Yesterday, Dana Farber Cancer Institute scientists started moving into the 155k SF of research space it's leasing in the new Longwood Center in the LMA. Labs in the $350M building will accelerate the development of genetic-based therapies for cancer that are more effective, with fewer side effects, chief scientific officer Dr. Barrett Rollins, tells Bisnow. The building, developed by National Development, Alexandria and Clarion (designed by Elkus Manfredi and ARC Cambridge), allows Dana Farber to consolidate researchers from several locations in the LMA so they can better collaborate. Innovation, the life blood of their research, works best when the scientists interact spontaneously, he says.

Dana Farber occupies 250k SF of labs; very expensive to develop new (close to $1k/SF). But retrofitting existing labs, especially for the chemistry research Dana Farber does, is prohibitive. It cost DFCI nearly $1M to renovate 400 SF in one existing building, Dr. Rollins tells us. Having the 50k SF floorplates that the Longwood Center features, could help the Institute develop cures that might save thousands, perhaps millions, of lives.