Moffitt opens 250,000-square-foot cancer research center in Pasco

Photo copyright Warren Jagger, courtesy of DLR Group | Tsoi Kobus Design.

A new cancer research center opened Thursday at the Speros campus in Land O’ Lakes, adding a substantial scientific presence alongside Moffitt’s existing patient-care facilities in Pasco County.

Moffitt Cancer Center announced the October 22 opening of its Discovery and Innovation Center at 16480 Wilton Way. The 250,000-square-foot building is part of the 775-acre Speros campus.

By the end of this year, Moffitt expects the center to house about 250 faculty members, researchers, postdoctoral fellows and support staff, along with 20 faculty laboratories and 12 shared research resources. That is a projected year-end occupancy, rather than a count of new local hires announced at the opening.

The work planned there spans drug discovery, chemistry, bioengineering, cancer metabolism and tumor biology. Moffitt says cell therapies and radiopharmaceuticals will be among its research priorities.

For Pasco residents watching the campus develop, the opening marks another stage in its growth: a dedicated research facility next to the Speros Outpatient Center and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Proton Center. Those neighboring facilities provide clinical care; the newly opened building is focused on scientific research.

Moffitt also plans space for FORGE, an incubator for early-stage biotechnology companies developed with Speros and Embarc Collective. According to the opening announcement, that project remains in the design phase and is expected to open in early 2028.

The research center’s flexible laboratories and shared work areas are intended to help scientists from different disciplines collaborate as the campus expands.