Donors, dignitaries, Lambton College staff, students and community members gathered Wednesday to unveil two new research labs.
The Bio Safety Level 2 (BSL-2) and the Natural Health Products research labs were introduced to the community.
The BSL-2 lab is equipped to handle projects involving microorganisms requiring elevated containment measures, leading to advancements in biotechnology research.
College President and CEO Rob Kardas said the lab will enhance capacity to explore vaccine development, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, the Natural Health Products lab will support the processing of highly sensitive products with stringent purity requirements.
The cost was part of a $4.3 million commitment to build the chemistry wing at the college.
Vice President of Research and Innovation Mehdi Sheikhzadeh said the college has a license where more advanced biotechnology projects can be completed.
"This helps us go into the pharmaceuticals which ensure some level of our vaccine production. There are a lot of projects on containment identification and purification that come to water type of projects," he said. "We are working with the microbes, the bacteria that we could not work with before."
He added this helps with growing the college's biotechnology research.
Sheikhzadeh explained the difference between a Bio Safety Level 2 and a Bio Safety Level 1 lab.
"It just goes back to the handling of the microorganisms and bacterias. With the bio level one except with the regular safety you won't be able to do any sophisticated analysis with those," he said.
Having the labs will provide the college with opportunities, such as health solutions.
Sheikhzadeh said they'll be extremely valuable.
"This is going to enhance us to go to certain areas that we could not support in the past and that's exciting. Not just for the college and the students but for the community to bring these International companies to the region," he said.
Projects are currently being worked on in the labs even though equipment is still being purchased.
Sheikhzadeh also said the lab space is critical for the college because bioindustry is becoming popular in Canada.
"We need to prepare students and graduates to have the skill sets for that, so this helps us to not only engage them as researching students but to have programs, micro-credentials, courses and labs that are going to train the students," he said.
Second year biotechnology student Srijana Sapkota has already started working in the new labs.
"It's been a good experience working in the lab. It is amazing," she said.
Sapkota believes this is a positive step forward for other students.
"Here we've gotten to know from the very basics to (the) instruments and how they work," she said.
Kardas also said these labs are one of few in the Ontario College system.