UMass Amherst has long been known for the strength of its apoptosis (programmed cell death) research community. It is a crosscutting interest for PVLSI, Baystate and UMass Amherst scientists who are individually and collaboratively studying cancer, metabolism, and muscle. This important biological process is known to play a significant role in a wide range of devastating health problems, including: cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, Type 1 diabetes, reperfusion injuries following heart attacks and strokes.

In October 2006 the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s John Adams Innovation Institute announced that it would provide $3 million in seed funding for a Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research (CEAR) to be located at PVLSI.