|
The 12-story building is being
constructed across the street from Children's location in the Longwood
Medical Area and is expected to open in the spring of 2003. The new building,
combined with the hospital's current Enders Building, will allow for new and
expanded laboratories with a particular emphasis on angiogenesis; in vitro
tissue engineering of replacement organs; genetics and genomics;
neuroscience; and developmental medicine, including adult stem cells. The latter offers
the promise of replacing damaged or genetically defective tissues with new ones,
since stem cells have the ability to regenerate the tissues they're derived
from and can sometimes be persuaded to change their identity and form cells
from other tissues.
"Medical research has evolved from a focus on organs to the less
specific
but powerful molecular level. This requires that we transcend traditional
academic department boundaries and look for more interdisciplinary groupings
of scientists focused on specific problems," says Sam Lux, M.D., a
Children's
hematologist/oncologist and researcher who has led the three-year effort to
plan the new building. As a current example, Lux points to the Children's
Surgical Research Laboratories where oncologists, pathologists, surgeons,
cell
biologists, and ophthalmologists work side-by-side to study the respective
benefits of either halting or promoting angiogenesis (new blood vessel
growth).
"With the new research building and updated clinical building, patients
and their families will not only benefit from highly personalized care but
also from the latest scientific discoveries and state-of-the-art technology."
Children's will locate seven such research groups in the new building
and
will rent out three floors to other area research groups with complementary
interests. The rental floors will generate income to help cover the
construction and operating costs of the building. Retail space, including a
new restaurant on the first floor, and an additional three floors of parking
are also planned.
Later this year, ground will be broken on a building to expand clinical
care space, with the demolition of a 5-story building on campus and its
replacement with a 10-story building. The new 200,000-square foot clinical
care building will provide modernized and expanded space for intensive care,
surgical, imaging and emergency services, as well as support growth in
patient
care. Combined, the two buildings represent a $250 million investment. The
hospital will finance the buildings primarily through the issuance of long-
term debt. However, $50 million will come from a 5-year philanthropic
campaign
with a working goal of $200 million.
The hospital has not had a major renovation program for more than a
decade, yet during that time inpatient and outpatient visits have grown by
30
percent each. Growth in volume has been accompanied by changes in the
overall
delivery of care — more intensive, technologically driven and sophisticated
inpatient and outpatient care, and tremendous growth in outpatient services.
"With the new research building and updated clinical building, patients
and their families will not only benefit from highly personalized care but
also from the latest scientific discoveries and state-of-the-art technology.
These lab discoveries and the results of clinical trials also advance the
health of children around the world," says Bill Boyan, chairman of the
Children's Board of Trustees.
Children's Hospital is home to the world's largest pediatric research
program, totaling over $100 million in fiscal year 2000 from public and
private grants. Research at Children's has driven a history of advances,
from
the first pediatric remission of leukemia to the promising results of
angiogenesis inhibitors in shrinking tumors and tissue engineering in
rebuilding defective organs.
As researchers at Children's Hospital become more and more successful in
unlocking the mysteries of diseases in children and adults, research space
has
become a premium. For instance, without any increase in space, total
research
funding has increased by 52 percent in the past five years. Currently,
Children's Hospital has more grant dollars per square-foot than any other
research enterprise in Boston, creating crowding at a time when
sophisticated
equipment is putting even more demand on space. In addition, the National
Institutes of Health is projected to increase its funding by 30 percent by
2004.
"We absolutely need the now space to recruit and retain top researchers.
We are incredibly fortunate to have a high-concentration of nationally
recognized scientists, including six members of the National Academy of
Science and nine Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, who are
committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers to carry on their
work," says Dr. James Mandell, president and chief executive officer of
Children's.
Source: Children's Hospital Boston
CMLSupport Home Page This site was last updated on Feb. 25, 2001 Copyright © 2000-2001 CMLSupport.com. All rights reserved. The fine print: These contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the author. Or she will beat you up and stuff. This site is best viewed with Internet Explorer, but we won't stop you from using another Web browser. Congratulations if you've read all of this! (But we're sorry to say, the person before you got our last cash prize!) |