The Schepens Eye Research Institute intends to renovate its 64,000 sq. ft. laboratory building built approximately 40 years ago. The goal of this program is to provide modern laboratories and support facilities to enable individual scientists, alone and in collaborations, to attack with powerful modern scientific disciplines the problems of disease pathology for which no prevention or cure now exists. The renovation program consists of two phases; the first of which is underway and is designed to reconstruct the building's infrastructure heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC); plumbing; and electricity systems; etc. The second phase is designed to renovate the three laboratory floors (16,000 sq. ft. each) in three sequential segments. Segments one and two, which were the subject of the previous application that was funded in 2000, had the goal of renovating laboratories on three separate floors for 14 Principal Investigators (PIs) with research activities in ocular immunity, inflammation and transplantation (Second Floor North), ocular surface diseases (Third Floor), and biology of the retina (First Floor North). Segment 3a, which is the subject of the current application, has the goal of renovating approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of space on the second floor South of laboratory building in order to provide high quality laboratories for four PIs whose research focus is ocular immunity, inflammation and transplantation. Upon completion, all investigators at the Institute working in immunity, inflammation and transplantation will be located on the second floor. In addition, the renovated area will include: 1) a new molecular biology core facility; 2) a glassware washing facility; and 3) a conference room and communication center. Approximately $1.8 million toward a total cost of $3.9 million for Segment 3a is requested. Once Segment 3a is accomplished, space will be available to carry out Segment 3b. At the completion of the renovation program, the Institute will have a physical facility sufficient to meet present research needs.
