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November 2011

James E. Clyburn research center

Research INKlings RESEARCH INKLINGS IS AN ON-LINE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROVIDING RESEARCH NEWS, POLICY CHANGES AND OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR MUSC FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS.

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The grand opening of Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) James E. Clyburn Research Center – Drug Discovery Building and the Bioengineering Building – was held on October 21, 2011. Much more than two state-of-the-art buildings, the Clyburn Research Center provides a collaborative research environment unlike any other in the state and reflects a new approach to biomedical investigation in which people from different backgrounds, disciplines, institutions work together to solve our most vexing health problems. The research and educational complex is being named in honor of Congressman James E. Clyburn, in acknowledgment for his longstanding leadership, dedication, and passion for improving healthcare in South Carolina and the nation, and for his support of the MUSC. Dr. Stephen M. Lanier, Associate Provost for Research at MUSC, stated, “science is moving more quickly today than ever before. The equipment is more advanced, the resources are more robust, and as a result the information is coming in much faster and from

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more directions. You have to collaborate just to process the information.” The background of these two buildings can be traced to the SmartState™ Centers of Economic Excellence endowed chairs program. In 2004, South Carolina General Assembly passed the Research University Infrastructure Act legislation authorizing funds to make these facilities possible. By matching this state investment with other sources of funding, particularly federal awards, MUSC was able to plan, design and construct these facilities. At least eight of the 20 endowed chairs recruited to MUSC will occupy laboratories in the new buildings. President of MUSC Dr. Ray Greenberg said, “the Clyburn Research Center puts the state in a stronger position to recruit more world-class researchers. Having a brand new facility sends a powerful message to prospective faculty and business partners about the university’s commitment to translational research.” “And it’s not just about the growth of MUSC,” he added, “stronger collaboration among the research universities will make the entire state more competitive in attracting outstanding investigators. As that

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happens, I think we will see the emergence of new opportunities in economic development.” This research and education complex will open doors to private industry, helping to speed the process of technology transfer and intellectual property commercialization. Fundamentally creating a place where the state’s best minds in math, science, engineering, industry and medicine can coordinate their work in a way that dramatically accelerates the rate at which they can collect, interpret and apply new information. “Technologies that come out of these buildings will fundamentally change our ability to deliver care, remove geography and diminish economics as a barrier to state-of-the-art care,” said Greenberg. Taken collectively, these advantages place the university in a stronger position to fulfill its mission as an academic medical center.

For more information on the Clyburn Research Center, please contact MUSC’s Associate Provost for Research at (843) 792-4333.

Research Inklings

Look inside these buildings

Drug Discovery Building 1st Floor • Drug Discovery Auditorium • 297-seat conference room • College of Pharmacy-Pharmacy Practice Lab • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core 2nd Floor • Neurosciences Research Laboratories • Structural Biology Research Laboratories • Cancer Drug Discovery SmartState Center 3rd Floor • Hollings Cancer Center Research Labs 4th Floor • Drug Discovery Research Laboratories • Drug Design and Synthesis Laboratories • Drug Metabolism & Clinical Pharmacology

Core • Pharmacology Research Laboratories • Cancer Drug Discovery SmartState Center • Translational Cancer Therapeutics SmartState

Center 5th Floor • Organ Biology: Drug Discovery & Disease

models • Cell Death, Injury & Regeneration • Cell & Molecular Imaging Core • Renal Biology Research Laboratory • Neurosciences Research Laboratory • Drug Discovery SmartState Center   Bioengineering Building 1st Floor • College of Graduate Studies • South Carolina Bioengineering Alliance • Foundation for Research Development • Hollings Cancer Center Cancer Prevention &

Control • Cancer Disparities • 171seat conference center/70 seat classroom • Bioengineering machine shop 2nd Floor • Center for Biomedical Imaging • Clemson-MUSC Biomedical Engineering • Neurosciences Research Laboratory • Brain Imaging SmartState Center 3rd Floor • Clemson-MUSC Orthopedic Engineering • Clemson-MUSC Biomedical Engineering • Regenerative Medicine SmartState Center 4th Floor • Hollings Cancer Center Research Labs • Biorepository • Cancer Genomics Program

Drug Discovery SmartState Endowed Chairs

Dr. John J. Lemasters GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Endowed Chair A pioneer of techniques that allow scientists to see what happens inside an individual cell during reoxygenation—the restoration of oxygen to an organ following oxygen deprivation, which sometimes occurs following a heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Charles D. Smith Charles & Carol Cooper Endowed Chair in Pharmacy He designs new drugs to fight cancer by unlocking molecular mechanisms important for tumor growth. His research could enable the development of new drugs to fight a variety of inflammatory diseases.    

