Ground Broken for Facility to Help Accelerate New Treatments for Cancer Patients
FREDERICK, Md., Nov. 12, 2008 -- Ground was broken today for an advanced technology
research facility aimed at enabling scientists to more rapidly develop a new generation
of highly targeted treatments for cancer patients. The initial phase of the project,
in which the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of
Health, will be the anchor tenant, will provide up to 330,000 square feet of space
for offices and state-of-the-art laboratories. The site, part of the Riverside Research
Park in Frederick, Md., will have expansion capacity for another 470,000 square
feet, which may be occupied by life-science and advanced technology partner organizations.
“This site will be the center of an intensive new effort to bring together government,
industry, academic, and nonprofit partners, working side-by-side, utilizing technological
resources second to none, to more rapidly translate our latest genetic and molecular
discoveries about cancer into effective new treatments that benefit patients,” said
John E. Niederhuber, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute. The new facility,
slated to open in early 2011, will consolidate many operations of the National Cancer
Institute at Frederick (NCI-Frederick) now housed in more than 33 buildings on its
campus inside the perimeter of Fort Detrick. Even after construction is complete,
NCI-Frederick will continue to maintain a sizable operation at the Fort Detrick
campus.
NCI-Frederick, a government-owned, contractor-operated national laboratory,
with SAIC-Frederick, Inc. as its prime contractor, is home to a cadre of researchers
studying cancer and HIV/AIDS and is host to NCI’s Advanced Technology Program, which
encompasses nanotechnology, high-performance computing, genomics, and biomedical
imaging, among other areas. SAIC-Frederick is a wholly owned subsidiary of Science
Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI)
“The NCI has identified an urgent
need to convert basic research findings into effective cancer treatments that can
be delivered to patients right away,” said Larry O. Arthur, Ph.D., president of
SAIC-Frederick. “The consolidation of our operations into modern facilities will
enable us to do just that, with the specific goal of shortening timelines, reducing
costs, and increasing productivity—all of which will benefit cancer patients and
people at risk for cancer.”
Matan Companies of Frederick, Md., is developing a site
for the new building. SAIC-Frederick will hold the lease. Working closely with SAIC-Frederick,
Matan will seek to identify other potential lessees.
About SAIC-Frederick
SAIC-Frederick,
Inc. – a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation
(SAIC), a Fortune 500® company (NYSE: SAI) – is the operations and technical support
contractor for the National Cancer Institute’s research and development center in
Frederick, Md. This is a national laboratory dedicated to rapidly translating basic
research into new technologies for diagnosing, treating, and preventing cancer and
AIDS. SAIC-Frederick maintains a full suite of advanced technologies in areas such
as nanotechnology, genomics and imaging; operates the federal government’s only
drug and vaccine manufacturing facilities; operates the high-performance Advanced
Biomedical Computing Center; and supports more than 300 clinical trials for patients
in the United States and around the world.
Information about the NCI’s Advanced
Technology Partnerships Initiative can be found at ATPIhome.com
Photo Caption: From
left: Mark Matan, Principal, Matan Companies; Jan Gardner, President, Frederick
County Board of County Commissioners; U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett; John E.
Niederhuber, M.D., Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health;
David Edgerley, Secretary, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development;
Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., Associate Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes
of Health, and Director of Scientific Operations, National Cancer Institute at Frederick;
Larry O. Arthur, Ph.D.,Chief Executive Officer, SAIC-Frederick Inc.; Jeff Holtzinger,
Mayor, City of Frederick.