Arizona universities are key contributors to growing Phoenix Bioscience Core
A research clinician works in an ASU lab at the Phoenix Bioscience Core in downtown Phoenix. Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
The research and discovery work of the Phoenix Bioscience Core, a 30-acre life sciences innovation zone in downtown Phoenix, is expanding alongside its growing collection of state-of-the-art facilities now under construction.
Researchers in biomedicine — which includes cancer research, precision medicine, genomics and molecular medicine — work to advance our understanding of human health and create cutting-edge treatments for complex diseases.
The Phoenix Bioscience Core was created in 2004 as a joint initiative among the city of Phoenix, the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. The vision, now well on track and still expanding, was to create a bioscience cluster similar to those found in places such as San Diego, Boston and North Carolina's Research Triangle, where universities, hospitals, researchers, startups and industry partners are concentrated in one area and collaborate on discovery and commercialization. One of ASU’s 10 Innovation Zones is at the PBC.
Although the Arizona Board of Regents has decided to discontinue the presence of a separate administrative office inside the PBC, the work happening within its perimeter is accelerating for the benefit of Arizona.
“The collaborative and transformational work at Phoenix Bioscience Core is not only accelerating, but also evolving in meaningful ways,” said Sally C. Morton, executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise and the chief research and innovation officer of the university. “As we continue our long-term investment in expanding research, teaching and partnerships, we are growing our economy, producing high-paying jobs, and improving the health and well-being of our community.”
The district is designed to eventually accommodate 6 million square feet of facilities; approximately 2 million have been built so far. It is the future home of the ASU Health headquarters, which will house two new schools — the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health — plus the new ASU Health Observatory and programs in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the College of Health Solutions.
“The success of the PBC is reflected in our choice of where to locate the ASU Health headquarters,” said Sherine Gabriel, executive vice president of ASU Health. “We could have chosen a lot of different locations, but the PBC has become a magnet for the people and the companies who are now leading the way on research, discovery and advancement and who exhibit a commitment to collaboration. It’s where we want to be because it delivers who we want to be with.”
Construction is underway on the 175,000-square-foot ASU Health headquarters, set to open in 2028. In the meantime, the Shufeldt medical school, which welcomes its first class of students in the 2026–27 school year, will hold classes in the ASU Mercado, which is part of the PBC.
The University of Arizona is building an immunological therapies center in the district, and Northern Arizona University is expanding its PBC training spaces for future health care professionals.
In addition to Arizona’s three public research universities, other anchor institutions in and near the PBC include the Translational Genomics Research Institute; the International Genomics Consortium; several of the Valley’s major health care systems such as Phoenix Children’s, Banner Health, Dignity Health and Valleywise Health; and a growing number of life sciences companies.
Learn more about the PBC at phoenixbiosciencecore.com.
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