DALLAS-After a year of negotiations, the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School has signed a five-year lease to roll out a new initiative, a Cytogenetics laboratory.

The wet lab will come on line Jan. 1 in 7,600 sf at Research Row Biolabs at 2110 Research Row, Jason Moser of the Certus Group tells GlobeSt.com. In early 2001, the Certus Group bought the 75,000-sf structure and tailored the space for medical use in a plan to always latch onto some UT tenants. The new deal boosts occupancy to 85%.

The UT lab joins Carter BloodCare, Mediware Information Systems, US Oncology and eXegenics Inc. Moser says he talking to other prospects, but it's all preliminary at this stage for the Medical District property located at the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Research Row. Sherri Kuykendahl of Graham Investments brokered for the university while Moser handled Certus' side of the talks.

Two other Dallas-area building owners cop renewals for office space that's far less specific than the medical district property. Shelton Communications re-upped for 9,402 sf at Lincoln Centre in North Dallas while National Computer Co. re-signed for 1,500 sf at Capital Tech Center in Carrollton.

John Shaunfield of Dallas-based Mohr Partners represented Shelton Communications, a four-year tenant while Don Bingaman of Lincoln Property Co., also Dallas headquartered, structured the terms for the building owner. Brett French of Property Advisers Realty Inc. of Irving brokered the deal for National Computer, a six-year tenant and one of two Dallas-Fort Worth offices.