The-Laker-Issue-Fall-2021

12 | the LAKER The process is repetitive; the exciting part is the original nature of the research. “Each time you do it, you never know what the end will be,” Matthew said. The students learn how to use laboratory equipment and keep highly detailed records so their work can be replicated. “The students are getting a chance to implement good manufacturing practices and good laboratory practices with this project in the lab, mimicking the standards that companies use in large scale biomanufacturing,” Jessica said. “This is important because it lets them practice what they learn briefly in our biomanufacturing courses on a longer-term, in-depth level, and gives them broad training for entry into future positions in the industry.” They also get a thrill out of knowing they are now players in a global industry. “I absolutely love it,” Demi said. Philip said the experience has given him confidence in lab techniques he had only read about in classes that had moved online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthew agreed, adding that time in the lab leads to greater dexterity in handling equipment. A 2021 graduate, he plans to transfer and study biology at SUNY Geneseo, close enough to continue working on the FLCC project. “It is a great learning experience,” he said. “It’s so far above and beyond what you learn in classes, especially with COVID.” “The students are doing great,” Jim said. “As with any novel project, they took about a month to get really comfortable, but are doing some great work now and things are moving along. The next step Work in the FLCC biotechnology lab will continue through August 2022. By then, the FLCC faculty and the team at Empire Medicinals hope to have enough data from the students’ experiments to determine the most promising process for a manufacturing demonstration.The groundwork for that demonstration was laid earlier this year when representatives from the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech visited the FLCC lab. Cornell AgriTech helped Empire Medicinals develop its mushroom blended products and will collaborate with the company to scale up the mycelial fermentation and filtration process. The manufacturing process will yield two products: the solid material, the fibers themselves, for use in their blended meat or other food products and purified beta-glucan to sell as a dietary supplement. While other companies sell beta-glucans, Empire Medicinals is focused on developing a niche product within that market and a process that provides a competitive advantage. “If we are looking at the fastest way to get the beta-glucans, broth is the best,” Chris said. Down the road, the company would like to use whey, a waste product in the dairy industry, as an inexpensive, abundant growing medium. The College’s research team is specifically testing a type of mushroom that can grow in whey. While Chris looks forward to the final data, he is enjoying the partnership.“We showed up with a research objective that met the College’s academic needs,” he said. “We are doing research together.” FLCC will hand off the project to Cornell Agritech, backed by the institutional knowledge and resources of Cornell University. “We can’t miss what is happening here,” said FLCC President Robert Nye. “Jim Hewlett’s work in developing CCURI, in getting those National Science Foundation grants, has opened the door for FLCC and other community colleges to participate in a broad network of institutions, companies and economic development agencies engaged in innovation. Our students get access to that network and I’m just thrilled to think where it can take them.” – Lenore Friend Philip Simmons ’20, ’21, left, of Keuka Park; Matthew Brooks ’21 of Canandaigua; and Demetrice “Demi” Garcia ’21 of Newark have learned best practices used in biotechnology labs and commercial settings while working on the mushroom research project, which is funded by a National Science Foundation grant. photo by rikki van camp Chris Carter, executive vice president of Empire Medicinals, holds a vial of beta-glucan, a sugar produced by mushroom mycelia, which are root-like filaments. His company is working with FLCC to explore the potential to grow mycelia in a commercial setting. photo by rikki van camp