By David Robinson
LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will use a $7.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to expand its infectious disease research capacity and establish a Pandemic Response and Public Health Laboratory by renovating existing research space.
The renovation will create about 9,900 square feet of additional research space on the first floor of Biomedical Research Center Building One. The extra space will be realized through a redesign that repurposes an atrium, large diagonal hallways, and converts offices to laboratories.
UAMS’ Daniel Voth, Ph.D., who is leading the project, said the renovation is expected to begin in mid-2024 and be completed in 2025. It will include new Biosafety Level-3 space, which is equipped to handle highly infectious pathogens transmitted by air. It will better prepare UAMS for future pandemic responses, create new opportunities for collaboration and help UAMS recruit new infectious disease researchers, he said.
