University at Buffalo Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute

Research ServicesNew York, United States51-200 Employees

The University at Buffalo Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute is dedicated to studying the foundations of disease, developing cures for tomorrow.

Our research into the fundamental biological processes informs the scientific community. We are supported by Federal Research grants, private foundations, and enlightened individuals that recognize the role of scientific research in creating the next generation of medicine.

Founded in 1956 it has housed researchers dedicated to studying the foundations of disease, looking at biology on the same scale as pharmaceuticals. We have a rich history of innovation, discovery, and education, and are a founder institute of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. 

The Institute has been part of Buffalo and the scientific world for 60 years. It began in a carriage house. Dr. George F. Koepf was driven by a fascination with the human body’s glands and the hormones they produce. Through the financial support of Helen Woodward Rivas, the carriage house of a Delaware Avenue mansion opened the Medical Foundation of Buffalo. Founded in 1956, the staff included Dr. Koepf and just two colleagues. After plans to expand, expedited by a devastating fire, the foundation moved to a new research facility at 73 High Street in 1963. The focus of the foundation began to shift toward crystallography, which put it on track for international recognition. In 1985, Dr. Herbert A. Hauptman became the first mathematician to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Hauptman discovered new mathematical methods for analyzing crystallographic diffraction data. These techniques have since been used throughout the world to study thousands of molecules whose structures were previously inaccessible. In recognition of Dr. Hauptman’s achievement and to honor the generosity of Helen Woodward Rivas, the foundation was renamed the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in 1994.

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