Dr. Kenneth Tew John C. West Endowed Chair in Cancer Research Dr. Tew is leader in cancer drug discovery and development. One drug he is working to develop shows promise in treating ovarian and lung cancer, and another has potential as a modifier of bone marrow mediated immune function.

Dr. Patrick Woster Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry He serves as one of the nation’s leading cancer drug researchers and is working to develop drugs that turn specific genes on or off in tumor cells, a process known as epigenetic modulation that can make anti-tumor medications more effective.

Research Inklings

Creating Wow!

in Life Sciences Join entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry leaders from the 600 businesses in life sciences from South Carolina and surroundings areas to attend the Creating Wow! in Life Science Conference scheduled for November 9-10, 2011 in Charleston.

Featured Speakers

§ James Greenwood, President of BIO, the world’s largest biotechnology industry organization, will discuss how life sciences will help create jobs and cut deficits through curing disease and innovation.

§ Frank M. Torti, MD, former chief

scientist and head of the Food and Drug Administration, will discuss regulatory issues in innovation.

§ Joseph Hammang, senior director

for worldwide science policy for Pfizer, the largest research based pharmaceutical company in the world, will outline the “Road Ahead in Biotech, Promise and Peril.”

§ Scott Styles, senior vice president

for America’s Health Insurance Plans, will give the political roadmap ahead on Congress and health care.

All the sessions will be at the historic Mills House Hotel and Hibernian Hall in downtown Charleston. For more information and to register for the conference visit www.scbio.org.

Center for Oral Health Research Membership The Center for Oral Health Research (COHR) is inviting faculty, fellows, and students to become members of the Center. Requirements for COHR faculty membership include evidence of oral health or oral pathobiology-related research and/or clinical interests and active participation in a Center research program. COHR members privileges include facility usage fees, partially subsidized with Center and institutional funds and participation in all aspects of the COHR Enrichment Programs. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the website or contact Dr. Courtney Haycraft (haycraft@musc.edu) for more information.

Bioengineering SmartState Endowed Chairs

Dr. Joseph Helpern Endowed Chair in Brain Imaging Dr. Helpern is leading a new biomedical imaging initiative at MUSC while continuing his personal research activities, which focuses mainly on using magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and stroke.

Dr. Martin Morad BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Health Dr. Morad is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of cardiac electrophysiology and calcium signaling, specifically in the area of calcium-binding proteins.

Dr. Richard Swaja Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine Dr. Swaja’s work is focused on regenerative medicine — the application of tissue engineering principles to restore the structure and function of damaged tissues and organs.

Dr. Xuejun Wen Hansjörg Wyss Endowed Chair Professor in Regenerative Medicine Dr. Wen is researching ways to regenerate functional human tissues. One of Wen’s focus areas is biomedical devices - a “living” cochlear implant to help restore hearing loss and a “nerve bridging” device that would use material scaffolds and grafted cells to encourage nerve cells damaged by injury to regenerate.      

Research inklings November 2011

FLUORESCENCE IMAGING PLATE READER FACILITY FLIPRTETRA®, Molecular Devices Director: Louis M. Luttrell, PhD, MD

The FLIPRTETRA® purchased through a shared instrumentation award obtained from NIH under the American recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (NCRR 1S10RR027777-01) is an industry-renowned instrument for monitoring GPCRs and ion channels. The system provides a reliable and flexible high throughput screening solution for identifying early leads in the drug discovery process. FLIPRTETRA®, features 96, 384 and optional 1536 well configurations, multi-wavelength kinetic readings, LED modules and user configurable excitation and emission filters, and enhanced luminescence sensitivity with the aequorin luminescence camera. With the user configurable LED excitation modules, the FLIPRTETRA® has been used for the following assays: membrane potential, intracellular pH, sodium and calcium, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, c-AMP (utilizing GLO-sensor cells; Promega, Inc) and others. FLIPRTETRA® is optimized for use with both fluorescent and luminescent assays, including aequorin and Molecular Devices’ no- wash FLIPR® calcium and ion channel assays.

