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 September 2024)
- 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.
- 800 Current Employees and Trainees. Including more than 90 Virginia Tech Ph.D. students, and 75 M.D. student trainees conducting research under the mentorship of Fralin Biomedical faculty.
- 1,000+ Publications in Leading Scientific Journals. Our faculty have been cited more than 300,000 times. View Discovery News
- More Than $230 Million Current Active Grants and Contracts. Since its inception, the institute has been awarded a total of $375 million in grants and contracts.
- 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 brings together Children's National Hospital, Johnson & Johnson Innovation — JLABS @ Washington, D.C., and Virginia Tech.
- International Community. Our researchers and students come to Roanoke, Virginia, from across the world — including from multiple countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as Australia and New Zealand.