Pittsburgh-based UPMC is working with Italian foundation Ri.MED to open a biomedical research center in Sicily that will employ about 600 people, including 60 investigators, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported Oct. 12.
The Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center, which will be a 300,000-square foot facility, is expected to open in 2025. UPMC will manage the facility, which will conduct scientific research in several areas, according to the report.
"It will be the first of its kind in the region and part of a network of major research institutes across Italy," Timothy Billiar, MD, UPMC's chief scientific officer, told the publication.
The center will be led by Dr. Giulio Superti-Furga, a native of Italy who has led the Center for Molecular Medicine at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. His focuses will include immunology, aging, neurodegeneration and cancer.
"Immunology very much relates to transplantation, and that's one of the reasons why a major focus will be cell-based therapies, gene therapy, vaccines, all the other pieces of the immunology areas of focus," Dr. Billiar told the Business Times.
The news comes several months after UPMC announced its acquisition of Sports Surgery Clinic, an independent hospital specializing in orthopedic surgery in Dublin, Ireland. The 101-bed hospital will be UPMC's fourth hospital in Ireland and part of the system's global network of orthopedic, sports medicine and rehabilitation facilities. In the past year, UPMC opened two sports medicine facilities in Ireland, increasing the number of locations in the country to six.
UPMC continues to grow overseas as part of its strategy to bring more high-quality research and medicine to more people, closer to home. At the same time, expanding overseas creates additional resources — both financial and intellectual — to fuel the system's clinical and research mission while also enhancing its reputation and that of Pittsburgh.
"We're excited to continue expanding high-quality services in our focus countries, particularly Ireland and Italy, while adding new partners in new places, such as Croatia, when we find the right opportunities," Charles Bogosta, president of UPMC International, told Becker's. "We are generally owner-operators of the healthcare facilities and programs that we establish so we set a high standard for our involvement."
UPMC has also partnered with Dragan Primorac, MD, PhD, a physician and professor in Croatia, to open the first of many cancer centers in the country. The Croatian facility will be integrated into the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and affiliate with the system's locations in Italy and Ireland.
"By combining UPMC's decades of international cancer experience with Professor Primorac's track record as a successful healthcare leader, educator and founder of the most innovative private hospital in Croatia, we expect that our joint venture will positively impact the lives of patients and support the national health system's goals for improving cancer prevention and treatment," Mr. Bogosta said.