Washington University in St. Louis

The Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Building in the Cortex Innovation District is one of the world's largest neuroscience research buildings. The 609,000-sq.-ft. building marks a new era for medical science, as the research conducted in this building will help patients unlock the fundamentals to the workings of the nervous system, finding cures for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The university invested $616 million to construct the building and broke ground in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. It sits on the eastern edge of the Medical Campus and in the 200-acre Cortex Innovation District, a nationally recognized innovation and technology hub that also is home to several biotech startups founded by Washington University faculty. Investment in the neuroscience research building was spurred by the expectation that it will become one of the nation’s premier neuroscience research hubs and that situating it in Cortex will create synergy with the many entrepreneurs and startup companies there, helping to commercialize discoveries from Washington University in St. Louis. It’s expected to radically change the trajectory of neuroscience research and its impact.