Construction has started for a new three-storey lung restoration center on the Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus.

The clinic is partnering with United Therapeutics to develop technology that can sustain and rejuvenate lungs, making previously marginal lungs suitable for transplantation. The rejuvenation technology could triple the number of lungs suitable for transplant, solving the serious transplantation wait list problem.

The project has been designed by the EwingCole architecture, engineering and design firm, with participation from Prosser. The general contractor is Whiting-Turner.

The lung restoration center is scheduled to open in 2017. Published reports do not provide details about the project’s dollar value.