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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Our Turn Column
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 15, 2006
Biosciences Moving Forward
By: Councilman Greg Stanton, Dr. Jeffrey Trent and Dr. George Poste
Ten months ago, hundreds of people came out on a brisk, spring morning to celebrate a new beginning.
The opening of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and International Genomics Consortium (IGC) headquarters brought city, state and federal leaders together with renowned scientists, local foundations and business leaders.
A cool, Arizona breeze was blowing in the right direction and the bright faces we saw that day were exciting indications of the future.
For Phoenix, other Valley cities and the whole state of Arizona to lead the way toward a new economy stressing knowledge jobs and scientific breakthroughs, we needed to build on the momentum of that day.
Since last March, everyone involved in this forward-thinking, team effort has made good on the commitments to continue our momentum.
Here are a few examples of the progress:
Arizona Biomedical Collaborative (ABC) - Work has begun on the ABC building, which will sit next to TGen/IGC on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. The joint Arizona State University/University of Arizona facility will open in 2007, housing sophisticated, biomedical research and introducing a new academic approach in the field. ASU and UA researchers, doctors and students will collaborate with TGen and other Valley institutions to discover and advance numerous medical breakthroughs.
ABC also includes a major new initiative in bioinformatics that ASU is launching. This ambitious program provides opportunity to bring world-class skills in the application of computing to Arizona. ABC will have extensive ties to the Biodesign Institute at ASU, further enhanced by the light rail system connecting the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses.
UA Medical School Phoenix Campus in Collaboration with ASU – Renovation of three historic buildings for the medical school is about 80 percent finished and is scheduled to be completed by summer. The first class of 24 medical students starts in fall of 2007. By 2015, that number is projected to grow to 150 medical students per year.
The medical school has made very recent and real progress to create a new paradigm at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, where recruiting research teams built around thematic areas: cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, and neurosciences. These areas have been prioritized by both the Flinn-Battelle biosciences roadmap for Arizona and identified as part of UA’s Focused Excellence Initiative. This site will also include the UA College of Pharmacy.
ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus and its College of Nursing will be located nearby, allowing additional opportunities for collaboration.
Thanks to Governor Napolitano for her strong support of the Medical School in Phoenix.
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center project - Housed within the TGen building is also space for St. Joe’s, ready by the middle of this year. The site will focus on research for neuroscience, internal and molecular medicine, and genetics testing, that will provide further “critical mass” for the downtown campus. Additionally, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health is conducting studies focused primarily on the extraordinarily high incidence of diabetes and obesity within the Native American community.
Molecular Profiling Institute - This new entrepreneurial enterprise, created by spin outs from the Biodesign Institute and TGen, will apply molecular diagnostics to clinical cancer patients.
IGC’s Expression Project for Oncology (expO) - IGC recently collected its 1,000th frozen cancer specimen, exceeding original expectations for the expO project.
The biosciences commitment around the state will not only save lives, but also be part of an economic engine that is revolutionizing Arizona’s economy.
Healthcare consulting company Tripp Umbach estimates that by 2025 the Phoenix Biomedical Campus alone has the potential to generate between $1.1 billion and $2.1 billion for Arizona’s economy and 14,000 to 24,000 jobs.
Private bioscience companies in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Tucson and other places will spur thousands of additional jobs and millions of extra dollars into the economy.
These are just a few of Arizona’s major bioscience milestones.
That cool, March 2005 day was the start of something big.
The future is here for biosciences, with accomplishments that will benefit people all around the world, while making our state an even better place to live, thrive and raise our children.
Phoenix Councilman Greg Stanton is a member of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee of the Flinn Foundation.
Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D., is TGen’s president & scientific director.
George Poste, D.V.M., Ph.D., is director of The Biodesign Institute at ASU.
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