JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology inaugurated the Technion Integrated Cancer Center, a hub for global cancer research.

The center opened this week, which Technion in a statement called the first of its kind for global cancer research, will according to University officials expedite the discovery of new diagnostic tools and treatments through a collaborative “bench-to-bedside” approach.

“Conquering cancer is one of the global community’s most pressing challenges, and it requires an interdisciplinaryapproach,” said Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie.

“We need the collaboration between basic scientists, biochemists, cell biologists, computer scientists and experts in microscopy and imaging. We need the engineers, and we need the clinicians—and they are all at the Technion,” he said.

In addition to serving as a hub for multiple fields of research, the center also will serve as a nexus for the Technion’s five affiliated hospitals that run clinical trials.