Philadelphia University Receives $1.25 Million Grant TO Advance Textile Research

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority awarded $1,255,500 to Philadelphia University to establish the Pennsylvania Advanced Textile Research and Innovation Center (PATRIC). A collaboration of Philadelphia University, Drexel University and the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, PATRIC will be located at and administered by Philadelphia University.

The primary goal of PATRIC is to provide leading-edge expertise in research, development and testing of advanced material systems - primarily textiles - that support industrial growth in a range of biomedical and human protection applications. The Center will promote the development of
technologies and commercialization through applied research driven by the needs of an initial group of eight industry partners within the Commonwealth. Additional partnerships will be formed with companies throughout the northeast U.S.

"We are extremely pleased that DCED has provided this funding to launch PATRIC and appreciative of the work put into this proposal by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania," said Philadelphia University President Stephen Spinelli, Jr. "It will enable us to further advance innovative textiles research and technology development and will support applied textile research that is not being conducted anywhere else in the United States, giving Pennsylvania industries a clear, competitive advantage."

RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, president and chief executive officer of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, said, "We are proud to work with Philadelphia University and Drexel University to create the Pennsylvania Advanced Textiles Research and Innovation Center. The
unique capabilities of PATRIC and the partnership it puts in place will be of tremendous value to companies in Pennsylvania and across the country."

"Philadelphia University's textile program was the first of its kind in the United States and we were pioneers in the field of medical textiles, having developed the first bifurcated aortal graft," said Jeffrey D. Senese, vice president for academic affairs at Philadelphia University. "It
is fitting that we are spearheading this important new textile research program and establishing a Biomedical Textiles Structures Laboratory."

In collaboration with medical researchers, the Biomedical Textiles Structures Laboratory will focus on the development, testing and support of basic research in biomedical textile devices using a variety of nanofiber platforms and applications.

"An exciting concentration will be in the area of nanotextile structures and their impact on advanced tissue engineering," said David Brookstein, dean of Philadelphia University's School of Engineering and Textiles. "This area holds tremendous potential for the development of new
technologies for Pennsylvania industries."

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