Weill Cornell Medicine’s new research space will feature open workspaces and large conference rooms to encourage collaboration among onsite researchers and staff. The expansion will include dry lab space, which focuses on computational methods of research, and wet lab space, which uses drugs, chemicals and other biological matter for investigation. Wet labs, for example, will include large-scale modular lab benches that can be rearranged based on researchers’ specific equipment needs, allowing for increased flexibility among teams.
Over time, the facility will house more than 700 Weill Cornell Medicine faculty and staff. This will include existing personnel relocated from other institutional sites and newly recruited laboratory researchers, data scientists and business experts to help leverage new discoveries for the marketplace, while also offering increased space for future researchers. Newly vacated space across campus will be reallocated to support existing programs and ensure optimization across the institution’s tripartite mission to care, discover and teach.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the space will fuel high-impact, data-driven clinical research initiatives across diverse patient populations. For example, Weill Cornell Medicine scientists are currently refining an approach to monitor cancer status in patients after treatment using advanced DNA sequencing techniques and machine learning algorithms—tools that will determine whether the DNA circulating in the blood contains mutations indicative of cancer. Advances in clinical data management have significantly enhanced investigators’ ability to mine large data sets for critical insights into disease development and progression. Through the new space’s capabilities, an expanded clinical trial portfolio will hasten the translation of promising research from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.
“Our institution’s critical research expansion will accelerate innovation in medicine so we can bring more cutting-edge treatments and therapies to patients,” said Jessica M. Bibliowicz, chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows. “This new space will empower our scientists and physicians to discover and develop solutions to some of our greatest health challenges and ensure a brighter future for generations around the world.”
The facility is situated in close proximity to Weill Cornell Medicine’s central campus and its hospital partner NewYork-Presbyterian. Its bright, modern design will feature natural light, large windows and high ceilings. Weill Cornell Medicine will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, for the new space—prioritizing sustainability and energy efficient design and technology.
