To a casual observer, the buildings rising on the southwest edge of UC Davis’ Sacramento campus might look like just another office complex. But beneath the façade of locally sourced bricks and 20-foot-tall panes of structural glass lies the foundation of something far more ambitious, a marriage of academic know-how and industry can-do.
, developed by Wexford Science & Technology and anchored by UC Davis, is more than a traditional campus expansion. It’s a living laboratory for how a research university, private industry and communities can come together to solve society’s most pressing challenges.
“Aggie Square is where the university transforms innovation into impact,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “It represents our university’s research, teaching and public service mission by bringing together the brightest minds in research with entrepreneurs, industry partners and neighbors, all in one place.”
Inside its state-of-the-art facilities, tenants will share labs, open office spaces, communal kitchens, and – a flexible, turnkey facility for early-stage and growth companies with access to wet labs, dry labs, offices and a comprehensive set of shared technical equipment — alongside classrooms, event space and publicly accessible meeting areas. The goal? To encourage what the district’s designers call “intentional collisions,” spontaneous encounters that spark new ideas and unexpected collaborations.
“Wexford’s experience with innovation districts across the country shows that these cross-disciplinary connections leads to innovative breakthroughs,” said Claire Drummond, vice president of development for Wexford Science & Technology.
As the district’s first buildings prepare for their grand opening on May 2, a diverse lineup of researchers and programs is set to move in, each bringing a unique focus and a shared belief in innovation with purpose.
From cancer research and light-based therapies to bioengineering and medical device development, the next chapter of UC Davis’ innovation story is set to unfold at Aggie Square.
Here is a look at four pioneering teams and programs getting ready to call it home.
Focusing on a cure
Stem cell, gene editing, bioengineering and translational research are some of the innovations that will take place at Aggie Square.
One of the research groups moving to Aggie Square is the , a prime research hub in stem cell therapy and gene editing for early treatments of birth defects such as spina bifida and . The lab develops tools and technologies, as well as therapeutics that integrate molecular, cellular, tissue and biomaterial engineering to promote regeneration and restore function.
“We are focused on engineering and developing stem cell/gene therapy, extracellular vesicles/nanomedicine, and extracellular matrix/biomaterial scaffolds to treat a wide spectrum of congenital conditions and acquired diseases,” said Aijun Wang, professor of surgery and biomedical engineering. Wang is the vice chair for translational research, innovation and entrepreneurship at the Department of Surgery and co-directs the at UC Davis. “Our lab specializes in bringing therapeutics from bench to bedside, through innovative discovery, translational and investigational new drug-enabling studies, current Good Manufacturing Practice manufacturing, and conducting clinical trials in both and 貹پԳٲ.”
Wang and his team have been collaborating with the laboratory at UC Berkeley to develop a much-needed cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, one of the most severe types of muscular dystrophy. They are designing a therapy to treat DMD before birth by editing the gene that encodes dystrophin, a key protein in stabilizing muscle fiber.
“We are developing a gene editing therapy that would allow pregnant mothers to give birth to children who are free from Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Wang said.
This groundbreaking work is funded by a $2 million Quest Award from the . The DISC-2 Quest Awards Program promotes the discovery of promising new stem cell-based and gene therapy technologies that could lead to broad use and improved patient care.
—&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ; Tricia Tomiyoshi
Creating medical devices through biomedical engineering
Imagine this: A student dons a lab coat to work alongside world-class clinicians in the morning, meets with professional entrepreneurs over lunch to transform their clinical observations into a product idea for improving human health, and begins prototyping their engineering solution at a device development facility before sundown.
This is the promise of the new nine-month master’s program in medical device development taught entirely at Aggie Square. The first cohort .
The program, offered by the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering, supercharges hands-on engineering education and entrepreneurial acumen through its location at the expansive innovation district.
“Fundamental to healthcare and medical innovation is truly understanding the needs within, and the proximity of Aggie Square to UC Davis Medical Campus is a unique opportunity that will create critical interactions with patients and health care providers,” said John Paderi, a biotech entrepreneur who helped design the master’s program as a member of the advisory board to the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
“Coupling this with Aggie Square's ability to support and house industry, especially startup companies, sets the foundation for innovation to advance beyond the graduate program and into companies that can ultimately turn these into products.”
By the end of the program, which includes a capstone project to translate UC Davis-developed research into working medical device prototypes, students will have the skills to take engineering concepts from computer-aided design sketches into physical, scalable devices in the private sector.
“The idea is to develop a set of skills in nine months that would take much longer working in the industry,” said Steven C. George, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
—&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ; Matt Marcure
Collaborating on new types of cancer treatment
new “cancer research hub” will encompass part of the third floor and the entire fourth floor of . This is where cancer care will be transformed through cutting-edge, paradigm-shifting research.
Cancer center researchers already have a successful track record of bridging the gap between scientific discovery and clinical trials. The hub will accelerate progress through collaboration and teamwork. An interdisciplinary group of cancer center members will support the work at Aggie Square. This will include early, mid-career and senior-level faculty and research staff from across UC Davis.
The hub will house highly innovative cancer center including flow cytometry, a technique that uses laser technology to measure and sort cells. This enables researchers to identify cancer-related markers and monitor treatment responses.
“Being in close proximity to the shared resources at Aggie Square will make our work easier,” said prostate cancer researcher . “Additionally, the intellectual expertise that will be present will foster opportunities for new and exciting collaborations.”
Cancer patients often respond initially to treatment but later the cancer returns in a more aggressive form. Lombard said his lab is studying drug-tolerant cancer cells to figure out how to destroy them.
The cancer research team also routinely works with industry partners on early-phase clinical trials. Aggie Square will increase access to strategic partners within industry, academia and government, all working together to develop cancer drugs and biomarkers.
Co-located at Aggie Square along with the core facilities are six laboratory teams and four Cancer Center offices:
- Office of Workforce and Leadership Development
- Tobacco Cessation and Policy Research Center
- Office of Population Health
- Office of Community Outreach & Engagement
—&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ; Stephanie Winn
Revolutionizing surgery and brain monitoring with AI medical imaging technology
, or NCIBT, is revolutionizing surgical procedures and brain monitoring using light-based, artificial intelligence-informed technologies. Thanks to a $6.3 million grant from National Institutes of Health, the center moved to on March 19.
NCIBT is advancing two optical imaging technologies developed at UC Davis — and . These technologies pair with an to provide real-time guidance of decision-making during medical and surgical procedures.
UC Davis Health surgeons already use FLIM imaging to detect and during surgery.
“We are developing a new technological paradigm for surgical and interventional medical decision-making,” said , founding director of NCIBT and professor of and . “This technology helps surgeons and other physicians make decisions in real time by assessing the nature of the local tissue. The imaging data from the tissue analysis gets integrated with other imaging data and information from patient’s history to optimize the procedure.”
The center also supports research and development, clinical application, and training and education of the new technologies. It promotes the adoption of iFLIM and iDOS to improve the quality of interventional health care.
Aggie Square will serve as the hub for the center’s training and education programs. NCIBT aligns perfectly with the mission and vision of Aggie Square.
“Aggie Square fosters biomedical innovation and collaborations among engineers, clinician-scientists and industry partners. This synergy promotes the development of clinically valuable tools and their dissemination through teaching, training and commercialization,” said professor and chair of and deputy director and training leader of NCIBT.
—&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ;&Բ; Nadine Yehya
Media Resources
- James Nash, News and Media Relations, 530-219-0943, jnash@ucdavis.edu