Researchers at UTRGV are trying to find answers as to why some diseases are so common in South Texas, and a new lab will help them.

On Monday, UTRGV held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the UTRGV School of Medicine Center for Human Genetics Building at the Brownsville campus. 

The 17,246-square-foot facility was funded by a grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation and support from the UT System Permanent University Fund, according to a news release from the university.

The genetics lab will house scientists researching questions affecting people's physical and mental health. They’ve identified several diseases that are happening at high rates in the Rio Grande Valley, and they want to use genetic research in the new lab to try to figure out what's going on with those diseases.

According to a news release from the university, the scientists hope to address major public health issues in the Rio Grande Valley like diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s and depression.

Dr. Jacob Galan with the department of human genetics is overseeing students at the center. He’s working to establish the link between pollutants, and vulnerabilities in our genome.

“Right now in the Rio Grande Valley, we are seeing the highest rates nationally for Alzheimer’s, for liver cancer, for breast cancer, cervical cancer, depression, related dementias, psychiatric disorders,” Galan said. “The state of Texas and the nation doesn't know why this is happening here in the Rio Grande Valley."

UTRGV says genetics will help the university establish itself as a research institution, and bring in more funding.

Watch the video above for the full story.