Newswise — SEATTLE – Seattle Children’s today announced the opening of Building Cure™, a new 540,000 square-foot pediatric research facility located at Stewart Street and Terry Avenue in downtown Seattle’s biotech corridor. Building Cure is the latest step in Seattle Children’s quest to revolutionize pediatric medicine and improve the lives of children worldwide.
As one of the nation’s top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is dedicated to developing better therapies for childhood diseases and conditions like cancer, sickle cell disease, ADHD and type 1 diabetes. Building Cure expands Seattle Children’s research campus to over 1.1 million square feet, ultimately providing 10 floors of biomedical laboratory space needed to help scientists translate lab discoveries into more life-changing therapies for children.
“The potential reach of the research and activities taking place in Building Cure is expansive,” said Dr. Jim Hendricks, president of Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “Discoveries made at Building Cure will positively impact the lives of children not just in Seattle and our region, but around the world.”
Cancer T-cell immunotherapy, which uses a patient’s reprogrammed immune cells to target and destroy their cancer, is one research advance already tackling the most difficult to treat childhood cancers through a robust pipeline of clinical trials at Seattle Children’s and its partner institutions. Building Cure will increase Seattle Children’s capacity to produce investigational cancer immunotherapies and other cell therapies with the introduction of the Cure Factory™ facility, a new Therapeutic Cell Production Core. Each year, the Cure Factory is capable of manufacturing cancer-fighting T cells and other cell therapies for up to 1,000 children.
Jedd Feliciano, 16, is living proof of the hope T-cell immunotherapy offers. Jedd was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just before the start of his freshman year of high school. Soon after beginning chemotherapy, Jedd and his mom, Maryn Sage, learned that his cancer was resistant to treatment. With no other options, Jedd was enrolled in the PLAT-02 immunotherapy trial at Seattle Children’s and received his T cells eight weeks after his diagnosis. The investigational therapy worked and two years later this September, Jedd was able to attend his first day of high school as a junior.
“Seattle Children’s is going to cure pediatric cancer someday, they just will,” Sage said. “And I have 100 percent confidence in that because of what they've done for my son. The work they’re doing in Building Cure is going to save kids all over the world.”
Also housed at Building Cure is the Science Discovery Lab – a dedicated laboratory where students in grades 8-12 can interact with scientists and do authentic experiments directly linked to the immunotherapy, gene editing and infectious disease research underway at Seattle Children’s.
“It’s an exciting time for science in Seattle, a city known worldwide for its contributions to technology and innovation,” said Dr. Jeff Sperring, CEO of Seattle Children’s. “Building Cure will not only help today’s researchers fulfill our mission to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible, but also inspire future generations of scientists to bring more cures to more children faster.”
As part of the grand opening celebration, eighth graders from Visitation Catholic STEM Academy in Tacoma will participate in the inaugural class in the Science Discovery Lab, which also includes future plans to offer year-round after-school programs and Saturday science clubs, teacher development and community events. With these combined programs, the Science Discovery Lab has the potential to serve up to 10,000 students, 100 teachers and 2,000 community members per year.
Other laboratory spaces in Building Cure will be built out and developed over time to accommodate the research institute’s growth in a way that’s responsive to future pediatric research needs and technological breakthroughs.
Members of the public are invited to experience Building Cure from its dedicated green spaces on Terry Avenue. A 90-foot mural depicting the history and mission of research at Seattle Children’s and display cases featuring research advances at Seattle Children’s welcome visitors at the building’s street level entrance. A 225-seat auditorium will host meetings and events for the scientific community.
Building Cure is located at Seattle Children’s downtown campus at 1920 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.
About Seattle Children’s Hospital
Seattle Children’s mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Together, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Research Institute and Foundation deliver superior patient care, identify new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and raise funds to create better futures for patients.
Ranked as one of the top children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children’s serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho – the largest region of any children’s hospital in the country. As one of the nation’s top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is internationally recognized for its work in neurosciences, immunology, cancer, infectious disease, injury prevention and much more. Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation works with the Seattle Children’s Guild Association, the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the country, to gather community support and raise funds for uncompensated care and research. Join Seattle Children’s bold initiative – It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children’s – to transform children’s health for generations to come.
For more information, visit seattlechildrens.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or on our On the Pulse blog.
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