New Clinical Research Building Underway - 01.14.2009

Governor Bobby Jindal today joined leaders of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center to turn over the first dirt for a new 90,000 square foot, $25 million clinical research building, including design fees, construction costs, furniture, equipment and a contingency fee.

Joining the governor, Claude Bouchard, Ph.D., executive director of the Center, said research had outgrown the current clinical research building, and several temporary office trailers were added during the clinic’s history. The new construction will expand the Center to 635,000 square feet of total research space, and allow its researchers to stay current in a highly competitive field.

“Within our clinical research labs, the citizens of Baton Rouge come face-to-face with some of the world’s leading scientists,” Bouchard said, “They participate in research leading to tomorrow’s treatments. With this new facility, we will be able to undertake many more and even larger clinical trials, which means impacting lives as well as our economy.”

The Center has developed a strong clinical research program since its first trials in 1991. More than 31,900 individuals have voluntarily undergone screening for inclusion and more than 16,000 individuals have gone on to participate in more then 350 clinical research projects.

The new construction is key to attracting more and larger research grants designed to find preventive measures and treatments for chronic illness. According to Bouchard, the new facility will generate an additional $20 million annually, and later much more. Approximately 300 new faculty and support staff positions plus all indirect jobs will have an economic impact on the Baton Rouge area of about $38 million annually.

“This new building will usher in an exciting phase of new growth for the Center,” said Bouchard, “including creating more knowledge-based jobs, tripling research space dedicated to clinical studies and expanding opportunities to translate basic research discoveries from the laboratory to testing these advancements in individuals through clinical trials.”

The new research building will also be home to a new endeavor called La CaTS (Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center). The LA CaTS Center is a collaboration among all medical schools and key research universities and research organizations, led by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, with a mission to develop the discipline of clinical and translational science, to increase the quality and quantity of clinical research conducted in Louisiana, and to train the next generation of clinical research scientists.

The governor, legislative leaders, and city and state leaders recognized that one of the few limiting factors to growth in this high-tech research arena is the limited space that is necessary to conduct large-scale clinical trials. Following the Governor’s lead in a special session last year, the legislature approved approximately $50 million for Center expansion, renovation, new equipment and recruitment of leading scientists.

"This groundbreaking represents a monumental step in Pennington’s continued expansion and ongoing efforts to attract top research talent and clinical research funding to our state,” said Governor Jindal. “In essence – this is a new cylinder in the economic engine that is Pennington.”

Several key discoveries associated with the Center’s clinical research include: the DASH diet, where in collaboration with Harvard, Duke University and the University of Oregon, researchers demonstrated that a diet built on fruits, vegetables and dairy products lowers blood pressure as effectively as prescribed medication; a landmark study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, in which researchers demonstrated type 2 diabetes can be prevented in high risk individuals with a modest weight loss and 150 minutes of physical activity a week; and the discovery that an inhaled form of insulin used to treat diabetes can work as effectively as injections.

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of the Louisiana State University System and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The research enterprise at the Center includes 80 faculty and more than 40 post-doctoral fellows who comprise a network of 50 laboratories supported by lab technicians, nurses, dieticians, and support personnel, and 19 highly specialized core service facilities. The Center's nearly 600 employees occupy several buildings on the 234-acre campus.

Top Photo: Left to Right: Rep. Avon Honey, Rep. Clif Richardson, Rep. Michael Jackson, Rep. Steve Carter, Rep. Franklin Foil, Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, Adam Knapp, President/CEO, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Jerry Shea, LSU Board of Supervisors, Mayor Melvin "Kip" Holden, Paula de la Bretonne, Henry Barham, LSU Board of Supervisors, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Dr. Claude Bouchard, Rep. Erich Ponti, Dr. John Lombardi, President, LSU System, Tim Barfield, Executive Director, LA Workforce Commission and Chairman, PBRF, Dr. Sally Clausen, Commissioner of Higher Education, and Dr. Donna Ryan, Associate Executive Director, PBRC.

Middle Photo: PBRC’s Clinical Research Building will usher in an exciting phase of new growth for the Center that will include more knowledge-based jobs and tripling research space. The building design was created by WHL Architecture and Post Architects with construction by Milton J. Womack General Contractor, Inc.

Bottom Photo: Governor Bobby Jindal delivers the Keynote commentary during a groundbreaking ceremony for PBRC’s new Clinical Research Building.

For More Information Contact:
Glen Duncan
225-763-2599
glen.duncan@pbrc.edu
http://www/pbrc.edu