SEPTEMBER 2008
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute provides this news brief for civic, corporate, political and scientific leaders to update you on the progress of the life sciences initiative in the Kansas City area. To unsubscribe, please contact Terri Bogina at 816-753-7700.
NIH awards KU $20.2 million to establish
KU Chemistry Center
The National Institutes of Health have awarded a six-year, $20.2 million research award to establish a Specialized Chemistry Center at KU for a research team led by Jeff Aubé, professor of medicinal chemistry. The award to KU is part of a new NIH Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network, which will be established at nine institutions throughout the United States. The grant is the largest federal research award ever made in Kansas.
Under the new award, KU expects to add 15 to 20 new grant-funded positions, in addition to expanding its compound purification systems and purchasing other specialized equipment.
>> More info
KBA announces $52 million investment in 2009
Kansas Bioscience Authority announced its 2009 budget will include a total of $52 million in new investments during the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2009. The investments will be used to expand life sciences research, foster the formation and growth of startup businesses, and otherwise facilitate expansion of the industry statewide. Specifically:
- $5 million to the Kansas Cancer Research and Treatment to stimulate high-quality cancer research, treatment and care throughout Kansas.
- $15 million for the Kansas Bioscience Centers of Innovation to develop novel centers to further assert the state’s international leadership in bioscience clusters such as animal health and drug delivery.
- $ 6.75 million for the Kansas Bioscience Eminent Scholars and Rising Stars to enhance the national eminence of bioscience research programs at Kansas universities.
- $4 million for Kansas Venture Capital Program and the Seed and Early Stage Fund for bioscience startups in Kansas.
- $575,000 for the Heartland BioVentures to to foster the formation and growth of bioscience startups statewide.
KCALSI Research Development Grant Awardee
nets $1.6 million VA grant
Dr. Sushanta Banerjee, a 2007 recipient of a KCALSI Research Development grant, has been awarded $1,063,024 for 4 years by the Veteran’s Administration to determine the role of CCN5/WISP-2 signaling molecule in the development of invasive breast cancer. The research will reveal novel targets and pathways that can be used to identify effective therapeutic reagents to battle advanced breast cancer. Dr. Banerjee is a Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, and Research Director, Cancer Research, VA Medical Center. KCALSI Research Development Grants routinely average an 8:1 return—garnering $8 in federal research funds for every dollar invested by KCALSI.
>> For more information, contact Dr. Sushanta Banerjee or visit the Cancer Research Unit website
Stowers’ Conway Lab IDs mechanism
for Regulation of Gene Expression
The Stowers Institute’s Conaway Lab has demonstrated that an enzyme called Uch37 is kept in check when it is part of a human chromatin remodeling complex, INO80. The results were published in the September 26 issue of Molecular Cell.
Uch37 is a “deubiquitinating enzyme” that can remove protein tags (called ubiquitin) from other proteins. The presence of one kind of ubiquitin tag on a protein can mark it for destruction, but others serve as marks to affect the activity of a protein. INO80 is a chromatin remodeling complex that is believed to function in both gene regulation and DNA repair by “unpacking” DNA from nucleosomes to allow access to chromosomal DNA.
The ultimate goal of the Conaway Lab is to understand how genes are turned on and off during transcription and how regulation of chromatin structure contributes to this process. Proper gene regulation is key for normal development and functioning of all organisms, including humans. Misregulation of gene expression can contribute to many diseases.
>> For more information, contact Marie Jennings.
UMKC announces research awards
from DOD, NIH, NSF
Kun Cheng, Assistant Professor in the UMKC School of Pharmacy, was awarded $109,086 from the Department of Defense, for a project entitled "Targeting the I-kappa-B Kinase Epsilon (IKK) for Breast Cancer Therapy." Intensive efforts are underway to develop therapeutics for the treatment of breast cancer. Among all approaches, gene therapy is one of the most promising strategies due to the fact that genomic instability is the hallmark of cancer development. Dr. Cheng’s research will provide a platform to test the newest found oncogene for gene therapy against breast cancer, as well as boost the therapeutic application of RNAi technology in treating breast cancer.
Xiao-Qiang Yu, UMKC Associate Professor in the Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics in the School of Biological Sciences, was awarded $ 1,212,950, from the National Institutes of Health, for a project entitled "C-type Lectins in Innate Immune Responses of Anopheles Gambiae and Manduca Sexta." Insects must recognize pathogens before they can mount an immune response. Recognition of pathogens in insects is mediated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as C-type lectins. Dr. Yu’s research will investigate specific C-type lectins, and investigate protein interactions to yield a long-term goal of understanding pathogen recognition in vector insects.
MU researchers identify protein responsible
for blood flow
Using atomic force microscopy - a microscope with very high resolution - and isolating blood vessels outside the body, University of Missouri researchers have identified a protein that plays an important role in the control of tissue blood flow and vascular resistance. The findings will help researchers better understand vascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and other vascular problems. The cause of high blood pressure is unknown. The study “Extracellular matrix-specific focal adhesions in vascular smooth muscle produce mechanically active adhesion sties,” was published in the American Journal of Physiology Cell Physiology.
>> For more information, contact Christian Basi.
Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute selected for transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure clinical trial
Patients who are considered high-risk or non-operable for conventional open heart valve surgery now have a potential new option available only through Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. The Heart Institute is the only hospital in the region selected to participate as a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigative site in the PARTNER (Placement of AoRTic traNscathetER valves) pivotal clinical trial. The trial is evaluating the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter aortic heart valve in patients who otherwise did not have many treatment options.
Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is among one of the select sites qualified to participate in the PARTNER trial. Doctors at Saint Luke’s were chosen because of their expertise in valve replacement surgery and vast experience in interventional procedures.
>> For more information, contact Kerry O’Connor
at 816-932-8646.
Stowers’ Julia Zeitlinger selected
for NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
Julia Zeitlinger, Ph.D., Stowers’ Assistant Investigator, has been awarded a Director’s New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Zeitlinger was selected among 31 early-career scientists to receive $1.5 million over five years. The awards enable recipients to pursue exceptionally innovative approaches that could transform biomedical and behavioral science. Zeitlinger will use the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to analyze the function of chromatin in the context of gene regulatory networks during development. She hypothesizes that the way DNA is packaged and poised for transcription can predict the developmental potential of a cell. Identifying the right markers will contribute to our understanding of development and may help in predicting the course of diseases. Zeitlinger joined the Stowers Institute in September 2007 from a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Richard Young, Ph.D., in the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass. Zeitlinger is the Institute’s first honoree for the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.
>> For more information, contact Marie Jennings.
Proteon Receives FDA Fast Track Designation
for First Drug Candidate PRT–201
Proteon Therapeutics, Inc., announced t has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast track designation for the development program for PRT-201. PRT-201 is being investigated for its ability to improve vascular access in patients currently on or being prepared for hemodialysis. The fast track designation is intended to facilitate development and expedite review for drugs that treat serious diseases and fill unmet medical needs. With research facilities in Kansas City, Proteon Therapeutics, Inc., is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing novel, first-in-class pharmaceuticals to address the critical medical needs of patients with kidney and vascular diseases.
>> For more information, visit Proteon Therapeutics website or contact Steve Walker.
KCUMB’s Patrick G. Clay appointed to FDA Committee
Patrick Clay, PharmD, FCCP, CCTI, director of the Dybedal Clinical Research Center at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, has been formally appointed to the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Antiviral Advisory Committee. This three-year appointment will allow Dr. Clay to provide the FDA with independent opinions and recommendations on applications to market new drugs and on FDA policies.
>> More information on FDA Advisory Committees
K-State faculty receive Higuchi Awards
for research achievement
Two Kansas State University professors have received Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards for 2008. Christopher M. Sorensen, University Distinguished Professor of Physics, internationally known expert in particulate systems and soft condensed matter physics, was awarded the Olin Petefish Award in Basic Science. Larry J. Takemoto University Distinguished Professor of Biology was awarded the Dolph Simons Award in Biomedical Sciences for his primary research centered on the human eye, especially the role of lens proteins in the formation of cataracts.
>> For more information, contact Kevin Boatright.
John Colombo named director
of KU’s Life Span Institute
John Colombo, interim director of the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas since March 1, has been named to the position on a permanent basis. Colombo is a professor of psychology at KU and was associate director for cognitive neuroscience at the Life Span Institute since 2004. The Life Span Institute brings together leading scientists at KU in the interest of furthering our understanding of human development, aging and disabilities.
>> More info
Bayer introduces Renalzin for aging felines
Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health division introduced Renalzin, an innovative, easy-to-administer feed additive proven to support kidney function in ageing cats. The main ingredient of Renalzin is Bayer's Lantharenol (lanthanum carbonate), a phosphate binder derived from the latest research in renal failure. Renalzin will be available in Japan, Germany, the UK, Benelux and Austria starting October this year, with other European countries ready for launch over the coming months.
NSF $750,000 grant will bring science teachers
to Kansas City high schools
Through its Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently granted approximately $750,000 to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Biological Sciences and the Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) to increase the number of top-quality high school science teachers in the KCMSD. Beginning in the winter of 2009, the KC-TEACH initiative plans to enroll an inaugural group of undergraduate science students who will be paid stipends to assist in high school classrooms, learning first-hand about careers in science teaching. By 2013, the ultimate outcome for KC-TEACH is to produce 28 science teachers, recruited from both undergraduate students and career-changers, for high-need urban high schools.
>> Additional info about KC-TEACH
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
KCSourceLink Entrepreneurs Happy Hour, sponsored by KCALSI
Date: Thursday, October 9
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: 4747 Troost Avenue, Room 114, Kansas City, MO 64110
RSVP: There is no cost to attend, however, reservations are requested. Please make your reservation by October 6 by sending notice to network@kcsourcelink.com.
Health For Life
Community Forum
Date: Tuesday, October 14
Location: Sheraton Hotel, Overland Park, KS.
Info: (866) 941-3801 or csamuelson@kha-net.org
Statistical Methods for in Vitro Assays in Drug Discovery
Presented by the Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry and the Office of Therapeutics, Discovery and Development
Date: Thursday-Friday,
October 23-24
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Simons Auditorium, 2099 Constant Avenue, University of Kansas,
Lawrence, KS
Info: e-mail gwebber@ku.edu
Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership (UMKC)
Philanthropy Midwest Conference (16th Annual)
Date: November 10-11, 2008
NOTE: September 30th is the Last Day for Early Bird Savings!
Info and Registration
MWSU 4th Annual Conference on Applied Learning
Submission deadline:
October 17
Date: February 20-21, 2009
Location: Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MOMore Info
KCALSI Annual Dinner
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2009
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