The Biodesign Institute

ASU Biodesign Institute
Interactive map of the ASU Biodesign Institute area
General information
Type	Research Institute
Location	Arizona State University: Tempe Campus, 727 E. Tyler St. Tempe, Arizona 85287
Coordinates	33°25′10″N111°55′41″W / 33.41944°N 111.92806°W / 33.41944; -111.92806
Construction started	Building A – February 2003 Building B – March 2004 Building C – October 2016 Building D – TBD
Completed	Building A – January 2005 Building B – January 2006 Building C – September 2018 Building D – TBD
Cost	Building A – $72.8 million Building B – $78.5 million Building C – $120 million Building D – TBD
Owner	Arizona State University
Technical details
Structural system	Brick and glass curtain wall system, steel frame, concrete flooring
Floor count	6
Floor area	Building A – 183,220 s.f. Building B – 179,800 s.f Building C – 191,035 s.f. Building D – TBD
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Buildings A & B – Gould Evans / Lord Aeck & Sargent Building C – ZGF Architects / BWS Architects Building D – TBD
Main contractor	Buildings A & B – DPR Construction / Sundt Corp. Building C – McCarthy Construction Building D – TBD
Awards and prizes	Building A – Gold-level LEED certified Building B – Platinum-level LEED certified Building C – TBD
Website
biodesign.asu.edu
Building A https://fdm-apps.asu.edu/UFRM/FDS/FacilityData.aspx?bNum=104A Building B https://fdm-apps.asu.edu/UFRM/FDS/FacilityData.aspx?bNum=104B Building C https://fdm-apps.asu.edu/UFRM/FDS/FacilityData.aspx?bNum=104C

The Biodesign Institute is a major research center known for nature-inspired solutions to global health, sustainability, and security challenges located on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. The institute is organized into a growing number of collaborative research centers and laboratories staffed by scientists in diverse disciplines. It is currently led by Executive Director Dr. Joshua LaBaer, a personalized diagnostics researcher. ^[1]

Overview

The Biodesign Institute performs biomedical and health research and develops solutions for environmental sustainability. The institute has more than 1300 faculty, staff and students, which include one Nobel Prize winner and multiple National Academy members. ^[2] The institute has attracted more than $930 million in extramural funding, filed 860 invention disclosures, nearly 200 patents, and 35 spinouts. ^[3]

The Biodesign Institute is located on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, a comprehensive multi-campus metropolitan university that is the largest in the U.S. by enrollment. The labs are housed in multiple buildings covering nearly 540,000 sqft. ^[4]

COVID-19 response

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute took a lead role and established a clinical testing laboratory, and processed over one million tests. ^[5] The institute has developed a saliva based testing and got emergency approval from FDA. ^{[6] [7]} The institute was named one of the Governor's Celebration of Innovation's Innovators of the Year for their work on saliva-based COVID-19 tests. ^[8] The institute received a $6M state contract to develop a rapid 20-minute saliva testing. ^[9]

Centers within the institute

• ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center
• Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery
• Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society
• Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors
• Biodesign Center for Bioenergetics
• Biodesign Center for Biomaterials Innovation and Translation
• Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology
• Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering
• Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics
• Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes
• Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution
• Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics
• Pathfinder Center
• Biodesign Center for Single Molecule Biophysics
• Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing
• Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics ^[10]

Leadership

• Joshua LaBaer, a physician-scientist specializing in personalized diagnostics, was appointed interim executive director of the Biodesign Institute in January 2016. ^[11] He became permanent executive director in March 2017. ^[12]
• Raymond DuBois, a physician-scientist with expertise in translational cancer research, was appointed executive director of the Biodesign Institute on December 1, 2012. ^[13]
• Alan Nelson, an entrepreneur and a developer of a number of medical devices, was the executive director of the Biodesign Institute from March 2009 to July 2011.
• The institute was formerly led by George Poste, a scientist and policy maker with four decades of experience spanning academia, industry and government. Dr. Poste's experience in fostering scientific collaboration has shaped the institute's organization and has facilitated recruitment of international-caliber scientists to the institute.
• Charles Arntzen served as the founding director of the Biodesign Institute until May 2003, and as co-director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology of that Institute until 2007.

Landscape

Designed by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects as a "green gateway" to the research facility set within the desert the landscape of the Biodesign Institute uses harvested stormwater and condensate to function as a riparian area. The 4-acre site aims "to create an environment that is about healing and sustaining life". TELA achieved this by replacing the prevalent asphalt with "permeable, vibrant, shade-giving regional gardens with plants used for healing purposes", using recycled water to feed these gardens, and most importantly "connecting people in an urban setting...with the natural beauty of our long ago altered Sonoran Desert". Beyond the gardens, the site features bike lanes, pedestrian malls, seatwalls, and bioswales that all function to bring people into contact with each other and nature. Upon completion, the project won an ASLA Honor Award in the General Design Category in 2009. ^[14] In 2025, Biodesign Institute's building C earned an Award of Distinction in the landscape design category at Arizona Forward’s 43rd Annual Environmental Excellence Awards. ^[15]

Notable researchers

• Bruce Rittmann ^[16]
• Petra Fromme ^[17]
• Stephanie Forrest ^[18]
• Michael Lynch ^[19]
• Leland Hartwell ^[20]

Gallery

• 
  The east side of the Biodesign Institute building
• 
  The main entrance to the Biodesign Institute building
• 
  Biodesign Institute Buildings A & B
• 
  Biodesign Building C main entrance.

References

1. "ASU names LaBaer interim executive director of the Biodesign Institute | The Biodesign Institute | ASU". biodesign.asu.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
2. https://biodesign.asu.edu/our-experts/
3. https://news.asu.edu/20241127-university-news-asu-cusp-becoming-1b-research-university
4. "The Institute". Biodesign Institute | ASU. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
5. https://news.asu.edu/20211008-arizona-impact-asu-hits-milestone-1-millionth-covid-19-test
6. "ASU Biodesign Institute Develops New COVID-19 Test Using Saliva". KJZZ. 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
7. Steinbach, Alison. "ASU develops new saliva-based COVID-19 test as alternative to nasal swabs". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
8. "Biodesign Institute wins statewide innovation award for COVID-19 tests". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
9. "ASU researchers receive $6M state contract to develop rapid, 20-minute COVID-19 saliva test | Media Relations and Strategic Communications". newsroom.asu.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
10. https://biodesign.asu.edu/our-centers/
11. "ASU names LaBaer interim executive director of Biodesign Institute". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
12. "ASU appoints Josh LaBaer, M.D., Ph.D., as new executive director | The Biodesign Institute | ASU". biodesign.asu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-06-11. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
13. https://news.asu.edu/content/asu-appoints-dubois-executive-director-biodesign-institute
14. "2009 Professional Awards". www.asla.org. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
15. https://cfo.asu.edu/article/20250604-asu-buildings-and-landscapes-shine-environmental-awards
16. https://search.asu.edu/profile/775256
17. https://search.asu.edu/profile/393381
18. https://search.asu.edu/profile/3182641
19. https://search.asu.edu/profile/3175331
20. https://search.asu.edu/profile/1474639

External links

• The Biodesign Institute Official Website
• Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
• Green Source Archived 2018-12-04 at the Wayback Machine