Molecular medicine research building dedicated at VCU

A new medical research building that will harness “the power of genetics” and its application for human health was dedicated today on the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

The $71.5 million Molecular Medicine Research Building represents the renaissance of biomedical research at VCU, said Jerome F. Strauss, dean of the VCU School of Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs for the health system.

The eight-story, 125,000-square-foot building will provide laboratory space for 48 principal investigators and their staffs. These scientists will be “transforming our understanding of illness and disease and uncovering new therapies and cures,“ Strauss said.

The building on East Broad Street is next to historic Monumental Church. VCU officials said restrooms and other facilities on the ground floor of the new building will be available for visitors of the church.

The dedication ceremony was preceded by a symposium on molecular medicine that celebrated “the promise that understanding genes and gene networks” means for health, Strauss said.