KCALSI Annual Dinner Registration open, keynote speaker announced
Participate in the KCALSI’s Annual Dinner Translational Research: Bridging Science & Healthcare on Wednesday evening, April 16, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. This is the premier life sciences event attended by more than 800 civic and business leaders, researchers, educators, and physicians.
The pharmaceutical industry impacts many aspects of the life sciences. ‘Translational Research’ creates the connection between discoveries of basic science to the treatment of patients who eventually benefit from those discoveries. KCALSI works with life sciences researchers at every stage of this cycle of science and life, helping to provide a higher quality of life for our citizens. Hear keynote speaker Kenneth I. Kaitin, PhD, Director of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development and Associate Professor of Medicine Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Kaitin is an internationally recognized expert on the science of drug development and publishes extensively on factors contributing to the slow pace and high cost of pharmaceutical R&D. Sponsorships, tables and individual tickets are available online.
RFPs released for KCALSI’s Comparative Medicine Grant Program and Teva Neuroscience Research Awards
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute released the requests for proposals for both the 2008 Teva Neuroscience Research Grants and the Comparative Medicine Research Grants. These RFPs serve to stimulate the development and submission of major research proposals.
The Neuroscience award letters of intent are due by March 14. Full application must be received by 5:00 p.m., on April 11, 2008. We welcome your submittal. More info
The Comparative Medicine award letters of intent are due by April 4. Full application must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 2. Submission instructions are provided online.
UMKC Professor’s research on fungi
makes Nature cover
Alex Idnurm, assistant professor at UMKC’s school of Biological Sciences, is researching how fungi diversify. His research was the cover story of Nature magazine (Jan 10, 2008) and has the potential not only to help agribusiness but to fill some gaps in the evolutionary chain leading to sex in both fungi and animals. Because of the parallels between fungal and human genetics, understanding how fungi reproduce can lead to a more complete understanding of basic biology and genetic behaviors in man. More info
KU Hospital investigates vaccine for staph infections for heart patients
Steven Owens, MD, a cardiologist at The University of Kansas Hospital, is leading a clinical trial investigating a vaccine for preventing staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in patients undergoing open heart surgery. KU Hospital is one of 80 centers worldwide participating in this landmark study by Merck Co. in which approximately 5,700 patients are expected to enroll over 12 months. Patients who are at least 18 years old and undergoing open heart surgery and who have their surgery scheduled at least 2 weeks from the vaccination date are eligible for the study. For more information, contact Bob Hallinan at 913-588-5246.
K-State expert helps address pig disease in China
Since 2006, China's pig population has been devastated by Blue Ear/High-Fever Disease resulting in the deaths of millions of pigs. Dick Hesse, K-State's director of diagnostic virology, was part of a team making a two-week visit to China to help Chinese scientists diagnose the disease and to assist with the technology and techniques to understand and control the disease. Real-time PCR-polymerase chain reaction assays developed at Tetracore and K-State were used to look for and provide rapid laboratory diagnosis of likely viral agents.
The team suggested several biosecurity control mechanisms to hinder the spread of disease in China. They also made several suggestions to enhance U.S. biosecurity. Relationships with Chinese scientists were also established and are expected to lead to exchange opportunities for students and faculty at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine. Trip sponsors were the National Pork Board, American Association of Swine Veterinarians and Tetracore Inc. For more information, contact Cheryl May at 785-532-6415.
Minimally invasive surgery holds more promise, MU surgeon finds
For the past several years, physicians have used two different procedures to address Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of the human skull. One procedure was to make an incision from ear to ear, strip back the scalp of the infant and reshape the skull by breaking the bones that had fused. The other procedure required a small incision near the point of the fused skull plates. Now, the first long-term study by a researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that the minimally invasive technique is just as effective and results in a quicker recovery time than the old technique. The study followed 78 patients who had the procedure in the last 10 years. Preliminary findings of the pilot study indicated the children were developing correctly and had good facial features. Usiakimi Igbaseimokumo, assistant professor of neurosurgery, who presented his preliminary findings at a recent meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, will expand his study for another five to 10 years, watching the children’s neurological and psychological development, assessing their school reports and examining social and genetic background. For more information, contact Christian Basi at 573-882-4430.
Stowers’ Trainor Lab characterizes gene essential for pre-natal development of nervous system
The Stowers Institute’s Trainor Lab has demonstrated the role of a gene important to the embryonic development of the nervous system, a process that requires coordination of differentiation of immature neural cells with the cycle of cell division that increases their numbers. Until now, the mechanisms regulating these distinct cellular activities have been poorly understood. The findings were published in the Feb. 15 issue of Development.
