To expand medical laboratory testing in Southern Nevada, the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corp. (NHBC) with University Medical Center, the City of Las Vegas, and the State of Nevada are opening the NHBC Academic Laboratory in early 2027, according to a Las Vegas Sun article by Grace Da Rocha.

The facility will be two stories and total 34,000 square feet. The first floor will host an on-site blood donor center. Patients will also be able to get their blood drawn there. This will help fill a gap in blood testing result turnaround time.

The second floor will be dedicated to microbiology and virology, a highly secure bioscience laboratory for tuberculosis testing, stem cell processing, drug confirmation testing, molecular diagnostics, and academic training areas, according to Da Rocha. The laboratory for high-complexity substance abuse testing will be the first facility of its kind to be approved by SAMHSA in Nevada.

Da Rocha noted that the University of Nevada Las Vegas Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine students will also benefit from the new laboratory, gaining additional training and experience. Construction of the laboratory was funded by grants from the state of Nevada American Rescue Plan Act and the city of Las Vegas general fund totaling $44 million. The new facility is estimated to save Nevada more than $5 million annually.