From left, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, NCI Deputy Director for Management John Czajkowski, and SAIC Corporate CEO John Jumper prepare to cut the ribbon at the ATRF on May 21.
By Frank Blanchard, Staff Writer
U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, NCI Deputy Director for Management John Czajkowski, and SAIC Corporate Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Jumper were joined by representatives of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce in cutting the ribbon for the National Cancer Institute’s Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF).
The ribbon cutting was held as part of the chamber of commerce’s centennial gala on May 21 as the first chartered chamber of commerce in the United States. About 700 chamber members and their guests attended the event, held in the atrium of the 330,000-square-foot research and development facility at Riverside Research Park.
“This building is designed to facilitate collaboration, but it’s also important to understand the importance of the work that will go on here,” said SAIC-Frederick CEO David Heimbrook in his opening remarks.
“Within a few short months, these hallways will be filled with scientists from NCI, SAIC-Frederick, and our partners, doing research and development work to further NCI’s mission to provide new hope to patients afflicted with cancer and AIDS."
A major focus will be on developing genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics technologies to profile tumors at the molecular level. This would pave the way for doctors to “provide the right drug, to the right patient, at the right time,” Heimbrook said.
In June, laboratories and offices associated with the Biopharmaceutical Development Program, Advanced Technology Program, and others will begin their move from the main campus to the ATRF. By the end of the summer, about 200 employees of the Frederick National Laboratory will have moved into the new facility.