The BJC Institute of Health at Washington University will serve as home for BioMed 21, the university’s initiative to accelerate scientific discovery and bring medical breakthroughs to the patient bedside faster. BJC HealthCare's $30 million gift over five years will help construct the 11-story research building on the Washington University Medical Center campus in St. Louis' Central West End.

 “The BJC Institute of Health at Washington University will be home to research that brings together gifted physicians, scientists and researchers with a common goal -- to find new and better ways to improve human health, including new treatments and potential cures for the diseases most prevalent in our society,” says Steven Lipstein, BJC president and CEO. “The Institute will provide the opportunity to translate medical discoveries into everyday patient care for the benefit of our entire community.”

Construction is under way on the $235 million building, on the southwest corner of Euclid Avenue and Children’s Place, on the site of the former Wayco parking structure. The 11-story, 700,000-square-foot structure, scheduled for completion in December 2009, will house laboratories; support facilities; two academic departments for the medical school; and some support operations for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, including food and nutrition services, clinical laboratories, materials management, health information management offices and general office space. As a hub for BioMed 21, the building will provide space for five Interdisciplinary Research Centers focused on:

• Cancer Genomics -- Finding genetic variants that modify a person’s cancer risk and response to therapies
• Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease -- Understanding how the metabolic changes that accompany diabetes lead to heart disease
• Neurodegeneration -- Understanding neurological conditions of the aging brain
• Women's Infectious Disease Research -- Investigating the role of bacteria and viruses in conditions such as premature birth, cancer and heart disease
• Membrane Excitability Disorders -- Understanding the causes of diseases, including epilepsy and cystic fibrosis

“We launched BioMed 21 [in 2003], because we recognized that effective collaboration among researchers in different fields is essential to the future of medicine,” says Larry Shapiro, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of Washington University School of Medicine. “Medical School researchers are constantly seeking to identify and understand the underlying causes of disease. Our goal is that these endeavors will form the foundation of new treatments and new cures.”

Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton says, “BJC’s gift to the university for this building is an investment in the talent and dedication of the researchers who will occupy it and those who will collaborate with them. The facility will foster new ideas and creative solutions that will dramatically change medical care in the future. We are truly appreciative of BJC’s forward-looking commitment.”