Mayo Clinic Collaborative Research Building Opens on Scottsdale
Campus

Collaboration with TGen brings hope for cancer cures

06-29-2005

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A major milestone in the advancement of cancer
research for residents of Arizona and beyond will be realized later
this week with the dedication of a new biomedical scientific
facility that joins Mayo Clinic and the Translational Genomics
Research Institute (TGen) in a unique strategic partnership. The
partners' combined technological, academic, research and clinical
expertise will help bring innovative research findings directly to
the bedside of patients.
The physical manifestation of this ambitious research collaboration
is the new Mayo Clinic Collaborative Research Building (MCCRB), a
110,000 square-foot facility that will officially open on Thursday,
June 30, on the Scottsdale campus of Mayo Clinic. The $25 million
facility was funded by Scottsdale developer Tom Hornaday of Hornaday
Development. The building is the first of its kind for Mayo Clinic
in that it brings multiple strategic partners under one roof
dedicated to scientific discovery and therapeutics to ease the
burden of disease for the people of Arizona and around the world.

Ground was broken in February 2004 for the MCCRB, which is located
south of the main clinic facility and directly north of the S.C.
Johnson Research Building. The collaboration represents a broadening
of the scope of research between the Mayo Clinic and TGen extending
beyond it's initial focus on melanoma. Tenants of the building thus
far include:

Mayo Clinic research business offices
Mayo Clinic researchers, including investigational labs for
hematologic malignancies, multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer
TGen's Cancer Drug Development Laboratory (CDDL) and the TGen
subsidiary, TGen Drug Development (TD2)
Jeffrey M. Trent, Ph.D., is president and scientific director of
TGen. Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen executive vice president, is also
director for TGen's Translational Research Division and the director
of TD2. In addition to leading TGen's clinical enterprise, Von
Hoff's team is involved in translating basic genetic, molecular and
biochemical observations to create therapies for patients with
pancreatic cancer.

The CDDL provides a centralized set of resources for investigators
interested in the recent explosion in molecular medicine and
genomics-based diagnostics and treatment methods. The combination of
world-class researchers and the latest technologies create a highly
collaborative multidisciplinary research environment. The goal is to
develop innovative preclinical research products based on an
individual's disease and associated molecular profiles that are
brought to bear on cancer as quickly as possible.

Mayo Clinic, headed by Dr. Victor F. Trastek, chair of the Board of
Governors, has research investigators who work closely with
clinicians to translate discoveries into therapies for patients.
Specifically, their work supports the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, one
of only 38 U.S. medical centers named a National Cancer Institute
(NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Mayo's clinical and
research experts join forces to address the complex needs of
oncology patients.

The principal collaborative partners who will be housed at the MCCRB
partners share a passion for cooperation among institutions and
individuals to bring advances to cancer research. But they also
share something more -- compelling personal stories reflective of
their commitment to cancer research.

Developer Hornaday and his wife, Ruth Ann, lost their daughter,
Kristi, 26, to melanoma. Hornaday's mother died at age 52 of breast
cancer. "My hope, my prayer and my belief is that the research
conducted in this building will result in cures so others will not
experience these kinds of untimely losses," notes Hornaday.

Speakers at the opening will include Trastek, Trent, Von Hoff and
Hornaday, as well as Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross and Dr. Laurence
Miller, deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Both Trent
and Von Hoff share Hornaday's passion for finding a cure. They
experienced the loss of a close friend and mentor when founding
Arizona Cancer Center director, Dr. Sydney Salmon, passed away in
2002.

Trastek is a thoracic surgeon who has witnessed more than his share
of cancer-related diseases. At one time in his practice he chaired a
committee of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons whose charge was a
high-profile public campaign to encourage smoking cessation.

"Pursuing joint research strategies and building strong partnerships
with researchers at TGen helps advance Mayo Clinic's mission of
integrating research and education with clinical medicine to provide
optimal health care for our patients and patients everywhere," said
Trastek.

"The TGen-Mayo Clinic collaboration signifies a milestone, both in
terms of Arizona's leadership in bringing the best that biomedicine
has to offer to patients nationally and internationally and the
potential that research results between these two institutions will
have toward defeating cancer," said Sen. John McCain.

For Trent, it's the extension of a research vision that began with
TGen's formation in 2002.

"The collaboration signifies hope for those patients battling
cancer. All of us in this partnership understand their urgency, and
together we are committed to moving swiftly toward solutions that
will make a difference in our patients lives," said Trent.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a charitable, not-for-profit organization with
locations in Arizona, Minnesota and Florida. For more than a
century, Mayo has been an international leader in patient care,
health sciences research and medical education. Since opening in
Scottsdale in 1987, Mayo has evolved into an integrated, multi-
campus system that includes the clinic, the Samuel C. Johnson
Research Building and the Mayo Clinic Collaborative Research Center
in Scottsdale, and Mayo Clinic Hospital in northeast Phoenix.

About TGen
The mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
is to make and translate genomic discoveries into advances in human
health. Translational genomics research is a relatively new field
employing innovative advances arising from the Human Genome Project
and applying them to the development of diagnostics, prognostics and
therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and other
complex diseases. TGen is focused on personalized medicine and plans
to accomplish its goals through robust and disease-focused research
programs and its state-of-the-art bioinformatics and computational
biology facilities.

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