The laboratory was dedicated on September 5, 1985, to Dr. Joseph Sambrook, who directed the research at James Laboratory for 16 years beginning in 1969, a time that came to be known as the Sambrook era. His important and influential work on DNA tumor viruses gained long-term program support for CSHL from the National Cancer Institute. In 1972, as a result of Dr. Sambrook's efforts, CSHL received a $1 million Cancer Center grant created as part of the NIH War on Cancer program. With two renewals over the next ten years, the 1985 CSHL Annual Report describes this support as "the backbone of our cancer effort here."

Dr. Sambrook was also proudly recognized for his ability to organize an extraordinarily talented group of young scientists who made the Laboratory a major, internationally recognized site for research on DNA tumor viruses. The dedication ceremony took place appropriately during the meeting, "DNA Tumor Viruses: Gene Expression and Replication," where 300 scientists, including Mike Botchan and Renato Dulbecco, returned to honor Dr. Sambrook.