UCSF officials welcomed more than 200 guests to Genentech Hall on October 17 for the maiden event at the first research building completed at the Mission Bay campus.

The symposium, co-sponsored with Catellus Development Corp., the master developer for the revitalization of the entire 303-acre neighborhood, was historic and symbolic in several ways.

First, in the words of Chancellor Mike Bishop, the festivities marked the "baptismal event" of the newborn Genentech Hall, where staff members are preparing for the occupancy of UCSF researchers beginning in January 2003. "The building was shepherded by our own staff who completed it on time and under budget," Bishop said.

Second, the event signified the zealousness with which UCSF and Catellus officials are reaching out to industry representatives to spawn scientific relationships that seek to advance the health of humanity through research and education. The symposium featured scientists from Genentech Inc., Affymetrix and Renovis, in addition to two UCSF researchers who will be among the first to move to the new campus.

"We see our future being intertwined with the biotech industry," said Executive Vice Chancellor Reg Kelly, professor of biochemistry and biophysics. "We at UCSF have learned how much physical proximity and unplanned interactions benefit science. If we fail to surround ourselves at Mission Bay with like-minded colleagues an enormous opportunity will be lost."

And third, the gathering represented the University's ongoing collaboration with Catellus, which donated 30 acres of land to UCSF for the campus. Catellus is seeking to create a biotechnology zone by attracting tenants to surround the UCSF campus and in the process breathe new life into the once desolate area.

"I want to welcome our new neighbors to the neighborhood," said Nelson Rising, CEO of Catellus, who thanked city officials and staff for their assistance in the ambitious project. "This is an absolutely spectacular building and it is a fantastic beginning for the Mission Bay campus."

Catellus' elaborate plans for Mission Bay entail investing more than $100 million in neighborhood improvements, such as providing 50 acres of public parks and open space. Catellus also is developing a 500-room hotel, commercial space and 6,000 residential units. Already 100 of the 1,700 units of affordable housing planned for Mission Bay are home to families who competed for the coveted apartments.

The UCSF Mission Bay campus also will offer more than 400 units of housing to students and scholars. Over the next four years, the campus will also give rise to a building for genetics, development and behavioral sciences, the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3), Campus Community Center, child care center and the Koret Quad, an area about the size of Union Square to feature art works.

By 2006, some 2,000 faculty and staff will be working at the new campus. The campus also will become a neighborhood hub for educational, recreational and cultural activities, where lectures, fitness classes and concerts will be offered to the community.

Over the next 10 to 15 years, development of the 43-acre UCSF Mission Bay campus will double UCSF's existing research space and opportunities to train the next generation of health scientists.

Courting Industry Counterparts

UCSF and Catellus officials are actively pursuing partnerships so that the Mission Bay campus becomes the center of a public/private biomedical research park to aid in the knowledge and technology transfer necessary to deliver new therapies for a host of diseases and disorders.

So far, the J. David Gladstone Institutes, a private biomedical research institution affiliated with UCSF, is the only organization to agree to move near the UCSF campus. Crews will begin construction of the Gladstone building in February 2003.

"We are absolutely delighted to be coming to Mission Bay," said Warner Greene, founding director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology and UCSF professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology.

"This is a tremendous opportunity in the future of the Gladstone Institutes and will allow us to work more closely with our colleagues at UCSF, which whom we've been affiliated since 1979."

But the event sparked ideas in the minds of some industry representatives who were invited to hear about UCSF's research plans. Corey Goodman, president, CEO and co-founder of the two-year-old company Renovis, was among the guests.

A former UC Berkeley scientist, Goodman, a world leader in the understanding of the molecules and mechanisms that control nerve growth and guidance, says Renovis is looking for a place to grow.

By the end of the year, Renovis, made up of several former UC Berkeley and UCSF scientists, including co-founder Marc Tessier-Lavigne, will employ about 70 people in its quest to discover drugs to treat neurological diseases and disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to migraine headaches.

Source: Lisa Cisneros

Last updated April 7, 2005

Catellus event

Two of UCSF's most prominent scientists, Cynthia Kenyon and David Agard, converse with guests at the Catellus' welcome event at Genentech Hall. October 17, 2002. Photo by Christine Jegan.

Catellus event

Guests at Catellus' welcome event at Genentech Hall study the model of the UCSF Mission Bay campus when fully completed. October 17, 2002. Photo by Christine Jegan.

Catellus event

Reg Kelly, UCSF Executive Vice Chancellor, Office of Research, welcomes guests to Genentech Hall. October 17, 2002. Photo by Christine Jegan.

Catellus event

Invited guests listen to science summaries in the Genentech Hall auditorium. October 17, 2002. Photo by Christine Jegan.