GREENVILLE, N.C. (4/3/13) — By this time next year, scientists and clinicians will be working together to find clues to solving the region's – and nation's – diabetes epidemic in new lab space on the fourth floor of the East Carolina Heart Institute at East Carolina University.

Nearby, surgical teams from around the world will be learning the latest robotic surgery techniques.

That's the goal of medical school officials, faculty members and contractors who are transforming the formerly unused space into advanced laboratories and simulated clinical rooms. The work is expected to be completed by this fall and the facility ready for use by the end of the year.

The research space isn't meant to be a permanent home to any one department or researcher. Instead, the space is meant to be "fluid," said Dr. Wiley Nifong, an associate professor of cardiovascular sciences and director of surgical robotics at the medical school.

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