A new laboratory may help attract more life science businesses to St. Joseph.

The Bond Science and Technology Incubator received a grant for $285,000 from the Missouri Life Science Trust Fund to build a small "clean room" at the building on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

The facility will be used by businesses to produce small quantities of products under good manufacturing practices, said Dr. Gary Clapp, director of the Institute for Industrial and Applied Life Sciences at Western.

Clean rooms are expensive for businesses to maintain and can cost up to $10,000 a day to rent from research centers. Western's room will be accessible for start up life science businesses.

"This eliminates one of the unknowns in the development process and helps them to be successful," Dr. Clapp said.

The incubator recently announced its first tenant will be Imulan BioTherapeutics, which is researching feline medicines.

"We are putting together the best incubator model I've ever seen," Dr. Clapp said. "We will attract the right people and we will be successful."

Western is working with other potential businesses considering locating in the incubator. One business made a site visit on Wednesday. Despite current trends, Dr. Clapp is optimistic about the institute's possibilities.

"Bad economic times actually generate small business opportunities," he said.

In addition, it leads to a greater interest in education. The new clean room also will be used as a training center to prepare potential employees for St. Joseph's animal health industries.

Susan Mires can be reached at susanm@npgco.com.