Virginia Tech to establish biomedical research center

Virginia Tech and Children’s National Hospital have announced a plan to establish a 12,000-square-foot biomedical research facility focused on pediatric health. The collaboration will establish Virginia Tech research teams on a campus Children’s National is developing on a 12-acre (4.8-hectare) portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center site in the District of Columbia.

The Washington Post reports that Virginia Tech expects to spend $5 million to $10 million to establish the teams and laboratories. The school expects the research to draw students from its medical school and biomedical research institute in Roanoke and its main campus in Blacksburg. A Virginia Tech official said the focus of the research center will be on cancers of the brain and nervous system that afflict children.