Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao to Tour Louisiana Cancer Research Center Construction Site

NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, August 20 at 2 p.m., Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao, Representative, Louisiana 2nd Congressional District, will receive a progress report and a tour of the new Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC) building currently under construction at the corner of Tulane and S. Claiborne Avenues in downtown New Orleans.

Representatives from the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium member institutions – LSU Health Sciences Center, Tulane University, Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health System – will update the Congressman on the Consortium’s research work before accompanying him on the tour of the facility.

“I’m looking forward to my visit with the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium members and my tour of the new facility,” says Congressman Cao. “Louisiana is among the top 3 states in the U.S. in cancer mortality, with one Louisiana resident dying of cancer-related causes every hour. The research that will take place in this new facility will go a long way in helping save lives locally and globally.

For the past eight years, through the work of its university partners, the LCRC has developed a collaborative cancer alliance that has built successful programs in cancer prevention and control, cultivated cutting-edge basic research and treatment options, and created cancer education programs for the citizens of Louisiana. LCRC researchers attract over $30 million in federal cancer research grant funding per year to the region, despite decreased federal research budgets and sharply increased competition.

“Projects such as the new Louisiana Cancer Research Center will help the Greater New Orleans area continue to establish itself as a hub for state-of-the-art medical research, quality healthcare, and as a teaching epicenter for the next generation of Louisiana doctors and researchers,” said Dr. Larry H. Hollier, chairman of the board of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium.

“This state-of-the-art facility, located in the heart of the city’s new biomedical corridor, will provide new opportunities for collaboration among the LCRC’s researchers, invigorating the vitality of our cancer research programs, as colleagues work together to make faster, more meaningful research progress,” said Benjamin Sachs, M.B., vice chairman of the LCRC board.

The new 10-story, 175,000-square-foot Louisiana Cancer Research Center, designed by the RMJM Group and constructed by Brice Building Company, is part of the city’s growing medical and biosciences district which includes, the new VA Medical Center, the State’s proposed University Medical Center and the BioInnovation Center on Canal Street. The LCRC is scheduled for completion in fall 2011.