Richard C. and Annette N. Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building

With the support of U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, the $90 million Richard C. and Annette N. Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building was dedicated April 3, 2006. The state-of-the-art facility stands 12 stories tall with 323,000 square feet of research and office space, increasing the amount of research space for the University by approximately 25 percent. Estimates include the attraction of $100 million in additional extramural funding. The new facility, located at the corner of 19th Street and University Boulevard, includes research laboratories, research support areas including a state-of-the art microscopy area, offices, administrative space for graduate programs, and conference rooms. The building will eventually house the following four programs:

• Autoimmunity and Immunobiology: Common diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis are associated with high rates of morbidity, disability, and enormous economic burden. The advent of the genomics era offers researchers new opportunities to tackle such disorders, all of which are associated with immune system dysfunction.
  
• The Brain Initiative: Brain diseases and injuries, including behavioral disorders, spinal injuries, brain tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases, account for a greater portion of personal suffering and direct and indirect economic costs than any other set of afflictions in Alabama and the nation. This initiative will enhance understanding of the brain's adaptive response to injury or disease.
  
• Biomedical Engineering and Bone Matrix Research: Research will focus on osteoporosis, all forms of joint diseases, and complications of many other diseases. The goal of the program is to improve outcomes for patients needing implant devices, such as hip and knee replacements.
  
• Diabetes Research Initiative Program: As the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, diabetes strikes the South disproportionately. One in ten Alabamians has the disease, and the mortality rate is 25% higher than the national average. Research will focus on the causes of, treatment for, and possible cure for diabetes. The interdisciplinary team includes transplant surgeons and immunologists, endocrinologists, and developmental and clinical immunologists.

Phase I, already completed, houses immunology and autoimmune diseases research, biomedical engineering and bone/matrix research; and the Interdisciplinary Neurosciences Program, including the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. The UAB Shared High Resolution Imaging Facility also is located in the building. Phase II should be complete by January. The third phase, which will encompass the Comprehensive Diabetes Center, is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2007.

Sources: Shelby building overview posted on UAB Health System website on April 29, 2002 (http://www.health.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=50351&site=46&return=9885).
Diabetes initiative from November 2003 Synopsis archive
(http://www.health.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=63142&site=607&return=62898).
Update regarding Shelby opening from the UAB Media Relations article posted April 3, 2006
(http://www.health.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=91463&site=607&return=9885) .

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