- New biobank infrastructure: UNR Med will open a biobank in September 2026 within its Translational Research Center.
- Clinical research growth: Renown Health has expanded its clinical trial portfolio from about 35 to more than 140 active trials since 2021.
- Research-ready biospecimens: The biobank will provide access to blood, urine, tissue and associated health information for biomedical research.
The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) and Renown Health are strengthening Nevada’s biomedical research infrastructure through their integrated academic health system, with a new biobank set to open in September 2026.
The biobank will be located within the Translational Research Center at UNR Med and is expected to expand researchers access to biological specimens needed for translational and clinical research.
The development forms part of a broader effort to connect laboratory discoveries with clinical care while increasing opportunities for innovative treatments and clinical trials within Nevada.
UNR Med researchers conduct biomedical and translational studies across areas including cancer, infectious diseases, cardiac arrhythmias, muscular dystrophy and women’s health.
Lucia Notterpek, Ph.D., senior associate dean of research at UNR Med, said, “We now have a number of research projects that incorporate pivotal collaborations between clinicians and researchers. Research is a team sport, and we all bring unique expertise to the problems we study.”
Expanding Clinical Trial Opportunities
The growth of research infrastructure has coincided with a substantial expansion of clinical research at Renown Health. Since 2021, Renown’s clinical trial portfolio has increased from approximately 35 to more than 140 active trials, while its research team has grown from five to 35 staff members. More than 50 investigators now contribute to clinical research across multiple specialties, including cancer and lung care.
The health system has also received accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), recognizing its standards for research quality, ethical oversight and participant safety.
Eric Kim, M.D., associate dean of clinical research at UNR Med and chief of urology at Renown Health, said, “Clinical research has benefited significantly from the affiliation of Nevada’s oldest public medical school and the regional healthcare system. UNR Med brings important scientific expertise with laboratory infrastructure, which substantially broadens the type of clinical research that can be performed.”
The expanded clinical research network could give patients greater opportunities to participate in trials and access emerging therapies without traveling outside the region.
New Biobank to Support Translational Research
The planned biobank represents a major addition to UNR Med’s research infrastructure. Biobanks securely store biological specimens such as blood, urine and tissue alongside associated health information, creating resources that researchers can use to investigate disease mechanisms, identify biomarkers and develop new treatments.
For researchers, having these specimens available on campus could simplify access to human biological material and strengthen collaborations between laboratory scientists and clinical investigators.
Samantha Sipusic, CCRP, coordinator of translational research at UNR Med, said, “The new biobank provides our researchers with on-site access to a wide variety of biological samples. With the biobank coming to campus, we will have expanded research infrastructure that can assist principal investigators in developing new treatments, biomarkers and medications.”
The facility could therefore serve as an important bridge between biospecimen collection and downstream translational research, allowing investigators to use human samples in studies that complement laboratory and clinical data.
Strengthening Cancer Research Through Biospecimens
Cancer research is one of the areas expected to benefit from the expanding research ecosystem. UNR Med and the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute (PCI) support investigator-led studies through seed funding designed to generate preliminary findings and strengthen future research programs.
In 2026, PCI awarded more than $667,000 through its PCI Research Awards program to six cancer research projects covering areas including cancer biology, virus-associated cancers, glioblastoma, rectal cancer and patient wellness.
The availability of biobanked biospecimens could further support such investigator-driven research by providing access to human material for cancer biology, biomarker discovery and translational studies.
Connecting Human Samples With Disease Research
The value of the new biobank also extends beyond cancer. Researchers at UNR Med are investigating rare diseases and other conditions where access to human tissue can be critical for validating findings generated through cell and animal models.
Heather Burkin, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology at UNR Med, highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between clinicians and researchers when studying conditions such as preterm labor.
Burkin said, “The affiliation has allowed more opportunities for communication between Renown physicians and UNR Med scientists. I believe developing these collaborations will yield more clinically relevant discoveries.”
Access to well-characterized human biospecimens can help researchers determine whether findings observed in experimental models translate to human disease, potentially improving the clinical relevance of biomedical research.
Advancing Nevada’s Research Ecosystem
The UNR Med-Renown Health affiliation is creating an integrated environment in which clinicians can identify important medical questions, researchers can investigate potential solutions and patients can participate in clinical research closer to home.
The new biobank will add an important layer to this infrastructure by providing a dedicated repository for biological specimens that can support research across multiple disease areas.
Together with expanded clinical trials, research funding and collaborations between physician-scientists and biomedical researchers, the biobank could strengthen Nevada’s capacity to move discoveries from biospecimens and laboratory research toward new diagnostics, treatments and improved patient care.
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