Today, Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) officially dedicated its new 175,000-square-foot scientific facility and marked the opening of Orlando’s Medical City as a life science center. Burnham at Lake Nona is the research anchor for the new development in southeast Orange County and the east coast campus of the La Jolla, Calif.-based institute.
The opening of the new research facility is projected to have a transformative effect on the region by fostering a medically-focused, knowledge-based economy. Burnham is a catalyst for the Medical City, which is becoming a hub for medical research that will advance scientific discoveries and lead to breakthrough therapies.
“We’ve established a foundation by bringing new expertise to the region and forging strong alliances that will enhance and accelerate scientific opportunities,” said Dr. John Reed, Burnham’s president and CEO. “Burnham’s collaborative approach has been very successful. We have generated research funding that has resulted in significant scientific discoveries. We’re transferring that model to the Lake Nona campus in Orlando, where scientists are conducting translational research in metabolic disorders, heart disease and cancer.”
In addition to Reed, dedication speakers included Florida Governor Charlie Crist; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty; Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing partner of the Tavistock Group; Malin Burnham, philanthropist and chairman of Burnham’s Board of Trustees; and Dr. Daniel Kelly, scientific director at Burnham Lake Nona.