Today, the Mount Sinai Health System, New York City's largest academic medical system, announced the opening of its new Discovery and Innovation Center with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. This state-of-the-art research lab will expand research capabilities in collaboration with clinical neuroscience and neurosurgery centers of excellence at Mount Sinai West. The Discovery and Innovation Center will serve as a cornerstone of life science advancements nationwide and in the growing corridor of medical and biotechnology research on the West Side of Manhattan.
The Mount Sinai Discovery and Innovation Center core facilities, located at 787 11th Avenue, will include a Stem Cell Engineering Core, the Center for Advanced Genomics Technology, Assay Development and Screening, the Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development, the Proteomics and Metabolomics Core, the Microscopy and Advanced Bioimaging Core, and a Flow Cytometry Core. Adjacent to the Human Immune Monitoring Core, the Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine, and the New York Stem Cell Foundation, this super block for science and innovative collaboration is positioned to achieve major advancements regionally and nationally.
"The new center will be a rich environment for innovation, bringing together leading experts in the fields of genomics and stem cell science, neuroscience, and immunology, all in one location," said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. "The investments and bold steps made today will accelerate scientific, translational, and clinical breakthroughs to uncover new frontiers in science, such as the Mount Sinai Million Health Discoveries Program, where patients' DNA is being analyzed to develop better therapeutics. But it will also foster unprecedented collaboration among world-class researchers at Icahn Mount Sinai and their clinical counterparts at Mount Sinai West."
Mount Sinai's commitment to the West Side and serving its diverse population is further reflected in its unprecedented investment in this new facility, which spans more than 150,000 square feet.
The Mount Sinai Discovery and Innovation Center will include two floors of research space on top of the current Spine Center and Breast Ambulatory Center, and will expand research on gene and stem cell editing efforts, proteomics, clinical neuroscience, genomics, and dermatology, among other efforts.
"Mount Sinai West, which is situated close to the new Discovery and Innovation Center, has one of the best clinical neuroscience centers in the world. This will assist in enhancing synergies around clinical neuroscience. Another area for synergy is dermatology, since we are also building a clinical dermatology center at Mount Sinai West that will engage with human immune monitoring efforts," said Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, and Dean for Academic Affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai. "We anticipate the center to bring in large and diverse sets of data, providing researchers with a wide depth of information to deliver better care for patients."
"The opportunity to work in close collaboration with the researchers at the Discovery and Innovation Center will open up new possibilities both here on the West Side and in the fields of science and medicine," said Evan L. Flatow, MD, President of Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside, and the Bernard J. Lasker Professor of Orthopaedics at Icahn Mount Sinai. "This new addition will enable us to expand on critical clinical research programs to pursue new avenues for treatment and care for patients."
"The opening of the Mount Sinai Center for Discovery and Innovation will significantly expand our research space, allowing consolidation and establishing new resources, while expanding others," said Reginald W. Miller, DVM, DACLAM, Dean for Research-Operations and Infrastructure at the Icahn Mount Sinai, and Senior Research Integrity Officer at the Mount Sinai Health System. "The Center incorporates design elements to provide Mount Sinai health care and research employees with a new, vibrant work environment."
The Center will include laboratories led by Brian Kim, MD, MTR, FAAD, Director of the Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation, and Vice Chair of Research, Icahn Mount Sinai; Robert Sebra, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Director of the Center for Advanced Genomics Technology, and Director of Technology Development for the Genomics Core Facility; and many other leading faculty.
"The West Side facility expansion will bring innovation and technology-minded research teams and resources together to better foster cross-disciplinary discovery while also working closely with the neighboring Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine, a partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and New York Stem Cell Foundation teams to make a significant impact on translating new discoveries into the clinical realm," said Dr. Sebra. "This new facility allows us to have a contiguous organization that will vastly improve our operation while centralizing our -omics technology platforms alongside with the stem-cell engineering facility and drug discovery teams. The Center will allow a complimentary and synergistic community to work together and also collaborate to serve the Icahn Mount Sinai community at large more efficiently."
This new addition is part of Mount Sinai's long-standing commitment to serve communities in New York by bringing high-quality medical care, clinical advancements, and leading-edge technology into the communities it serves in New York and beyond. The Discovery and Innovation Center is a culmination of ongoing efforts to further Mount Sinai's commitment to advance health and breakthroughs for all.
