Step inside NextGen, the building designed to transform the future of health

By Brian Consiglio

Oct. 19, 2026
Contact: Brian Consiglio, [email protected]
Photos by Abbie Lankitus

Five years ago, a new facility opened on the University of Missouri campus with an ambitious promise: speed the journey from lab-bench discoveries to treatments that could improve - and even save - lives.

Today, behind the glass walls of the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, that promise is taking shape.

In one lab, researchers are finding ways to prevent cancer before it starts. Down the hall, scientists are working to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Around the corner, investigators are developing gene therapies to slow the progression of heart failure.

This is precision health at Mizzou - research happening across disciplines and under one roof, with scientists, clinicians and industry partners working together to improve the lives of Missourians and people worldwide.

Now, for the building's fifth anniversary, we're taking you inside to see that work for yourself.

Haval Shirwan, Curators' Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine , and Esma Yolcu, a professor in the School of Medicine

First stop: Preventing cancer
Many cancers begin when abnormal cells form a tumor. Haval Shirwan and Esma Yolcu are trying to get there first, to train the immune system to kill precancerous cells before they form tumors.

The idea represents a fundamental shift from traditional cancer treatment, which is not always effective and bears significant toxicity for patients. Their work aims to stop cancer before it starts, exploring whether the body's own defenses can stop the disease from developing in the first place.

Bettina Mittendorfer, senior associate dean for research in the School of Medicine and a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Next stop: Examining the promise of protein

Protein is everywhere. Shakes, bars, powders and even potato chips promise more of it.

Bettina Mittendorfer wants to know when "more" becomes too much.

Her latest research examines whether consuming excessive amounts of protein could increase the risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

The answers could eventually help shape nutrition guidelines and give people better information when deciding how much protein they need to live longer, healthier lives.

W. David Arnold, the executive director of the NextGen Precision Health initiative and a professor in the School of Medicine

Keep moving: The science of staying strong

Climbing stairs. Carrying groceries. Getting up from a chair. Staying independent as we get older depends on muscles being able to do what the brain tells them to do.

David Arnold's team recently identified a new way that communication can break down with age. Now, they're exploring therapies that could help restore the connection between nerves and muscles to preserve strength and mobility.

The research could lead to treatments that help older adults stay strong, active and independent longer.

Joy Winuthayanon, an associate professor in the School of Medicine

Next stop: Rethinking birth control
For decades, many of the most effective forms of birth control for women have relied on hormones. Joy Winuthayanon is working on another option.

She is developing a non-hormonal contraceptive designed to stop sperm from reaching the egg. Rather than altering a woman's hormones, the approach targets semen, blocking enzymes that allow sperm to move freely.

If successful, the research could give women another option when it comes to family planning, particularly for those who experience side effects from hormonal contraceptives or have medical reasons to avoid them.

Adam Schrum, an associate professor in the School of Medicine and College of Engineering

Up next: Why one treatment doesn't fit all
Give two people with the same disease the same medicine, and their bodies may respond differently.

Adam Schrum wants to know why. His team studies what makes one person's immune system behave differently from another's, including the role hormones may play.

The goal is to help doctors treat what's going wrong without weakening the immune defenses patients still need.

Robert Thomen, an associate professor in the School of Medicine and College of Engineering

Next stop: Watching the lungs at work

An MRI can show doctors what the lungs look like. Robert Thomen wants to show them how well the lungs work.

His team does this by having patients inhale a harmless gas during an MRI scan, allowing researchers to watch how air moves through the lungs of the patient and how effectively the lungs exchange gases.

For people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, those images could provide a clearer picture of what's going wrong. Doctors could then use that information to choose treatments based on how a patient's lungs are functioning.

Zheng Yan, an associate professor in the College of Engineering

Getting our steps in: Smarter wearable devices
Smartwatches and fitness trackers can already count steps and measure heart rate. Zheng Yan is developing wearable devices that could go much further - continuously monitoring what's happening inside the body and spotting potential health problems before symptoms appear.

His team is creating ultra-thin, soft and breathable devices designed to move with the skin. Combined with artificial intelligence, the technology could alert someone when something looks unusual.

That early warning could help people seek care before a small problem becomes something more serious.

Changyu Sun, an assistant professor in the School of Medicine and College of Engineering

Catch your breath: Cutting heart scan times by 90%
A heart MRI can require patients to repeatedly hold their breath and remain perfectly still while doctors capture detailed images. For some patients, that can make an already stressful medical test even more difficult.

Changyu Sun is using artificial intelligence to make that experience faster and easier. His team has developed AI-powered techniques that can run directly on MRI scanners and cut the time needed for some heart MRI scans by about 90%, allowing images to be acquired in just a few heartbeats. Faster scans could make cardiac MRI accessible to more patients.

Sun's team is also exploring how AI can help doctors analyze heart images and identify signs of heart disease earlier.

Ai-Ling Lin, a professor in the College of Arts and Science and School of Medicine

Moving on: Protecting our memory
Changes associated with Alzheimer's disease can begin years - even decades - before signs of memory loss appear.

Ai-Ling Lin studies whether improving blood flow to the brain during those early stages could help protect it. Her team uses advanced brain imaging to study whether the drug rapamycin could benefit people who are genetically at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life.

Finding ways to protect the brain earlier could help people preserve memory and cognitive function - and live independently longer.

Ahmed Balboula, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

Next stop: Protecting egg health

As women get older, the quality of their eggs declines, making it harder to become pregnant and raising the risk of miscarriage or birth defects.

Ahmed Balboula's team found that eggs don't repair damage to their DNA very well. Now, they're working to boost a natural cleanup process inside cells that could help remove that damage and keep eggs healthier.

The research could help improve the chances that an egg develops into a healthy embryo.

Darla Tharp, an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine

Last stop: Keeping the heart pumping

Darla Tharp is looking for ways to help weakened hearts pump more robustly. Her team is testing novel gene therapies and regenerative medicines aimed at addressing the causes of heart failure rather than simply managing its symptoms.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Tharp's research could eventually lead to therapies that slow, stop - or perhaps even reverse - the progression of heart failure.