The Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) translates fundamental research into innovative product candidates, technologies, and services that deliver benefits to human health and well-being. Our specific objectives are to: (1) Become a catalyst and resource for ‘applied’ and ‘translational’ R&D activities; (2) Establish industry engagement models and industry collaborations; (3) Contribute to workforce development; and (4) Participate in the innovation & entrepreneurship culture on campus.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, March 28
11:30 am
Professor Zarko Boskovic, University of Kansas Department of Medicinal Chemistry. Host: Rachid Skouta.
LGRT 1681
Thursday, March 28
12:30 pm
Join IALS Venture Development for a Lunch and Learn with MassMutual and several UMass founders who have recently successfully fundraised!
LSL S330
Tuesday, April 2
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Presented by IALS Animal Imaging Core Facility Staff. Hosted by Jim Chambers, Director of Light Microscopy, and Said Akli, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
ISB 145

Recent News

Nele Van Dessel and Griffin O'Driscoll

Ernest Pharmaceuticals and Organicin Scientific have won the top prizes at Lever’s 2024 Western Massachusetts Health Tech Challenge

Genomics Resource Laboratory Director Ravi Ranjan recently presented at the 2024 Advances in Genome Biology and Technology General Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

UMass Amherst is one of 18 universities in the country, the only one in New England, to receive a first-ever NSF Accelerating Research Translation award. The four-year award will fund translational research teams, training for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and a network of ART Ambassadors, who will serve as role models, peer mentors and advocates for societally impactful translational research.

Please sign up for updates and announcements about Support & Training Accelerating Research Translation (START).

Translational Research

The Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) will transform life science discoveries into candidate products and services in collaboration with industry to improve human health and well being. IALS extends specific identified research strengths at UMass through its three centers:

Models for Optimized Drug Delivery

Center for Bioactive Delivery

CBD creates new ways to deliver “The right drug to the right place: by creating novel delivery platforms for small and large molecules.”  Developing a wide range of delivery platforms matched to bioactive molecular delivery needs based on fundamental design principles, including nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, hybrid particles, bacteria, and hydrogels.

Wearable Sensors for Precision Healthcare Delivery & Biometric Monitoring

Center for Personalized Health Monitoring

CPHM seeks to tackle real-world problems in the emerging field of digital healthcare, wearable sensor technologies, and personalized, precision healthcare delivery, interfacing closely with provider networks, hospitals, and industry across the Massachusetts Commonwealth, and the world.

Translating Fundamental Biology into New Targets, Leads & Disease Models

Models to Medicine Center

M2M leverages mechanistic insights into molecular pathways implicated in cell health and in disease pathology to identify novel drug targets and therapeutic candidates.

IALS Virtual Tour

In this tour you will discover all of the great resources that are available at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences.

Poster for the IALS virtual tour

Shared Resources

UMass Amherst Core Facilities

We work together with researchers toward a singular goal: advancing applied science and technology to address the world’s most pressing challenges. We offer expertise and resources that create new opportunities, not only for scientific achievement, but also for establishing new models of collaboration.

Nutriceutical Formulation facility

Nutriceutical Formulation

Isolates and concentrates bioactives, thermally treats them by ultrahigh pasteurization and agitating retort, produces emulsion systems by homogenization, and encapsulates by freeze or spray drying.

X-Ray Scattering Facility Image

X-Ray Scattering

Housing several instruments dedicated to the structural analysis of crystalline materials, the determination of highly periodic morphologies in self-assembled systems over a large length scale range.

Human Magnetic Resonance Center

Human Magnetic Resonance

Whole-body non-invasive imaging and spectroscopy technologies for academic and industry-based research.

Advance your idea from concept to commercialization

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

IALS Venture Development programs are here to help you! Our programs support development of startups and industry partnerships by UMass researchers based upon their technologies and product concepts.

 

Training the next generation workforce

Student Engagement

Providing students from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) hands-on training and experience in the use and operation of a state-of-the art research equipment, experience gathering data and data analysis, and the development of team science.