The Sept. 30 opening of the research building at the John A. Burns School of Medicine's new Kaka'ako campus signifies the completion of the first phase of the school set into motion five years ago.

While a second biotech research building is planned, the $150 million project is complete, at least for the next few years.

"We're entering a new era of the school's history," said Sam Shomaker, acting dean of the University of Hawai'i School of Medicine.

The opening of the research building symbolizes the school's contribution to diversifying the state's economy through its acclaimed research programs, Shomaker said. Already the medical school has landed more world-class researchers and brought a surge in federal grants totaling more than $60 million.

But Shomaker said the school must also "maintain excellence in education and training." The new research building, being a center for both research and education, will help do that, he said.

Eighty percent of the new building is made up of laboratory space that will be occupied by researchers moving from the UH-Manoa campus, Shomaker said. The building will also function as a learning laboratory for medical students.

"It's going to be light years better than what we have now," said Duane Gubler, director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, which is currently housed at Leahi Hospital.

Gubler and his team are set to move into the third floor of the facility in October. "We've been anxiously waiting," he said.

The building features a biocontainment laboratory where researchers can handle infectious diseases, said Francis Blanco, director of project planning and facilities.

The lab is considered a Level 3 biosafety lab, meaning it can handle infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and West Nile virus, Blanco said.

The building also features a morgue with space for 50 cadavers used for dissection.

Across the hall is the gross anatomy laboratory with dozens of stainless steel lab tables where anatomy students can dissect the cadavers.

"This is really a first-class, state-of-the-art building," Blanco said.

The buildings feature a unique air-conditioning system that uses cold seawater and eliminates the use of less efficient cooling towers, Shomaker said. The building also has customized lighting controls, light shelves over the window to maximize natural lighting and ventilation fans.

"It'll go a long way toward defraying the cost of our electric bill," Shomaker said. Electricity currently costs $14,000 a month and will more than double after the opening of the research building.

Its energy-saving components even won the medical school a $161,047 rebate check yesterday from the Hawaiian Electric Company.

The medical school's education building opened last spring and includes a number of innovative features.

One laboratory is modeled after a doctor's office where medical students can interact with "standardized patients" — essentially actors — to sharpen medical exam techniques. Students are also able to use a virtual reality laboratory to operate on virtual patients. The program is one of only a couple in the nation and helps to improve hand-eye coordination needed for microscopic surgery, said Kathleen Kihmm, program manager.

About 36 principal researchers and their teams will move into the new research building after the grand opening at the end of the month, said Gregg Takayama, medical school spokesman. Several research programs currently at the UH-Manoa campus and elsewhere will be housed in the new space. They include the Cancer Research Center, Cell and Molecular Biology, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Developmental and Reproductive Biology, Neuro Science and Genomics.

"If our planning is any indication, the building will be pretty full right from day one," Shomaker said.

Before the building even opened, it was out of space. Earlier this year, officials said more space was needed to accommodate additional researchers the university wants to hire.

After everyone is moved in and the building is in full use, Shomaker said, the school may explore leasing warehouse space that can be converted into lab space.

Undergraduate classes in speech pathology, medical technology, biochemistry and genetics will remain at Manoa. "That may mean some faculty will have to commute back and forth," Shomaker said.

Looking ahead, Shomaker is hoping the new medical school with its state-of-the-art research building will be a "magnet for investigators, serious about doing science in Hawai'i."

Shomaker said he also hopes to pull in more grant money so the new research building can be completely self-sufficient. Earlier this year, the state Legislature appropriated enough money to operate the facility, Shomaker said.

"But we do not have the resources identified yet to hire additional faculty," he said. "Unless we hire new faculty, our grant writing capacity will plateau."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.