To the surprise of many, work on a big University of Arizona health sciences facility in downtown Phoenix has been put on hold.
Last fall UA held a groundbreaking for what has been envisioned as a 280,000-square-foot medical hub that would be officially called the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies.
The project, with a $300 million price tag, was seen as a vital part of the growing Phoenix Bioscience Core, referenced by university president Suresh Garimilla as comprising a “life sciences innovation ecosystem.”
Hopes were expressed that work on the seven-story structure, designed to house laboratories, a clinical suite, and meeting spaces, would be completed by the fall of 2027.
But now that target date has been put on hold due to what is being described as funding uncertainties.
In a statement, John Arnold, chief operating officer with the University of Arizona, remarked that “while we remain committed to our research at the Phoenix Bioscience Core, the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies, or CAMI, project is currently being reassessed, “given the uncertainties.”
Those uncertainties stem from a Trump administration move to reduce reimbursements supporting university medical and public health research.
While a move is underway by nearly two dozen state attorney generals to block such cuts in federal court, UA has remarked that the potential drop in federal funding does “require an evaluation of all research-intensive university infrastructure needs, including capital investments and operations.” The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts as a “complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief.”
March 28, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of University of Arizona
