A free workshop on "Protein Purification and Characterization" is being offered Thursday at the Indian River State College main campus in Fort Pierce.
The 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. workshop, for people who already work in the biotechnology industry or are pursuing a career in life sciences and have some familiarity with the topic, will provide insight into the theory techniques of monoclonal antibody purification and characterization.
Banner Center for Life Sciences Director Libby Handel said protein purification is "a basic skill and a major skill needed in the life sciences industry."
This is the first workshop being offered in the Treasure Coast by the Employ Florida Banner Center for Life Sciences, which is based on the Palm Beach State College Eissey Campus in Palm Beach Gardens.
PBSC won the contract last November to establish the Employ Florida Banner Center for Life Sciences, a statewide, industry-driven resource for life science workforce education and training.
Indian River State College, University of Florida, University of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, Santa Fe College and Florida Atlantic University are partner institutions in the Banner Center for Life Sciences.
A dozen other Banner Centers have been or are being established to focus on training for other workforce sectors.
The Banner Center, developed in direct response from industry focus groups and funded by Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation, is a consortium of industry, workforce and educational partners providing training and career advancement solutions for Florida's life sciences industry including medical devices, pharmaceutical and biotechnology.
The Banner Center for Life Sciences will function as a resource for all educational institutions, economic development organizations and Regional Workforce Boards in the state, and is expected to provide leadership in the ongoing process of developing products and services to make Florida's workforce increasingly competitive in the identified life sciences industry.
With nearly 850 biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical devices companies and a foundation of more than 42,000 healthcare establishments, Florida's life sciences cluster continues to gain critical mass around the state, Handel said.
"With this growth and expansion is the need to fill technical positions with trained and qualified workers," she said. "Statewide initiatives continue to be implemented to expand Florida's life science industry including the establishment of Scripps Florida, the Burnham Institute, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, the Mann Research Center and the Max Planck Florida Institute."BANNER CENTER WORKSHOPThe free Protein Purification and Characterization workshop is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Indian River State College main campus, 3209 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce. To participate as a student, you must register via the Banner Center's website: www.lifesciencesbannercenter.com/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=51434
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