KCALSI Annual Dinner successful
On behalf of the KCALSI Board of Directors, thank you to all who sponsored and supported the 2008 Annual Dinner on April 16. Serenaded by David Basse Band and emceed by KCALSI Chairman of the Board of Directors, Irv Hockaday, more than 700 people joined in the celebration. Dr. Bill Duncan recapped some of the many highlights from the past year. Keynote Ken Kaitin, PhD, Director of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development and a national expert on the pharmaceutical industry spoke on the state of that industry as a whole and the region’s position in the market place. Platinum Sponsors included Bayer Animal Health and Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. > View a complete listing of sponsors
K-State researcher uses genetic engineering
against deadly cattle disease
K-State professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, Shafiqul Chowdhury has been awarded a $725,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture to build a better vaccine against bovine herpes virus-type 1. Bovine herpes is the initiator of bovine respiratory disease complex, which is made up of several viruses and subsequent infections that make cattle sick. Traditional beef producers lose more than half a billion dollars a year to bovine respiratory disease complex. Chowdhury also is working with Fort Dodge Animal Health on vaccine development. Ideally, the new vaccine will employ a genetic marker so vaccinated animals can easily be distinguished from sick ones and also provide animals with better immunity. For more information, contact Cheryl May at 785-532-6415.
Stowers’ Yu Lab offers insight into
sensory neural processes
Working with a newly-developed line of transgenic mice that expresses the genetic calcium indicator G-CaMP2, the Stowers Institute’s Yu Lab has published the results of large-scale imaging experiments examining how social signals are represented in the sensory system. The team monitored neural activity in the vomeronasal organ (VNO), a sensory organ found in many vertebrate animals that detects pheromones.
The team’s discovery shows that neurons encode information about the identity of animals in very specific ways. This is believed to be the first study of VNO activation by natural pheromones at the systems level. The findings, which shed light on how animals identify one another, were published in the April 25 issue of Science. For more information, contact Marie Jennings at 816-926-4015.
Upgrade to K-State’s research reactor
expands research potential
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved an upgrade to the output of K-State's TRIGA reactor from 250 kilowatts to 1.25 Megawatts. The upgrade will make the nuclear reactor the fifth highest-powered university reactor in the country and will expand the possibilities for researchers who work in areas like radiation detector testing, radiography and trace element analysis. The reactor's primary function is for the generation of neutrons for experiments. University researchers use the reactor for diverse projects, from developing bomb-detection equipment that will aid in homeland security and testing new types of radiation detectors developed by the K-State SMART laboratories, to analyzing the chemical composition of Stone Age tools. Podcasts, photos and other information about K-State's research reactor and nuclear engineering program are available online.
New organizational structure will enhance
KU research commercialization
Effective July 1, separate technology transfer offices at KU’s Lawrence and medical center campuses will combine to form a new KU Center for Technology Commercialization. The goal is to move the results of KU research into the marketplace, benefiting society while enhancing economic development in Kansas and the region. Currently, 17 companies active in Kansas originated with KU research. In addition, the university has 91 licensing agreements with companies that use KU patents. Royalty revenue generated by licensing is used by the university to support more research. Local companies that started with KU research include KC BioMediX, Cadstone, CritiTech, CyDex, eLearning Creations, Flint Hills Scientific and XenoTech. Some of the companies produce medical devices or enhanced drug delivery solutions. Others involve educational materials or computer software. For more information, contact Kevin Boatright at 785-864-7240. > Learn more
UMKC announces Missouri Life Science
Research Grant recipients
Researchers at UMKC have been awarded Missouri Life Sciences Research grants.
Ashim K. Mitra, Ph.D., Curators’ Professor of Pharmacy and Chairman of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vice-Provost for Interdisciplinary Research was awarded $312,273, for “Novel Therapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Eye Diseases in Animals.” This research will advance the current veterinary eye treatments, as well as serve as a platform for future animal research.
Jakob H. Waterborg, Ph.D., Associate Professor, was awarded $318,624, for "Ustilago H3 histones." The plant smut Ustilago, an agricultural pathogen, is used as a simple model fungus to study the effect of structural changes in the highly conserved proteins that package DNA. This research will develop a biological tool to analyze the function of the same proteins in plants and animals and will reveal new fundamental facts that control gene expression for use in agriculture and human health.
Julia Chekanova, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, was awarded $558,020, for a project titled: "Ultrahigh-throughput sequence profiling of small RNA." Dr. Chekanova’s research will combine the attractive features of Brachypodium with revolutionary new technology of ultradeep sequencing and expertise in plant RNA biology to benefit the agriculture and bioenergy industry.
David J. Eick, M.S., Ph.D., Curators’ Professor, was awarded $786,998 for "Bone Fracture Repair in Animals Using a New Bone Cement." Eick’s creation of a new, improved bone cement which induces bone growth and blood vessel formation, should lead to potential commercialization of products.
