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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Terasaki Institute For Biomedical Innovation Expands Research With Woodland Hills, Michigan, Facility

05/26/2020
Los Angeles-Based Terasaki Institute For Biomedical Innovation’s newly-acquired addition, the former home of bodybuilder Joe Weider’s Health and Fitness Center, will be custom-designed to house the latest technology in cutting-edge research that enable scientists to develop the next generation of biomedical innovations.

Built in 1971, the two-story Woodland Hills, Michigan, building will provide 50,000 square feet of floor space for up to 200 employees. Renovation of the building is set to begin in fall 2020, and is expected to take 18 to 24 months. It is the Terasaki Institute's third research facility.

"The board of the Terasaki Institute is very excited about the purchase of the new building in Woodland Hills, and we look forward to developing it into a world-class biomedical research center," says board chair Keith Terasaki. "My father, the late Paul I. Terasaki, started the Terasaki Institute in hopes that it will make impactful discoveries in medical research. This new research facility will enable us to do so."

Stewart Han, President of Terasaki Institute, has been working hard to oversee the planning and renovation of the new building, and he is looking forward to great new opportunities for our institute as the building project takes shape. "It is exciting to be able to create a brand-new laboratory and research facility from the ground up, and it will greatly enhance our research capabilities when it's completed," he said. "We also know that the new building will facilitate future growth of our institute."

According to institute officials, space devoted to laboratory research will be designed to accommodate multiple teams of scientists, who will be developing bioengineered systems, devices and other products with various biomedical applications. This new facility will be fully equipped to enable such technologies as tissue engineering and regeneration, bio-fabrication using 3D printing, nano- and micro-engineering, stem cell engineering and the creation of human organs on chips.

"I'm very excited about the addition of the new building to the Terasaki Institute. I believe that this addition will give us needed research space to bring together a number of leading scientists in our efforts to develop the next generation of biomedical innovations," said Terasaki Institute's new director and CEO, Ali Khademhosseini, PhD. "I'm particularly excited in furthering the great legacy of the Weider family and the building's history in promoting health and fitness by focusing on individualized cures and diagnostics."

In addition to the ample space and unique design features of the laboratory, the new facility will include in-house technology translation capabilities, to be able to build prototypes and scale models of devices engineered by the institute. It will also be able to accommodate meetings, seminars and conferences to further the education and exchange of ideas among our researchers and collaborators.

The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation is a non-profit research organization that invents and fosters practical solutions that restore or enhance the health of individuals. The Institute is made possible through an endowment from the late Dr. Paul I. Terasaki, a pioneer in the field of organ transplant technology.

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