University of Iowa’s Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank (DSHB) has been awarded a prestigious C06 Research Facilities Construction Grant from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to renovate and expand its facilities. The project will unify DSHB’s currently dispersed operations into a modern, centralized space within the Department of Biology, significantly increasing capacity and efficiency for one of the world’s leading repositories of monoclonal antibo
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“DSHB has been part of the University of Iowa and the Biology Department since 1986 but has never had a dedicated facility,” said Douglas Houston, DSHB director and professor of biology. “Even without a unified space, DSHB has become an essential global provider of antibodies and cell lines across numerous fields, so we’re excited to move into a single, integrated facility designed to scale our capabilities and meet growing demand.”
The $3.4 million facility renovations will include:
Expanded production and storage capacity, including advanced cryostorage for hybridoma cell lines
State-of-the-art research laboratory space to support recombinant antibody creation, high-throughput sequencing, and knockout-cell validation
Integrated office and research areas designed to enhance collaboration and workflow efficiency
“This investment will allow DSHB to keep pace with the need for affordable, validated antibodies,” Houston said. “By consolidating our operations and expanding production capabilities, we will be better positioned to provide new and better services to the scientific community and advance biomedical research.”
The renovation will also strengthen DSHB’s capacity to grow new services, such as recombinant antibody production, while continuing its mission of supporting researchers everywhere.
For nearly four decades, DSHB has thrived on a self-sustaining model, balancing affordability with scientific rigor. The new facility ensures that its expert staff and expanding knowledgebase will have the infrastructure needed to continue leading in the field of antibody resources.
About the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank
The Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank (DSHB), housed in the Department of Biology at the University of Iowa, is a national resource providing monoclonal antibodies and hybridoma cell lines at cost to researchers worldwide. Established in 1986 with NIH support, DSHB enables open scientific exchange and has distributed essential reagents to thousands of institutions, driving progress across biomedical research.
The project reported in this article is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, under the Grant Number 1C06OD039921-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH.