Located one block from Weill Cornell Medicine’s main campus on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the site will add about 200,000 square feet of dedicated research space – an average of 40,000 square feet per floor – making it the institution’s largest expansion since the Belfer Research Building opened in 2014. Laboratories in the new medical research centre, which will open in 2026, will focus on a breadth of foundational, clinical, and translational research, making use of advanced data science and computational techniques to enhance scientists’ understanding of disease.

“This state-of-the-art new medical research centre, only steps from where our doctors see patients, will enable investigators to share ideas and technologies; drive discovery across disciplines; attract and retain the brightest scientific minds; sustain growth in our research funding; and further a sense of community,” said Dr Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. “By continuing to invest in science, we can change medicine, moving pioneering research more rapidly from lab concept to patient therapies.”

The new facility will help advance research in key areas, including neuroscience, immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, population health, women’s health, and cardiovascular medicine, and it will house the expansion of programmes including the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine and the Meyer Cancer Center. By mining and analysing large-scale data sets, a new Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine will develop algorithms and use machine learning and artificial intelligence to help researchers better understand the basis of disease and identify new treatment strategies.

Increased flexibility

Features of the new research space will include open workspaces and large conference rooms to encourage collaboration among onsite researchers and staff. The expansion also will include dry lab space, which focuses on computational methods of research, and wet lab space, which uses drugs, chemicals and other biological matter for investigation. Wet labs, for example, will include large-scale modular lab benches that can be rearranged based on researchers’ specific equipment needs, allowing for increased flexibility among teams.

Over time, the facility will house more than 700 Weill Cornell Medicine faculty and staff. This will include existing personnel relocated from other institutional sites and newly recruited laboratory researchers, data scientists and business experts to help capitalise on new discoveries for the marketplace, while also offering increased space for future researchers. Newly vacated space across campus will be reallocated to support existing programmes and help optimise the institution’s care, research and teaching activities.

Equipped with new technology, the facility will help drive high-impact, data-driven clinical research initiatives across diverse patient populations. The institution’s scientists, for example, are currently refining an approach to monitor cancer status in patients after treatment using advanced DNA sequencing techniques and machine learning algorithms – tools that will determine whether the DNA circulating in the blood contains mutations indicative of cancer. An expanded clinical trial portfolio will also hasten the translation of research from bench to bedside.

“Our institution’s critical research expansion will accelerate innovation in medicine, so we can bring more cutting-edge treatments and therapies to patients,” said Jessica M. Bibliowicz, chair of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows. “This new space will empower our scientists and physicians to discover and develop solutions to some of our greatest health challenges and ensure a brighter future for generations around the world.”

The facility is located near to Weill Cornell Medicine’s central campus and its hospital partner NewYork-Presbyterian. Featuring natural light, large windows and high ceilings, the facility will target LEED certification.

Phase one of the expansion is expected to launch early next year with construction on two floors and an anticipated opening date in autumn 2026.