Senator Ken LaValle Secures $15 Million for Cryo-Electron Microscopy for Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven, NY - April 21, 2017 - Senator Ken LaValle announced that he secured $15 Million in funding in the newly adopted NY State budget for a Cryo-electron Microscopy (CryoEM) Facility to be located at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).
Establishing a CryoEM Facility would provide a foundation for a growing industry in bio-technology situated on Long Island. Combining the full suite of capabilities with Brookhaven Lab’s expertise in data and instrument development will dramatically accelerate the determination of biostructures that are key to such things as battling against disease.
Senator LaValle said, “The $15 million funding of the CryoEM is an important step. With the creation of this facility, BNL would attract additional global corporations and institutions in the biological, medical, and pharmaceutical fields to our area. Brookhaven National Lab is one of the largest employers in the First Senatorial District and a major economic driver for the State. I am pleased that BNL will be given the tools to once again lead the way in research and discovery.
Doon Gibbs, Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory said, “We very much appreciate the support of Senator LaValle and New York State in obtaining funding for a state-of-the-art cryo-electron Microscope for Brookhaven Laboratory. Co-locating the microscope at our National Synchrotron Light Source, the brightest synchrotron light source in the world, will enable Brookhaven to leverage its existing expertise and capabilities to allow imaging of bio-molecules in entirely new ways. This will accelerate the determination of biological structures, leading to impacts in life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical research, among other areas. Working with Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor Lab and other research institutions in the region this represents another important step in helping to establish Long Island and New York as leaders in life sciences and bio-technology.”
BNL operates cutting-edge large-scale facilities for studies in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, applied science, and a wide range of advanced technologies. The Laboratory's almost 3,000 scientists, engineers, and support staff are joined each year by more than 4,000 visiting researchers from around the world.