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Annual Governors’ Summit held, cites life sciences advancement
The Annual Governors’ Summit drew about 200 people to hear MO Gov. Matt Blunt and KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and other dignitaries, including Dr. Bill Neaves, CEO, Stowers Institute for Medical Research; Dr. Roy Jensen, Director, KU Cancer Center; Bob Berkebile, principal at BNIM Architects; and John Bluford, CEO, Truman Medical Centers Inc. Topics discussed included life sciences advances, health care accessibility, and higher education’s role in economic development. Dr. Neaves reported that the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, “sees both its immediate and long-term future solidly in Kansas City.” Dr. Jensen said the KU Cancer Center goal is to become the nation’s top generator of new cancer drugs.
UMKC’s Mitra nets HIH grant for HIV treatment
UMKC’s Ashim K. Mitra, Ph.D., Curators’ Professor of Pharmacy and Chairman of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vice-Provost for Interdisciplinary Research has received a new NIH grant for $1,490,000 from NIH for a project titled: “Protease Inhibitor Analogues for Enhanced Transport Across Blood-Brain Interfaces.” Currently available anti-HIV agents particularly protease inhibitors poorly permeate from blood to brain resulting in sub therapeutic drug levels. A new approach has been developed in Dr. Mitra’s laboratory by which peptide derivatives of these agents readily cross the blood-brain interfaces and rapidly regenerate the active drug at the virus infected cells in the brain tissue. As a result, the anti-HIV effects of the drugs are significantly enhanced such that HIV virus can be completely eradicated from this sanctuary site.
Leading KU neurological researcher receives
seven-year NIH grant
Randolph J. Nudo, PhD, director for the Landon Center on Aging and professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, has been awarded the prestigious Javits Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health for his research that focuses on understanding how the brain repairs itself after injury. The award will allow him to extend his five-year motor cortex grant to seven years.
Dr. Nudo was chosen for the extension and award because his grant application had a quality ranking in the top 0.2 percent of those received for neurological research by the NIH, and because he has a distinguished record of substantial contributions to the field as well as published work in numerous high-profile journals. The grant was named after Sen. Jacob K. Javits of New York, who was a major proponent of neurological research. For more information, contact Bob Hallinan at 913-588-5246.
Stowers Institute scientist receives PKD Foundation Research Grant
The Kansas City-based PKD Foundation has announced plans to fund approximately $4 million in PKD research this year. Among those projects is a grant of $150,000 over two years awarded to Xiaogang Li, Ph.D., a Senior Research Associate in the Rong Li Lab at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Xiaogang Li will study the role of a number of enzymes, called histone deacetylases (HDACs). HDACs play a role in cell cycle regulation and in the formation and breakdown of cilia — tail-like projections that extend outwards from cells in the renal tubule. Mutations affecting the function of cilia cause PKD. For more information, contact Marie Jennings at 816-926-4015.
New KUMC Internal Medicine Department Chair named
Steven Stites, MD, has been named chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, the largest department at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Stites has served as interim chair since July 1, 2007. As chair, Stites also assumes the Peter T. Bohan endowed professorship. More information may be found online or contact Bob Hallinan at 913-588-5246.
Biocontainment lab professionals learn latest techniques at K-State’s BRI
Those in charge of making sure the Midwest's biocontainment labs are run safely will soon be trained at Kansas State University's BRI -- Biosecurity Research Institute.
The National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program's operations and maintenance curriculum held March 3-7 at the BRI. This training is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Midwest Regional Center for Excellence is a research and educational consortium of institutions from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Cleveland, Ohio. This is the first time this training will be offered at the BRI. The BRI is the only research and training facility in the U.S. that can accommodate veterinary medicine, plant pathology, food safety, entomology and molecular biology research under one roof, allowing for more comprehensive research on the threats to the nation's food supply. For more information, contact Cheryl May at 785-532-6415.
KU pharmacology professor wins national award for pioneering research
The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics will honor Dr. Curtis Klaassen, University Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics at KU Medical Center, with the 2008 Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism, recognizing important research achievements in that field. Dr. Klaassen will receive the biennial award for his pioneering work in drug uptake, drug metabolism, and drug excretion by the liver.
The award recognizes not just Dr. Klaassen’s contributions to drug development and its accompanying fields, but also to environmental concerns. Dr. Klaassen has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles, and is a frequently cited author in his field. The award will be presented on April 5 at the ASPET annual meeting in San Diego. For more information, contact Bob Hallinan at 913-588-5246.
Stowers Institute to locate support facility in south KC
Stowers Institute for Medical Research announced the 280,000 square foot commercial/industrial complex expansion in south Kansas City, Missouri, to house support functions and storage facilities. The complex will also headquarter BioMed Valley Discoveries, a for-profit translational R&D organization, whose mission is to develop basic biomedical discoveries into applications to improve human health.
The property consists of nearly 15 acres at 8333 Hickman Mills Road, previously owned and operated by Aventis/Sanofi. Renovation is scheduled to begin within 60 days and to be completed in early 2009.
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