Paediatric cancer hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital reported on Monday that it intends to develop a USD412m 625,000-square-foot advanced cancer research centre at its campus.

Slated to break ground in spring 2018 and open in 2021, the advanced research centre is a major component of the company's USD1bn capital expansion plans. The new centre will house cutting-edge technologies and resources that can transform science and accelerate the pace of discovery. The exploration and discovery centre will cultivate transformative research and collaboration and attract scientists and clinicians.

The company's new advanced research centre will treat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The interactive and interdisciplinary environment is designed specifically for generating new ideas and teamwork. Its labs and spaces will enable researchers to collaborate openly and across departments.

In addition, the company's new advanced research centre will feature state-of-the-art labs focusing on immunology, neurobiology, cell and molecular biology, gene editing, metabolomics, advanced microscopy, epigenetics, genomics, immunotherapy as well as RNA biology.

Developed by The Crump Firm, lead architect on the project and Jacobs Engineering, experts in lab design, the advanced research center propels St. Jude for the long term, accommodating growth for the next 20 years and beyond, with two of eight floors slated for future expansion and evolving technology.