Brian Geisbrecht, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, was awarded $675,000 for "Evaluation of Candidate Diagnostic and Drug Targets." Johne’s disease, prevalent in livestock worldwide, is caused by an environment Mycobacterium, known as MAP, which is a related to the causative agent of human Tuberculosis. Dr. Geisbrecht’s research will examine immunological biomarkers which will translate into affordable diagnostics for Johne’s disease. For more information, contact John R. Baumann, Ph.D. at baumannj@umkc.edu
KU establishes autism research center
The University of Kansas has established The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training, or K-CART, a new bi-campus autism research center supported by a combination of public and private funding. K-CART will be a multidisciplinary center that promotes research and training on the causes, nature and management of autism spectrum disorders. Since K-CART was launched as an exploratory effort in February 2007, the initiative has drawn more than 40 faculty members from across KU, KU Medical Center and other KU research groups -- all with research interests and clinical practice in autism spectrum disorders in cognitive neuroscience; psychiatry; behavioral, clinical and developmental psychology; special education; occupational and speech therapy; and other fields. Affiliated K-CART researchers have 28 recent and current grants related to autism spectrum disorders with annual funding of $9.3 million. > Learn more
Children’s Mercy Blood and Marrow Transplant Program earns national accreditation
The Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics Blood and Marrow Transplant Program has been awarded accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). FACT's accreditation is a three-year renewal effective through April 2011. To attain this recognition, a transplant program must document compliance with rigorous FACT Standards and undergo an on-site inspection of the facility, staff, policies and procedures. For more information, contact Jessica Salazar at 816-346-1346.
KU Cancer Center receives $2 million
endowed professorship
The University of Kansas Cancer Center received $2 million from the Morris Family Foundation to establish the Mark and Bette Morris Family Chair in Cancer Prevention, which will support a physician scientist specializing in breast cancer prevention. The gift was given by Bette Morris in honor of her late husband, Topeka veterinarian Mark Morris Jr. The Kansas Masonic Foundation was established in 1966 to expand Masonic philanthropy in the fields of charitable, educational and scientific programs. For more information, contact Erica Brown at 913-544-5634. > Learn more
KBA announces placement of another
Eminent Scholar top
Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) will provide nearly $1 million for the support of the state’s latest Eminent Scholar, Dr. Paul Wooley, a research specialist in biomedical engineering. The KBA’s $911,000 gift to Via Christi Research and Wichita State University to attract Wooley will help lead an initiative in Wichita using high-tech materials in new medical devices such as artificial knee and hip implants. Wooley comes from Wayne State University where he was involved in advance research projects and had faculty positions in orthopedic surgery, biomedical engineering, and medicine. He is the third Eminent Scholar recruited by Kansas with the aid of the bioscience authority. KBA is a $581 million initiative created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to expand the state’s world-class research capacity and bioscience clusters, support the growth of bioscience startups, and stimulate bioscience business expansion and attraction.
Bayer’s Ohle tapped by KS Gov. Sebelius
to co-chair Consortium
Joerg Ohle, president and general manager of Bayer Animal Health has accepted an invitation by Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to co-chair the Kansas Innovation Consortium, a new initiative aimed at stimulating economic growth in Kansas through education and innovation. In his role, Ohle will work to develop policies and programs that accelerate research and development investments across several high-tech industry clusters, including: aerospace; animal, plant and life sciences; biofuels. For more information, contact Bob Walker at 913-268-2577.
U.K. food industry veteran joins IdentiGEN
IdentiGEN has hired Audrey Dunbar as Director of Sales for the United Kingdom (UK). Dunbar brings to IdentiGEN more than 20 years' experience in consumer product sales, marketing and brand development. He was most recently Head of Branding for Grampian Country Food Group, one of the UK’s leading producers of chicken, pork, beef and lamb products for the retail and food service markets. IdentiGEN's proprietary meat identification and traceability system, called DNA TraceBack®, is currently used by European retailers to verify fresh meat origins and product claims. The company established subsidiary, IdentiGEN North America, in 2007, with offices and a high-technology laboratory in Lawrence, Kansas. For more information, contact Michele Wells at 303-417-0696.
Imulan BioTherapeutics to launch
combination feline treatment
Imulan BioTherapeutics announced the launch of Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator (LTCI), a treatment for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The company says LTCI is the first and only approved treatment in the US for the two viruses. It is manufactured by T-Cyte Therapeutics, and has a conditional approval from the USDA's Center for Veterinary Biologics.
National Science Board bestows Bayer
with Public Service Award
The National Science Board (NAB) announced its 2008 Public Service Award Winners, which include the Bayer Corporation. Bayer was honored “for its long-standing and exemplary commitment to science public outreach, science education and science policy—for fostering public science literacy and contributing to the development of a diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics pipeline of students and future innovators.” Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense program, established in 1995 is a company-wide initiative that advances science literacy across the US through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism, and public education. It is one of more than 300 corporate social responsibility programs supported by Bayer worldwide. NSB will honor the awardees at a ceremony on May 6 in Washington, D.C.
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