As scientific research increasingly moves toward a greater use of data, so too is the animal cage technology being introduced and developed by major manufacturers. Innovations designed to improve animal life, reduce costs, and enhance research are happening at the cage level, with technology allowing for control of conditions within individual housing units and data collection of cage-level variables.
After a one-year delay, Congress has passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes new funding totaling $4.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $500 million for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring novel drug therapies and medical devices to market more quickly, and $1 billion to fight the growing opioid crisis. The NIH funding includes $1.8 billion for Vice President Joseph Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot,” $1.6 billion for President Obama’s BRAIN initiative, and additional money earmarked for precision medicine. The Cures Act funding is separate from, and in addition to, annual NIH budget increases. It comes on the heals of a $2 billion increase in NIH funding last year, the largest increase in a decade. If the trend continues, it could result in a need for additional research infrastructure in the form of renovations and new construction.
GlaxoSmithKline began construction in December of 2016 on a 100,000-sf SMART laboratory and office facility in Upper Providence, Pa. Skanska has been awarded the $45 million contract for demolition and renovation of four floors in an existing structure to implement GSK’s Smart Space concept, which features integrated technological innovations for research and productivity. Completion is expected in October of 2017.
Merck has selected Alexandria Real Estate Equities to develop a biopharmaceutical R&D facility in South San Francisco, Calif. Construction will begin in early 2017 on the nine-story, 294,000-rsf building, the entirety of which will be leased by Merck. Designed by DGA to accommodate up to 300 scientists engaged in collaborative, multidisciplinary research, the facility will provide laboratories, offices, a 300-seat auditorium, a café, and a fitness center.
Pfizer will begin construction in mid-2017 on a $200 million research and development campus in Chesterfield, Mo. Supporting the creation of advanced vaccines, biotherapeutics, and pharmaceuticals, the project could include a 460,000-sf facility standing up to five stories high. The campus will be built by Clayco and its development subsidiary CRG, with Pfizer leasing the structures upon completion. Occupancy is expected in 2020.
Texas A&M University is planning to begin construction in January of 2017 on the $86 million Global Health Research Complex in College Station. The 102,000-sf biocontainment facility will provide advanced laboratories for the study of infectious agents and diseases in plants, animals, and humans. Supporting collaboration within the A&M System, the project will collocate biomedical, veterinary, engineering, and environmental science research in a single complex to create innovative strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Research has begun at the £650 million Francis Crick Institute in London. Designed by HOK in partnership with PLP Architecture, the 10-story, 980,000-sf facility can accommodate 1,250 scientists and 250 support staff engaged in interdisciplinary biomedical research. The Crick Institute represents a partnership between University College London, Imperial College London, and King’s College London, working in collaboration with the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and Cancer Research UK.
The University of Texas at El Paso is planning to break ground in early 2017 on the $85 million Interdisciplinary Research Building. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 150,000-gsf project will feature collaborative research labs, a vivarium, imaging suites, core labs, a visualization suite, conference rooms, an atrium, an auditorium, and academic and administrative offices.
Memorial University is planning to build the CAD$30 million Animal Resource Centre in St. Johns. Replacing two existing buildings, the 30,000-sf facility will support medical research in a variety of areas, including cancer, diabetes, mental health, obesity, stroke mechanisms, and osteoporosis. The project will include vivarium space for animal housing and is supported by CAD$14.4 million in federal funding.
James Cook University is planning to build the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) on the Cairns campus in Smithfield, Queensland. Designed by Jackson Architecture and Fisher & Buttrose Architects, the AUD$24.5 million facility will include a Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) laboratory to accommodate research on virology, viral diseases, and vector control. The project will be constructed by Hutchinson Builders and completion is expected in late 2017.
The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) officially broke ground in August of 2016 on a $75 million mouse production facility in Ellsworth, Maine. The project involves the renovation and expansion of an existing 143,000-sf building to create an advanced 208,000-sf vivarium for the breeding and housing of genetic research mice. The facility will utilize robotic cage management technologies, eliminating the need for employees wearing personal protective equipment to work within containment areas. Window glove boxes will enable researchers to access the specimens.
AstraZeneca is building the £750 million Global R&D Centre and Corporate Headquarters on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the United Kingdom. Providing advanced facilities for pharmaceutical discovery and development, the 580,000-sf project will include space for biologics research, high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, pre-clinical research, and clinical studies. Designed to optimize interaction and connectivity, the collaborative 11-acre campus will accommodate approximately 2,000 employees and will include an on-site energy center.
Memorial University is planning to build the $325 million Core Science Facility in St. John's, Newfoundland. Designed by HOK Canada and Hearn/Fougere Architecture to promote integration and collaboration, the multidisciplinary project will include three tower blocks connected by two vertical atria spaces. The 480,000-gsf facility will provide 156,000 sf of research labs and 98,000 sf of teaching labs for the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and electrical and computer engineering.
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB) broke ground in June of 2016 on the $16 million Support Center for Nonhuman Primates Resources in Jeongeup, South Korea. Located on a 775,000-sf site, the facility will act as a breeding colony for specific pathogen-free nonhuman primates that can be supplied to laboratories for biomedical and pharmaceutical research studies. Completion is expected in late 2017.
