LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The City of Las Vegas is moving forward with plans to build a two-story, 37,000-square-foot biomedical research lab within the Las Vegas Medical District, with completion expected by the end of the year.
The project stems from the city’s BioHealth Innovation Challenge, which offered $10 million to a company willing to build a research lab inside the Medical District. The competition recently closed with five qualified applicants. A selection committee will choose a partner before the project moves to completion.
Councilman cites personal connection to healthcare access
Ward 1 Councilman Brian Knudsen, who is leading the effort, said expanding the city’s medical community is a personal priority. He previously shared that his son was hospitalized at age 2 with a severe lung infection, and the family had to travel out of state for care.
“I want better access for my family. I want better access for your family,” Knudsen said.
Knudsen said the lab is designed to attract top medical professionals to Southern Nevada.
“In order for the best physicians to come into Southern Nevada, they’re going to want to do research,” Knudsen said. “The City of Las Vegas wants to make sure that we have research capacity and lab space for the best and the brightest in the world.”
UNLV School of Medicine a foundational partner
The UNLV School of Medicine, which opened in 2017, is a foundational partner in the Las Vegas Medical District. Dean Allison Netski said a centralized medical hub is key to retaining graduates in the state.
“Having homegrown physicians, having your own workforce pipeline, is critical to filling your own community gap,” Netski said.
Netski said the school’s residency and fellowship programs currently retain about 65% of graduates in Southern Nevada.
Knudsen said the broader goal of the project extends beyond healthcare.
“The endgame is more jobs, higher-paying jobs, better healthcare, and economic development activity within the downtown core of the Medical District,” Knudsen said.
The Las Vegas Medical District has grown to nearly 700 acres.
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