The table lists examples of target assays and current available LEDs and emission filters, highlighting (underlined) those currently installed. Experiments must be pre-consulted with Dr. Tom Morinelli, facility manager, to assure that they are feasible and that the proper dyes are available. All disposables are provided by the user (plates, dyes, buffers). Subsequent to initial training session, reservations can be made utilizing the on-line calendar. The FLIPRTETRA® facility is located in room 519 Strom Thurmond Biomedical Research Center. The instrument

is available for $50 an hour for investigator-initiated funding and $100 an hour for private/commercial funding projects. To request use of the facility use the online registration form. For further information, please contact Dr. Tom Morinelli, facility manager, at 843-792-0071 or morinelt@musc.edu.

Research Cores and Facilities The Office of Research Development has compiled information about Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), its components and programs, primarily to assist faculty, staff, and trainees in preparing research proposals. Our purpose is to provide brief descriptions - an institutional boilerplate - of major elements and initiatives to serve as a guide for faculty as they develop the resources and facilities portion of their proposal. We would like to refresh the institutional boilerplate descriptions that are currently available through the Research Development website. As a facility manager, please take a few minutes to review the current narrative and send any revisions to Wanda Hutto at huttow@musc.edu.

 

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South Carolina Translational Research Institute (SCTR) is now offering trained research coordinators and licensed research nurses at an hourly rate through the SUCCESS Center Research Coordinator Core (RCC). The RCC was developed in response to researcher needs and is ideal for investigators who: § Immediately need a research or

nurse coordinator who is already fully trained in all areas of research at MUSC

§ Does not have the resources to hire a full-time staff member, but need additional assistance

§ Have studies with peak times that require more personnel time or studies with short enrollment periods

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§ Are looking to fill a gap during staff transitions.

Coordinators are available during regular business hours for $40/hour as well as after hours and weekends for an additional charge. They have the mobility to conduct research activities within all MUSC’s covered entities; this includes your office, outpatient clinics, the SCTR Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) and MUSC hospital. Activities include, but are not limited to: § Overall Study Coordination

(recruitment, study implementation, study assessments, data management, maintain regulatory

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documentation, study close-out)

§ General & Clinical Procedures (vitals, specimen collections, infusions, blood draws)

§ Safety Assessment (adverse events, inclusion/exclusion criteria)

If you are interested in learning more about how the RCC can support your research, please request a consultation: https://sctr.musc.edu/spark. For more detailed information, please feel free to visit our website https://sctr.musc.edu/index.php/coordinator or contact Clare Tyson directly at 792-8300.

SCTR’S New Service: The Research Coordinator Core

Realizing a Knowledge-Based Economy The South Carolina SmartState Program is hosting a conference on “Realizing a Knowledge-Based Economy” from December 4-6, 2011, in Charleston, South Carolina. Our goal is to communicate regional, national, and international approaches to developing knowledge-based economic development. The conference will also serve as a showcase of the tremendous statewide successes to develop the knowledge-based economy through the SmartState Program over the past decade. Participants will hear from and network with national leaders from academia, business, and government gaining perspectives on knowledge-based economic development. They will learn about strategies, experiences, opportunities, and the emerging priorities related to knowledge-based economic development. Join the meeting and discover how education, research, and public-private partnerships are advancing U.S. competitiveness. Presenters include key representatives from U.S. Department of Commerce; Federal Reserve; National Center for Manufacturing Sciences; Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association; Emory University; AUTM; UCSF Mission Bay; W.M. Keck Foundation; South Carolina Department of Commerce; Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast; U.S. Navy; AT&T; Michelin; General Electric; University of Kansas; Harvard University; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); and many more. For more information and to register for the conference visit SmartState SC Centers of Economic Excellence National Conference.