PHOENIX, AZ — Construction is underway on the new building that will house the University of Arizona (U of A) Health Sciences Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI) on the Phoenix Bioscience Core in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. CAMI will anchor an innovation district that aims to establish the Phoenix Bioscience Core as a hub of cell and gene therapy research, startup activity, and corporate engagement. Located at the corner of Seventh and Fillmore streets, CAMI will be adjacent to the Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building that houses the U of A College of Medicine - Phoenix. “A strong life sciences innovation ecosystem is vital for Arizona’s future, both for the health care our population will need and for the economic development opportunities necessary for the state to thrive,” University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella, Ph.D. said. “As the home to the southwest’s leading academic medical center, the University of Arizona is in the perfect position to lead the way, and CAMI is a vital part of this.” A groundbreaking was held for the more than 200,000-square-foot, seven-story building that will house research laboratories, a clinical suite, administrative and meeting spaces, and an urban garden and café. The building is expected to be completed in 2027. “The dream of CAMI started to become a reality with initial support from the Arizona Board of Regents’ New Economy Initiative. Additional funding from the state, county, and city, as well as philanthropic donations, has made this important step forward possible. We are grateful to everyone who has supported CAMI’s mission and to McCarthy + SmithGroup for helping bring our vision to life,” said Michael D. Dake, MD, Senior Vice President for the U of A Health Sciences. “Through CAMI, we will be able to capitalize on the research and expertise at the University of Arizona Health Sciences and become a national leader in advanced immunotherapies research and treatments.”  CAMI builds on the idea that the most effective defense against health issues is the body’s natural immune system. CAMI’s goal is to develop new strategies for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancers, infectious diseases, and autoimmune conditions. CAMI will accelerate the pursuit of therapies by bringing in new ideas and advancing research already underway at the University of Arizona Health Sciences to improve health outcomes for people across Arizona and around the world. “CAMI presents a significant opportunity to move the basic immunological discoveries being made at the University of Arizona and our partner institutions into new therapies for infectious diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cancers,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, Ph.D., Inaugural Executive Director of CAMI and a Professor of immunobiology at the U of A College of Medicine - Tucson. “I am looking forward to the new collaborations CAMI sparks, not only in research but also in clinical investigation and entrepreneurship, that will allow us to take these basic findings across the finish line and start new companies focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases with an immunological basis.”  The CAMI building is being designed and constructed by the design-build team of McCarthy + SmithGroup. Both McCarthy Building Companies Inc. and SmithGroup are nationally recognized, Phoenix-based firms with expertise in designing and building educational and research facilities. McCarthy + SmithGroup designed and built U of A’s Applied Research Building, which is the first building in the country to house all research spaces related to the fabrication and testing of satellites in one integrated facility.

"The McCarthy + SmithGroup design-build team is honored to partner with the University of Arizona, the University’s School of Health Sciences, and the City of Phoenix to create a landmark research destination within the Phoenix Bioscience Core,” said Antonya Williams, Executive Vice President with McCarthy Building Companies. “As a community builder, it’s incredibly meaningful and energizing to contribute to a world-class facility poised to make a lasting academic, medical, and economic impact across Arizona and beyond.”

Subcontractors on the project will include SmithGroup’s MEP team, Martin, White & Griffis for structural engineering; Dibble Corp. for civil; Berg Electric; W.D. Manor for HVAC; and Kovach for curtainwall and metal panel system; among others. During the construction process, CAMI research is being conducted on the second floor of the Biomedical Sciences Partnership Building, which houses laboratory and administrative space for CAMI scientists.