A few years ago, a life science cluster was a dream for Orlando. Now, that dream is a reality as the Tavistock Group's Lake Nona development near Orlando International Airport is the home for an emerging 'medical city'. 

With the 2006 announcements of a new University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Orlando was thrust upon the life sciences map.

Since that time, the Tavistock Group's Lake Nona – home to Orlando's 'medical city' – has been working on a master plan for the community bringing together the best of the best in everything. In addition to the UCF College of Medicine and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona, several other facilities have decided to co-locate in this 'medical city' including:

• University of Central Florida College of Medicine – UCF recently welcomed its inaugural class of 41 students, each of whom received full four-year scholarships from nearly $7 million in community donations – an unprecedented move. The Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences is an integral part of the College of Medicine.

• Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona - Teams of scientists who study diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease work in a state-of-the-art 175,000-square-foot institute. The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona is committed to conducting fundamental and translational research and is supported by almost $40 million of grant funding. Within 10 years, the institute will employ over 300 scientists and support personnel.

• Cancer Research Institute of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando (CRI) – By relocating its current facilities to Lake Nona's 'medical city', CRI will partner with the UCF College of Medicine on research projects and some of the center's doctors will serve as faculty members.

• Nemours Children's Hospital – Scheduled to open in 2012, Nemours' specialized hospital for children will be the central hub of a 60-acre pediatric health campus featuring a children's clinic, emergency department, diagnostic and ambulatory programs, education centers and research programs.

• Orlando VA Medical Center – This $600 million, state-of-the-art facility due to open in 2013 will increase accessibility to healthcare for approximately 400,000 Central Florida veterans and will be the first VA hospital built in the United States since 1995.

  Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Simulation Center for Excellence – Located at the new Orlando VA Medical Center, this center will be the nationwide training and planning home for the VA's new medical simulation system, which will allow VA employees to improve care and treatment for veterans across the country.

• University of Florida Research Center – This 100,000-square-foot research facility will be shared with the Sanford-Burnham Institute and will enable the state's largest university to have direct collaboration opportunities with Sanford-Burnham's top scientists.

For more information on some of Metro Orlando's leading biotechnology and life science companies, please visit their websites by clicking on the links below, or, visit Company Profiles to read for brief synopses of each company.

Amaro & Associates, Inc.
Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc.
Cardiovascular Sciences, Inc.
Cognoscenti Health Institute
CORD:USE
CuraScript, Inc.
Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center (EMLRC)
Florida’s Blood Centers
Florida Hospital
GENICON
Informed Care (website not available)
INTER BIO-LAB, Inc.
Nemours Children's Hospital
Orlando Health
  M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando
Orlando VA Medical Center
Ortheon Medical
Rippe Health Evaluation
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Triad Isotopes
UroSoutions, Inc. (website not available)
Valensa International (formerly U.S. Nutraceuticals LLC)
VaxDesign Corporation
Virtual Reality Medical Center
Visions@work