News Release

LA BioMed to unveil new Chronic Diseases Clinical Research Center

Grant and Award Announcement

LA BioMed

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 3, 2011) – David I. Meyer, Ph.D., president and CEO of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), announced plans to break ground on a new Chronic Diseases Clinical Research Center (CDCRC) on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., home to LA BioMed. The groundbreaking will take place Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 at 10 a.m. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will also be on hand to provide opening remarks.

The new CDCRC building is made possible by an infusion of $9.7 million in federal stimulus funds that LA BioMed received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources. The grant calls for a rapid deployment of shovel-ready projects, a requirement aimed at ensuring the grant creates jobs and stimulates the economy. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), biomedical research institutes were encouraged to submit applications for grants and funding totaling $1 billion to support new construction and facilities renovation. LA BioMed was one of only seven institutions in California to receive this type of grant.

"This is the first step forward in creating a new campus worthy of the outstanding research enterprise at LA BioMed," said Dr. Meyer. "With the construction of a new research center, our distinguished investigators who study chronic diseases will be able to expand and strengthen their clinical research activities to provide promising new treatments and therapies to the underserved, as well as contribute to the translational research agenda around the world."

"Even during a recession, the biomedical industry continues steady and rapid growth that can fuel our local economy," said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. "The creation of a new research facility at LA BioMed will not only provide a much-needed boost in the community, but it will also strengthen the health care network and availability of quality care in Los Angeles County."

The new CDCRC will be a two-story, 23,171-square-foot research center that will consolidate the collaborative research efforts of investigator groups studying chronic diseases. It will serve as the new home for LA BioMed's Center for Rehabilitative Medicine, Center for Atherosclerosis Research, the HIV/AIDS research program, and the Investigational Drugs Services. Drs. Richard Casaburi, Eric Daar, and Matthew J. Budoff and their respective staff and associates will occupy the new building.

The CDCRC will include a cardiac CT reading center; exercise physiology, pulmonary function and cardiac labs; an outpatient research clinic; a research pharmacy; as well as meeting rooms for patient and staff training sessions. Following the groundbreaking, the CDCRC plans to open its doors in December 2012.

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About LA BioMed

Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and cures for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.LABioMed.org


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