By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Washington University will spend at least $300 million on a biomedical research project designed to implement recent genetic discoveries.
In St. Louis Monday, university officials said the "BioMed 21" effort will seek treatments for diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer using data from the Human Genome Project.
Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton says putting the new science to use is the next logical step.
"Sequencing the human genome was a great achievement," Wrighton said. "What we now need to do is learn how to treat, manage and cure genetic disease, and that's an opportunity that lies ahead for us."
The University plans to construct a new building on its Medical School campus to accommodate the new research.
Foundation money and a $130 million federal grant from the National Institutes of Health are paying for the bulk of the project.