Gannon University, Saint Vincent Hospital and First Ascent Biomedical today announced a collaboration to develop two new laboratories and related medical facilities that will create an educational training pathway to meet demands of the region’s healthcare sector; support the development of a biomedical industry in Erie; and provide world-class cancer treatment options for our community.
The effort, which will unfold over the next two years in Gannon’s Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK), is being financially supported by two key community organizations – the Lutheran Foundation for Long-Term Living and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA), as well as funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
The Lutheran Foundation is contributing $2 million.
ECGRA is giving $500,000, its largest grant ever to a single project.
The Shapiro Administration is investing more than $1.7 million to support the construction of Gannon University’s new laboratory space and to help First Ascent Biomedical expand into the space when it is completed.
Those three investments will allow for the immediate launch of the project’s first phase, which includes securing architectural designs and permitting.
The project’s total cost is $6.5 million. The remaining balance is being secured through additional fundraising and financing. Construction is expected to begin in late fall 2025 with completion in fall 2026.
“We are deeply appreciative to the Lutheran Foundation and to ECGRA for their support,” said Gannon President Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D. “Their significant gifts allow us to begin the design phase of this important initiative that will not only contribute to the economic development in downtown Erie but could potentially be a life-saving project.”
Mark J. Gusek, president and chief executive officer of the Lutheran Foundation, said the project aligns with his organization’s mission.
“Generally, we support smaller nonprofit organizations with more limited means, but the LFLTL board saw this as an opportunity to make a wide-spread community impact,” he said. “The community involvement – the job creation, the new student programs, extending care to our community – really impressed the LFLTL board.”
The potential for transforming Erie’s health and business sector was also motivating for ECGRA’s board.
“The largest investment in ECGRA history goes toward building an environment that brings an established and critical business to Erie,” said Perry Wood, ECGRA executive director. “ECGRA dollars are revitalizing Erie County and part of that is investing in downtown Erie.”
The Commonwealth’s investment in this project reflects the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to advancing education, innovation, workforce development and economic growth across Pennsylvania.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to support this new partnership between First Ascent Biomedical and Gannon University. Projects like this underscore the impact the Life Science sector has across the Commonwealth,” said Rick Siger, DCED secretary. “Governor Shapiro’s proposed 2025-26 budget doubles down on our commitment to further growing this sector with a new, $50 million innovation fund that will support businesses like this that save lives and strengthen our economy.”
First Ascent Biomedical’s business plan for I-HACK calls for creating 38 jobs paying between $60,000 and $150,000 immediately and growing that number to more than 100 jobs in five years. This employment number is in addition to the positions Gannon will create for the academic program attached to the proposal and to the construction jobs that will be needed to build out the two CLIA-approved labs over 12 to 18 months.
First Ascent Biomedical, which is based in Florida, was introduced to Erie through the 2022 FIRE Accelerator program hosted by the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP). First Ascent’s founder, Jim Foote, was a presenter at the Chamber’s fall 2023 Erie Homecoming along with Gannon President Iwanenko and Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Chris Clark.
“The Erie Regional Chamber is committed to making Erie a thriving hub for entrepreneurs,” said Jordan Fuller, director of entrepreneurship and FIRE Accelerator program lead for the ERCGP. “Over the years, we’ve worked to not only attract and support innovative companies but to build trust and meaningful connections that make Erie the right place for them to grow. We are thrilled to welcome First Ascent Biomedical to our community, and we look forward to the lasting impact they will have here.”
First Ascent, which was founded in 2018, features a first-in-kind A.I.-driven drug prediction platform that integrates DNA/RNA sequencing, mutation analysis, and drug sensitivity on cancer cells. This platform delivers a highly personalized, actionable treatment plan to a patient’s physician in an average of 10 days. Results from initial studies indicated the platform has significantly extended life in study subjects.
First Ascent intends to use a 3,000-square-foot lab on the fourth floor of I-HACK and another 2,000 square feet of space for offices. It expects to handle 20,000 patients a year through the Gannon lab.
“Fighting Cancer is never done in a silo; it takes a committed team, and the Erie community embodies that spirit of collaboration,” said Jim Foote, founder and chief executive officer of First Ascent Biomedical. “Thanks to our partnership with Gannon and Alleghany Health and our generous donors, the Lutheran Foundation and ECGRA, we are honored to establish a state-of-the-art lab right here in Erie. I-HACK will become the epicenter and beacon of hope for tens of thousands of people in Pennsylvania and beyond.”
Saint Vincent Hospital plans to use a second 3,000-square-foot lab on the fourth floor of I-HACK to augment its longstanding lab at Saint Vincent Hospital and to expand the hospital’s existing medical laboratory science program.
“This new state-of-the-art lab and expanded education program is truly an investment in our community’s future and in the lives of patients everywhere. By training the next generation of highly skilled medical technologists, we’re ensuring a robust healthcare workforce, including for underserved areas,” said Dr. Chris Clark, DO, MHA, president of Saint Vincent Hospital. “Furthermore, the hospital and our team of healthcare providers at the AHN Cancer Institute on our campus are extremely excited and hopeful about the possibilities the cancer research program Gannon and First Ascent will create for the future.”
Gannon intends to develop a two-year degree program in medical technology and expand enrollment in its four-year medical laboratory science degree program, jobs that have starting salaries of $60,000 and nearly $100,000, respectively.
“These are jobs that we learned during the COVID response are critical to this community – and the nation – and we just don’t have enough people being trained in them,” Iwanenko said, adding that he believes this collaboration will address a workforce shortage for the region.
“In addition,” he said, “this has the potential to put Erie on the map in terms of biomedical technology and translational research. We have the chance to seed a biomedical industry here in Erie with this project. Today – thanks to the generosity of our friends with the Lutheran Foundation and ECGRA – we are talking about First Ascent and Saint Vincent. Tomorrow, who knows who we might be talking about? I think this is just the beginning for us and for Erie.”
To learn more: Firstascentbiomedical.com, erie.ahn.org and Gannon’s I-HACK.
