May 2010
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 Sharon Newman at 816-753-7700.
2009 Census Shows Region’s Life Sciences R&D Industry Continues to Grow
K-State isolates single modified starch granule
Moderate drinking after heart attack may have benefits
Mediware posts record revenue
St. Luke’s Hospital launches brain cancer trial
MU researchers document cell movement and behavior
Taking progestin after menopause may increase chances for breast cancer
MU gets $8.7M to study cardiovascular health
Cerner tests information exchange in Missouri
KBA approves $1.5M to finance KC area projects
KTEC invests $350K in five area companies
MU opens Mizzou Center in Blue Springs,
names director
UMKC receives grant to develop new strategy
for treating glaucoma
K-State researcher gets $1.5M for antibiotic-resistant bacteria study
Lexmark buys Perceptive Software for $280M
2009 Census Shows Region’s Life Sciences R&D Industry Continues to Grow
“Despite the economic downturn, growth in our region still occurred,” KCALSI President Dan Getman said in a May 24 press release. “The demand for health sciences innovation remains high, and we’re fortunate to have a strong presence in both the human health and animal health industries.” >> Read more >> Download the 2009 Life Sciences Industry Census
K-State isolates single modified starch granule
Researchers at Kansas State University are the first to apply microscopic chemical imaging to single modified starch granules. The breakthrough will help starch manufactures determine if the modifying agent used in the production process is uniformly distributed. The techniques used will also help other industries that deal with any other particle of material that’s microscopic in size and that suspects chemical heterogeneity.
>> Read more
Moderate drinking after heart attack may have benefits
Many studies have linked light-to-moderate drinking to a lower risk of developing heart disease. Now, new research performed by doctors at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City published in the American Journal of Cardiology , shows that moderate drinking after a heart attack also has health benefits. Researchers found that moderate drinkers, who continued their usual drinking habits after heart attack, generally had better physical function than those who quit drinking all together.
>> Read more
Mediware posts record revenue
Lenexa-based Mediware Information Systems Inc. reported an all-time high in quarterly revenue, and increased its earnings by nearly 84 percent in May. Mediware recently purchased Healthcare Automation Inc. and Advantage Reimbursement Inc., which have expanded its product lines. >> Read more
St. Luke’s Hospital launches brain cancer trial
Saint Luke’s Brain and Stroke Institute is now accepting patients for a phase 1 study to evaluate the overall safety and effectives of TVAX Immunotherapy. TVAX uses a patient’s own cancer cells to initiate an immune response against their cancer. The response is then used to harvest additional ‘killer’ cells that are delivered back into the patient to seek out and destroy cancer cells. Developed by Kansas City-area TVAX Biomedical, this treatment has the ability to find every single cancer cell in the body and selectively eliminate it without harming normal cells.
>> Read more
MU researchers document cell movement and behavior
University of Missouri researchers have used time-lapse photography to document the movements and behaviors of “satellite cells” or stem cells in the muscle that activate once a muscle is damaged or struck with disease. By understanding more about these cells, researchers hope to overcome obstacles to cell and gene therapies for people with muscular dystrophy. >> Read more
Taking progestin after menopause may increase chances for breast cancer
Researchers at the University of Missouri have shown that women who take the hormone progestin as part of hormone therapy after menopause may increase their chances for breast cancer. Researchers found that the hormone increased the number of blood vessels responsible for transporting cancer cells and increased the risk of metastasis. >> Read more
MU gets $8.7M to study cardiovascular health
The National Institutes of Health awarded the University of Missouri an $8.7 million grant to study how doctors can use the body’s tiniest blood vessels to predict future health problems. The five-year, renewable grant is one of the largest medical research grants in the university’s history. >> Read more
Cerner tests information exchange in Missouri
Cerner Corp. has teamed up with Heartland Health, a St. Joseph-based regional health system, to begin testing the Lewis and Clark Information Exchange or LACIE. LACIE facilitates the electronic flow of patient information among providers in and around northwest Missouri. It allows participating doctors to treat patients based on their latest health information including their most recent vital signs and any medications they are taking. Cerner hopes LACIE will open doors to win a government contract to manage an immunization program. >> Read more
KBA approves $1.5M to finance KC area projects
The Kansas Biosciences Authority approved more than $2.2 million in investments last month with nearly $1.5 million supporting projects in the Kansas City area. Projects receiving assistance include: PRA International’s new clinical trial facility in Lenexa, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals research on gastrointestinal tumor drugs, the University of Kansas Cancer Center’s breast cancer research, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research unit in Manhattan to accelerate the development of Rift Valley Fever diagnostic tests. >> Read more
KTEC invests $350K in five area companies
The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. has invested a total of $350,000 into area companies that show promise in helping to build the economy, create high paying jobs and generate spinoff business for other Kansas companies. The companies selected include: AthletixNation, EcoFit Lighting Inc, KCBioMedix Inc., Matrix Electronic Measuring Inc., and Nitride Solutions Inc.
>> Read more
MU opens Mizzou Center in Blue Springs,
names director
Officials with the University of Missouri launched a scaled-back version of the “Mizzou Center” May 18 and named Al Black as the director of the new facility. Located in Blue Springs, the Center will serve as a research, continuing education and community outreach facility. Officials hope it will forge a closer connection between MU research and Kansas City-area industry leaders and boost the state’s economy. >> Read more
UMKC receives grant to develop new strategy for treating glaucoma
The American Health Assistance Foundation awarded the University of Missouri-Kansas City Vision Research Center a $100,000 grant over two years to further develop an approach that uses a self-defense mechanism of the eye to protect against glaucoma damage. >> Read more
K-State researcher gets $1.5M for antibiotic-resistant bacteria study
The National Institutes of Health awarded Kansas State University’s Lynn Hancock, assistant professor in the Division of Biology, a nearly $1.5 million grant for the next five years to investigate antibiotic resistance or enterococci, a type of bacteria commonly found in hospitals. Enterococci are responsible for 10-12 percent of hospital-acquired infections that doctors are running out of therapeutic options to treat. >> Read more
Lexmark buys Perceptive Software for $280M
Lexmark International Inc., will purchase Shawnee-based Perceptive Software for $280 million. Lexmark hopes that by acquiring Perceptive it can break into new markets. Perceptive will keep its name and remain a stand-alone entity. >> Read more
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