Earlier this month, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins joined Penn scientists and physicians in celebrating the opening of the new Translational Research Center (TRC). The TRC is the first medical research building on the Penn campus—and one of the first anywhere—to be physically integrated into facilities for patient care, namely the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. Collins delivered a keynote address at the event.

The $370 million facility will be the home for three Penn institutes created in early 2005: the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute. The aim of research in the TRC is to look for new approaches to understanding and treating a wide spectrum of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and atherosclerosis.