Our organization was originally founded as the "Human Gene Therapy Research Institute", or "HGTRI" in 1993, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. Located on the second floor of the Education & Research Building, it occupied roughly 13,000 square feet, sandwiched in between the parking ramp above, and the Medical Education & Conference Center below.
Beginning in 2001, HGTRI became known as Stoddard Cancer Research Insitute, or "SCRI", in honor of Mr. John Stoddard, generous benefactor and namesake of John Stoddard Cancer Center.
The research department Stoddard Cancer Research Institute closed on September 23, 2003. The following day, employees returned to begin doing business as Iowa Cancer Research Foundation.
Education & Research Center
In March of 2004, our Executive Director, Charles J. Link, M.D., signed an agreement with Iowa Health Des Moines officially accepting the HGTRI corporation on behalf the new Board of Directors. Later that month, Iowa's Secretary of State, Chet Culver, approved the amending of our Articles of Incorporation to reflect the "Iowa Cancer Research Foundation" name.
Throughout the spring, staff worked to pack and prepare the department for moving. Bob Unfer, Ryan Manuszak & Joe Nash toured several sites looking at potential buildings to house the new laboratory. After showing the site to Dr. Link, it was agreed that we would move to Urbandale Iowa's Aurora Business Park.
Charles J. Link, Jr., M.D. &
Mr. Joseph Corfits, CFO
Iowa Health - Des Moines
The movers came at 9:00 on May 20th & 21st to transport the hoods, incubators & freezers to the new building. The move took two days.
We were all a little sad to leave the department. Finally, at 9:30 P.M. on May 23rd, 2003, we turned off the lights for the last time.
With the help of our friends and family, we got it done.
Thank you, thank you, THANK-YOU!
Looking North through Darwin Lab
Now What?
As it turned out, our move was really two moves in one. Due to conflicting schedules and a late start, the paint was literally still drying as we moved in. To get us moved out on time, but not really move in, R&R Realty, owners of our building, allowed us to temporarily use a space west of our unit.
Throughout June, we worked and worked to pack all the equipment that we had moved into our offices and the new lab. We had a close call one day when a floor drain in the west storage area backed up causing a small flood. Thanks to our crew and the Aurora Business Park Facilities Staff, we got the endangered boxes moved and the mess mopped up.
When we got around to moving boxes and equipment into the lab, our floors started to look a lot like Christmas Morning, that is, piles of open boxes, packing paper, and twisted masses of tape. Sitting in the middle of it all, it was almost overwhelming to think of how far we had come, but how far we had to still go to get a functioning lab up and going.
Back to "Normal"
By mid-July, a basic lab had been established allowing staff to restart their work. Neurosurgeon and Postdoctoral Fellow Ju Wang, M.D., Ph.D., pictured at the left at his lab bench, was pleased to be able to get back to his research.
Dr. Wang, along with the rest of the staff, was happy to trade his hammer and moving dolly, for a labcoat and computer. We had been out of commission for about sixty days, and were ready to dig back in to what we did best.
