Cleveland Clinic

By Elizabeth Mission

Cleveland Clinic

Since its founding in 1921, research at Cleveland Clinic has been focused on improving the lives of the patients it serves. With an eye toward the next 100 years, Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists are working in close collaboration to solve the most complex diseases and conditions, while also delivering groundbreaking treatments and cures.

But how will they get there? The Cleveland Innovation District is a key part of the answer to that question. First announced in January 2021, the Cleveland Innovation District was created with a $500 million investment from the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and Cleveland Clinic. The goal of the Cleveland Innovation District is to create jobs, accelerate research and educate the workforce of the future.

With the inception of the Innovation District came a commitment to create 1,000 new jobs in seven years. By the end of 2021, more than 300 people had been hired to fill new positions in research, education, information technology and supply chain departments. Long-term economic goals include: • By 2028, the 1,000 new jobs will add $100 million to the Clinic’s payroll. • By 2033, 2,000 additional physicianscientists will have graduated from Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. • An increase in research spending to $500 million annually. • By 2033, the Cleveland Innovation District, as a whole, will employ 7,500 people across Cleveland Clinic and its partner institutions.

Discoveries at Cleveland Clinic have changed the course of human health, saving millions of lives and becoming standard medical practices around the world. Cleveland Clinic now invests about $330 million a year on biomedical research; the goal in constructing the Cleveland Innovation District is to reach $500 million a year in research investments. The Cleveland Innovative District will focus on: • Launching the Cleveland Clinic and IBM Discovery Accelerator, the first quantum computer used in health care. The Discovery Accelerator will speed the pace of research, drastically cut the cost of clinical trials and enhance the development of personalized care, in addition to training the next generation of physician-scientists to take full advantage of this powerful new analytical tool. “Quantum computing is a revolutionary new way of thinking,” said Serpil Erzurum, MD, chief research and academic officer and chair of Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic. “Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in solving complex medical problems, partnered with IBM’s innovative technology solutions, will change the course of the way we deliver patient care.” • Developing immune-based therapies that offer new hope to patients with cancer and other diseases. In addition, teams at the Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology are piloting new cancer diagnosis tools, such as a liquid biopsy that eliminates the need for invasive surgical biopsies and provides hope for a more precise and less physically taxing diagnosis. • Expanding the vital work by the recently created Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research to eradicate threats from pathogens, such as Zika, HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, as well as the next viral invaders before they spark pandemics. “The Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research is a command center to help solve deadly threats to our health, economy and communities,” said Dr. Erzurum. The Center’s teams are actively developing effective vaccines that do not require refrigeration to improve the lives of people around the world. • Creating the new Cleveland Clinic Genome Center, which will serve as a multi-institutional hub for collaborative genomic research to personalize treatments for patients with cancer, neurological and ophthalmic diseases, and heart disease.

Educating those who serve is a pillar of Cleveland Clinic’s mission. Today, the vision remains unchanged. The Cleveland Innovative District will provide: • Hands-on learning for research fellows from the Clinic’s top leaders in cancer, virology, genomics and drug development — building knowledge they will translate to clinical care around the globe. • Mastery of working with highly infectious contagions through cross-training at the Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center’s biosafety level 3 labs. • Collaboration with academic partner institutions for broad workforce development outcomes in medicine and technology.

The Cleveland Innovation District will foster an environment for scientists and clinicians to ask the most pressing questions of our time and pursue the answers. It will be a place where breakthroughs in the lab can quickly be translated to diagnostics and therapeutics for patients globally, in collaboration with partner institutions.

The addition of two research towers will house the majority of laboratories on the Clinic’s 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland. This is where the people and ideas will come together to solve the toughest challenges facing physicians today.

Renovation and expansion of the Lerner Research Institute (LRI) also is planned. LRI opened in 1999 and now houses more than 1,500 scientists and supports personnel working in 200 labs. The renovation and expansion will add nearly 45,000 square feet to the core LRI building over the next year.

The Cleveland Innovation District will deliver the promise of what’s next. As a global system with a model of integrated care, Cleveland Clinic’s size and geographic reach will allow for an immediate impact as groundbreaking research gets accelerated to improve lives across communities around the world.

Gifts of all sizes will help enable the success of the Cleveland Innovation District. Become a partner and help explore the next frontier of medical science and research by making a gift today at clevelandclinic.org/giving.