Florida Governor Crist Announces University Of Miami Human Genomic Institute

February 1, 2008 -- MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined Speaker Marco Rubio and University of Miami President Donna Shalala to announce the creation of the University of Miami Human Genomics Institute.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to Florida’s success in establishing one of the top biotechnology centers in the nation,” said Governor Crist. “The Miami institute, along with Florida’s other innovative life science projects, will help medical doctors do a better job of preventing, detecting, and treating diseases.”

The institute, to be located on the campus of the University of Miami, will support approximately 1,274 positions directly and indirectly, over a 20-year period and will generate $3.2 billion in gross state product, as well as $196 million in state government gross revenues from direct and indirect impacts in its first 20 years of operation.

The state’s $80-million investment in the University of Miami Human Genomics Institute will establish an important research center that will focus on transferring clinical applications into the commercial sectors. The project uses a novel approach to collaborative biomedical research, seeking to build upon the existing intellectual infrastructure provided by the biotech businesses existing in the area. The project will also serve to train a critical mass of doctorate-level scientists. The institute will help address many of the challenging problems within the fields of biology, bioengineering and medicine.

The University of Miami Human Genomics Institute is anticipated to become an internationally recognized biomedical research center. It will focus on the application of genomic advances to the prevention, detection, and refined treatment of human diseases. This effort builds upon University of Miami’s reputation as a leader in biomedical research by accelerating the development of biomedical research technologies.

About Florida’s Biotech Business Hub

In December 2007, Governor Crist announced the creation of the Florida Max Planck Institute of Bio-imaging in Jupiter, and in January 2008, announced that VGTI Florida is expanding to Port St. Lucie. Other biotech organizations that have established a research and development presence in Florida include the Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, and Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.

Source: Florida Governor

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