October 28, 2011
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 30, No. 11
Clyburn Center Opens New Era MUSC dedicates new bioengineering and drug discovery hubs
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photos by Digital Imaging
Open stairwells on the second floor of the Bioengineering Building reflect the center’s vision of collaboration. For information on the Clyburn center, visit http://etl2.library.musc.edu/clyburn_research_center.
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Bioengineering BuilDing Bioengineering brings together different scientific disciplines to solve problems.
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ederal, state and local dignitaries helped usher in a new chapter in South Carolina’s growing biomedical research effort with the Oct. 21 dedication of a laboratory complex designed to speed up cures and treatments for major diseases. The James E. Clyburn Research Center houses 78 labs and other facilities in 211,481 square feet of space. The two buildings — one for bioengineering and one for drug discovery — are interconnected, as are the labs within them. By combining experts from different disciplines and from across statewide research institutions, MUSC hopes to take the science as quickly as possible from the lab to the patient’s bedside with improved treatments, medications and medical devices. MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., said the discoveries coming out of these buildings will enable MUSC to diagnose problems earlier and treat them more effectively, and also will help address health disparities that exist in the state. Cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disorders are just some of the medical problems scientists will study in the new complex.
This aerial shot shows the Bioengineering Building, left, and Drug Discovery Building, on the right, with its tall watch tower. “Our hope is that this research center will result in a stronger and more vibrant biomedical community in Charleston and South Carolina,” he said. Within the center, investigators from numerous MUSC departments share space with scientists, faculty and students from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Large auditoria and teleconferencing technologies allow face-to-face interaction with investigators around the world. The first international symposium will be held there within a month, bringing together leading heart researchers from around the world. The center also will promote more partnerships with private industry to help speed up technology transfer and intellectual property commercialization. It will house at least eight of the state-supported SmartState Center of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs who were recruited to help drive the
See Clyburn on page 10
Drug Discovery BuilDing
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SmartState Endowed Chairs
Integrating the process of discovery and development is essential.
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Meet Laine
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