CAMI: The Future of Health Care

Phoenix might not be the largest city in America, but the desert metropolis took home its own title a couple years back: the fastest-growing market for jobs in the life sciences. The city ended 2020 with 22,000 people employed in fields like biochemistry and neuroscience — and after an influx of state funding, that figure is set to rise.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies, or CAMI, received a vote of support from former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who designated $150 million in new funding for the Phoenix-based center. CAMI, to be constructed at the Phoenix Bioscience Core in the city’s bustling Innovation District, will advance lifesaving research into precision medicine, a rapidly growing field promoting cell- and gene- based treatments for both cancers and infectious and autoimmune diseases.

The center will draw an estimated 150 companies to the Phoenix area over the next decade, generating more than 20,000 jobs — 7,500 in the biosciences, the rest supporting that work — while boosting economic activity in Arizona by at least $3.9 billion.

“It is not often that an opportunity to benefit Arizonans in such diverse ways presents itself, as it has with CAMI," Ducey said. "As it grows, CAMI is poised to bring new jobs and businesses to Arizona, bolstering the economy not only in Maricopa County but also across the state. More importantly, the research CAMI will advance and bring to fruition offers Arizona residents the hope of new treatments that will positively impact their health and well-being. My thanks to President Robert C. Robbins and the University ofArizona for their dedication to building a healthier Arizona.”

Precision medicine uses the body’s natural immune system as the first and best line of defense in the battle against disease. At CAMI, research into cellular and gene- based therapies will progress as business activity surges, with both startups and established corporations finding space to thrive.

“There is not a field with more explosive growth than immunotherapy. We are seeing rapid growth in research investments and increased formation of academic and industry partnerships around the world,” says Michael Dake, senior vice president for UArizona Health Sciences.

“We expect CAMI to be nothing short of a national biomedical research hub, and we are incredibly grateful to Gov. Ducey for supporting that vision by investing in what will be a transformational center for Phoenix and the state of Arizona and its residents.”

—Matthew Morris