Boehringer Ingelheim Pledges $250,000 Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. has committed $250,000 to support the School of Pharmacy and name the Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite in the new Pharmacy/Biology Building currently under construction. The Boehringer Ingelheim Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite, a state-of-the-art facility, will be used for teaching and research in the areas of drug formulation, manufacturing, and quality assessment. The design plans include a central laboratory, satellite unit operations laboratory, satellite sterile compounding laboratory, and laboratory preparation room. Peter Farina, vice president for development at Boehringer Ingelheim and a member of the School of Pharmacy’s advisory board, said, “We are pleased to support UConn’s School of Pharmacy in promoting success in research.” Robert McCarthy, dean of the School of Pharmacy, said the close professional relationship that has developed between Boehringer Ingelheim scientists and School of Pharmacy faculty over the years played an important role in securing the pledge. “Dr. Farina has told me of the great respect that he and others at the company have for our faculty as scientists and educators,” he said. “In addition, several of our graduates have gone on to make important contributions at Boehringer Ingelheim and their efforts have further enhanced our School’s reputation.” Within the Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite, the central laboratory will enable up to 30 students at a time to learn how to prepare and assess a variety of types of nonsterile dosage forms. The satellite unit operations laboratory will be dedicated to operations that require isolation, such as tableting, granulating, coating, and preparation of microemulsions. The satellite sterile compounding laboratory will provide faculty with the opportunity to observe and teach proper sterile compounding techniques. And the laboratory preparation and storage room will be used for the preparation of stock solutions for instructional purposes. “The Dosage Forms Laboratory Suite will facilitate teaching pharmacy students how to formulate and evaluate drug products,” said McCarthy. “It will significantly enhance the School’s teaching and research programs.” Boehringer Ingelheim has funded other important initiatives at the School, including pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships.
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