BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A class of 42 aspiring physician assistants is studying in Idaho State University's newly opened cadaver lab.

The Idaho Statesman reports the $6 million L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories complex opened in August, with 12 students attending through a partnership with The College of Idaho. Students this year are among the first at the university's Meridian Health Sciences Center to use cadavers in studying anatomy. A University of Utah program donated bodies for study.

A public-private partnership partly funded the project, which started taking shape in 2011. The chief donation came from the charitable trust of the Skaggs drugstore chain founder and his wife, both deceased. The Bioskills Learning Lab is expected to open at the complex in the spring.

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