URMC has begun construction on its Clinical and Translational Science Building (CTSB), a $76.4 million project that will serve as a central hub for the resources, expertise, and networks necessary to fast-track biomedical research into real-word cures. The project recently received $50 million in support from New York State.

One of the first facilities of its kind in the nation, the 200,000-square-foot, 4-story CTSB is a cornerstone of URMC’s strategic plan and represents a public investment in research that not only advances medicine, but also strengthens the Rochester economy.

The facility, to be built next to Helen Wood Hall, will house the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, born out of a $40 million grant from the National Institutes of Health back in 2006 (the largest NIH award in the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s history). The grant is part of a wide-sweeping national initiative to re-engineer clinical research, so that scientific discoveries are developed into treatments quicker than ever before.

Once built, 600 scientists, physicians, nurses, statisticians, research administrators, and support staff will call the building their home. Under one roof, the facility will draw together important resources for designing clinical trials, recruiting participants, collecting and evaluating data, and collaborating with industry and other partners. It will include training and education programs, plus clinical and translational research initiatives related to neurological disorders, cancer, pediatrics, health promotion with the deaf community, and cardiovascular disease. The building also will serve as the coordinating center for the Upstate New York Translational Research Network – a consortium of 13 biomedical research institutions in a geographic region stretching from Albany to Buffalo. 

Last month, the area was cleared, fenced, and initially site preparation began. Excavation for the foundation will start later this summer, and the building’s shell will begin to rise in the fall. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2011.

To learn more about the CTSB project, click here.