About Us
Founded in 2010, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class researchers. Since its inception, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also investing in brand-new laboratories on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.
Our mission
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC focuses on a single, ambitious mission: to advance the health of the region, the nation, and the world by making major scientific advances to understand human health. We aim to develop new preventions, diagnostics, treatments, and cures for disorders that limit the quality and duration of life, as well as the realization of full human potential. We do this at the interface of innovative biomedical, behavioral, and computational research.
We seek to:
- Understand the fundamental processes of human health and disease.
- Apply those advances to the improvement of health through improved prevention, diagnostics and therapeutics.
- Train the next generation of biomedical science leaders.
- Enhance research-based medical education.
- Sustain and strengthen our academic medicine partnerships.
By The Numbers
(Updated July 2025)
- More Than 40 Faculty-Led Research Teams. Focused on developing innovations for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of brain and behavioral disorders including addiction, heart disease, cancer, children's health, obesity, and metabolic disorders. We seek to end the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disorders, heart disease, and cancer. View our Primary Faculty
- 1,000+ Publications in Leading Scientific Journals. Our faculty have been cited more than 300,000 times. View Discovery News
- More Than $241 Million Current Active Extramural Grants and Contracts. The figure represents multi-year grants and contracts, largely awarded through a highly competitive process from the world's leading medical research enterprise, the National Institutes of Health. The current annual FBRI extramural grant and contract active portfolio value is $51 million.
- Hundreds of Health Science Leader Seminars Hosted. Since 2010, hundreds of esteemed leaders in science and health have visited and delivered talks at the institute. View Upcoming Seminars and Events
- More Than 260,000-square-feet of Premier Research Facilities. Research institute scientists occupy approximately 250,000 square feet in Roanoke, and an additional 12,000 square feet on the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C., a pediatric research hub that represents a partnership between Children's National Hospital and Virginia Tech.
- Nearly 700 personnel working at the research institute, including more than 300 students and trainees, on the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke and our growing operation in Washington, D.C.
- To better translate their science into innovations that deliver improved patient care, FBRI faculty and their teams have disclosed dozens of inventions, filed patents, and launched more than 10 biotechnology companies, several of which have secured small business grants of up to $2 million.
- In its first 15 years the institute has generated more than $1.7 billion in local economic impact — including $190 million in just the last year. Average annual base salaries for our team members are in the 90th percentile for the Roanoke region, reflecting the highly specialized nature of their work and the depth of their training.
- International Community. Our researchers and students come to Roanoke, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., from across the world — including from multiple countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as Australia and New Zealand.