and molecular diagnostics,” said Kainer.

The Biotechnology program, which began at LSCKingwood in 1991, moved to LSC-Montgomery in 1995 to support the biotechnology industry in The Woodlands and the greater Houston area, recruit local high school students for the workforce program, and create shorter training opportunities that pair with the college’s Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Biotechnology and advanced technical certificate.

The program is the oldest of its kind in Texas. Learn more at LoneStar.edu/About-Institute.