VCU news

By Andrea Butler
Massey Cancer Center

Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have begun to move into the new Goodwin Research Laboratory, an 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cancer research laboratory that will help spawn new discoveries at Massey.

Named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Goodwin, Jr., the new laboratory provides modern and adaptable space for up to 250 cancer researchers. The Goodwins provided major support to the Campaign for Massey, which funded the $41.5 million building, and have provided substantial support to Massey’s translational research program, which helps bring discoveries from the labs to patients, often in the form of clinical trials.

“In the next 10 years, researchers at Massey will make important new discoveries that improve the lives and life spans of people with cancer in Virginia and around the world, and we are so grateful to the Goodwins for helping us to back this promise,” said Gordon Ginder, M.D., director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center

Speakers at the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 6 included Eugene Trani, Ph.D., president of VCU; William Goodwin; Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling; U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor; Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder; Dr. Ginder; Sheldon Retchin, M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System; Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D., founding director of the cancer center; and Rebecca Massey and Susan Allen, advisory board members for Massey.

The Goodwin Research Laboratory is rated a high-efficiency building and is among the most wired at VCU. Its modular interior design, “smart” technologies and state-of-the-art equipment enable researchers to spend more time at the bench and less time performing administrative tasks. Unlike traditional laboratory settings in closed rooms, the building allows for frequent human interaction to spark new ideas for curing cancers.