Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute

The Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute is a research center of the University of Rochester Medical Center located in Henrietta, New York.
Background
The University of Rochester Medical Center announced the opening of the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) in the town of Henrietta on August 20, 2007. The Institute represents one branch of the URMC’s Aab Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and is part of a ten-year, $400 million dollar multidisciplinary strategic research initiative with the goal of discovering novel diagnostic and disease management techniques. The complex will ultimately house more than 100 scientists, students and technicians, comprising 15 different cardiovascular research laboratories, responsible for over 50 research projects, as well as 15 researchers from Functional Genomics. With the goal of furthering the understanding of heart disease, the CVRI will combine the joint expertise and collaboration of physicians, cardiovascular researchers, and those of related fields with a central facility, equipment and new technologies to produce an environment conducive to the acceleration of basic science discoveries into new medical treatments. “Taken together, these initiatives position the city of Rochester as a leading center nationally for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, a place where basic research contributes to new treatments and clinical work suggests avenues for new research.”

History
The 100,000 square foot complex was built in 1993 by American Cyanamid to develop a vaccine for Haemophilus influenza type b, a project that had been directed by Richard Insel, M.D., David Smith, M.D., and Porter Anderson, Ph.D., three URMC investigators. The building was then occupied by Praxis, a company formed by Drs. Insel, Smith and Anderson for the purpose of manufacturing the aforementioned vaccine. On August 25th, 2004, the University purchased the facility from Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines and Pediatrics, and has since invested $14 million dollars to retrofit the complex. The building is named after Richard T. Aab, the founder, chairman and CEO of E-chx, Inc. in honor of his $5 million dollar to the University of Rochester Medical Center. Mr. Aab currently serves as a board member of Medifast, Inc., the University of Rochester, the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Rochester Institute of Technology. In his speech to the inaugurate the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Mr. Aab stated “I am honored to be a part of what I truly believe to be a new chapter in the understanding and treatment of heart disease. Few have not been touched by cardiovascular disease in some way. And while scientists’ understanding of the disease has evolved, thanks in part to the contributions of the outstanding researchers that make up this institute, we still have a long way to go to ease the suffering. The good news is that new technologies and research developments under development right here in Rochester are poised to further improve patients’ lives.”

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