in the United States. First established in 1894, the University of Massachusetts Biologic Laboratory was re-established in 1997 by the Massachusetts legislature, and oversight was transferred from the Department of Public Health to UMMS. In recent years, MassBiologics has been called upon to respond to the threat of SARS, avian flu, and rabies. MassBiologics has developed or collaborated on five “orphan products” over the past twenty years. MassBiologics continues to market its FDA-licensed Td (tetanus and diphtheria) vaccine, providing a substantial proportion of the U.S. requirement for this vaccine. MassBiologics participates in the discovery, production and clinical testing of monoclonal antibodies (including antibodies to Clostridium difficile), antibodies now known as actoxumab and bezlotoxumab In 2005, the firm opened an $80 million facility for monoclonal-antibody production. Co-developed with Serum Institute of India, it invented a fast-acting anti-Rabies drug called Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb). UMMS is extending its mission of public service through its Commonwealth Medicine initiative. Faculty Notable faculty members include: Victor Ambros, discovered the first microRNA. Job Dekker, developer of the chromosome conformation capture method. Katherine A. Fitzgerald, molecular biologist and virologist, finalist for the 2011 Vilcek Prize Craig C. Mello, Nobel Prize laureate for the discovery of RNA interference. Phillip D. Zamore, biochemist of small RNAs. Affiliates and clinical partners The hospital and clinical components of UMMS are part of UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC). UMass Memorial is a multibillion-dollar health-care system consisting of acute-care hospitals, ambulatory clinics and a network of primary care physicians and specialists throughout central Massachusetts. With approximately 13,000 employees (including 1,500 physicians), UMMHC is the largest health-care provider in central Massachusetts. Its flagship hospital (UMass Memorial Medical Center) straddles two campuses along Route 9 in Worcester, Massachusetts and is designated by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center. Its largest publicly funded affiliate in the field of cancer research is the Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC), located in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), QARC receives radiotherapy data from around 1,000 hospitals in the United States. UMMHC also maintains three community hospitals: Clinton Hospital in Clinton HealthAlliance Hospital in Fitchburg and Leominster Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough Campus Albert Sherman Center The Albert Sherman Center, a 512,000 square foot biomedical research and education facility, was unveiled to the public on January 30, 2013 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by