The Fontaine Medical Research Building officially opened its doors several weeks ago, improving the research capabilities of the Medical Center’s endocrinology department.

The building, which had been in planning since spring 2000, is located in the Fontaine Research Park, near where Fontaine Rd. intersects the 250 bypass.

The University Foundation, which handles grant money given to the University, allocated the $15.6 million necessary to build the 70,000-square-foot structure.

The research center’s main focus will be the diabetes program, one of the most research-intensive divisions in the Medical Center.

Researchers in this program, which receives funding from a variety of organizations, investigate the causes of diabetes at the cellular level in hopes of discovering better treatments and ultimately a cure.

Diabetes, an inability to produce necessary levels of insulin, is the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. It affects 16 million Americans and over 300,000 Virginians.

Dr. Raghu Mirmira, an assistant professor at the Medical School, said the program’s growing research activities demanded more laboratory space.

“The endocrinology division is ranked … higher than any other clinical department or division at U.Va.,” Mirmira said. “Thus, there is a great deal of justification for the need for specialized research and clinical space for our division.”

U.S. News and World Report ranked the endocrinology division sixth in the nation in 2001.

The new building also houses endocrinology research related to other hormonal disorders, Endocrinology Department Chief Jerry Nadler said.

“We have outstanding programs in diabetes, reproductive endocrinology, thyroid and pituitary disorders, and osteoporosis,” he said.

The new research center is only the start of the expansion to Fontaine Research Park.

A second building, scheduled for completion by June 2003, will be designed specifically for patient services. For the first time, the proximity of these two buildings will allow the “bench to bedside” integration of clinical and research practices in the endocrinology department, Mirmira said.

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Mary Vause
The Cavalier Daily