Funding to open a new bio lab will support many Arizona nursing jobs.

State officials recently awarded $2.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to Science Foundation Arizona. The funding will be used to create the Arizona Biosignature Laboratory and will support many jobs across the state.

"With major diseases on the rise across the country, research; education and prevention are crucial to protecting our citizens," Gov. Jan Brewer said. "The high-quality jobs that are being created in the bioscience industry are just what the doctor ordered to inject new growth and vibrancy to Arizona’s economy."

Employees at the new laboratory will research major diseases, including lung cancer, Alzheimer's, and kidney diseases. The lab also will be used to develop testing standards that provide greater understanding of human diseases and to accelerate the safe testing of new therapies.

Critical Path Institute and Roche Ventana Medical Systems will lead the project. Those organizations will work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under a cooperative research and development agreement to establish standards for emerging cancer biomarkers.

As part of the project, C-Path will conduct four demonstration projects in lung cancer, kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease and tuberculosis. These tests will not only result in economic and medical value to Arizona, but also will help the new lab be recognized as a national resource for bio standardization.