University of Louisville Magazine

Winter- Spring 2016

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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W I N T E R / S P R I N G U O F L M A G A Z I N E | 1 9 H A P P E N I N G H E R E UofL reaps big dividends from research investments The University of Louisville's invest- ment in new research resulted in an average return on investment of 1,777 percent. Since 2000, UofL spent a total of $11 million on pilot research projects with faculty using that money to help secure another $208 million in funding from outside sources such as the National Insti- tutes of Health or private investors. "The world understands that our faculty are developing new technolo- gies and doing groundbreaking re- search" said President James Ramsey. "Our faculty just need a little money to leverage the big bucks that not only get their ideas off the ground, but pay dividends for the university and our local economy as well." The pilot research program fund- ing also led to 77 awarded patents, licenses for 47 technologies and 32 startup company launches. The return on investment numbers compiled by the off ce of the Execu- tive Vice President for Research and Innovation cover the past 15 years — a time when state funding for higher education and university research de- clined. But during that same period, UofL pumped money into research, awarding 445 grants ranging in value from $5,000 to $225,000. There are many examples of suc- cess stories of faculty researchers who used these small research initiation grant programs to attract prestigious research grants, including: • Dr. Suzanne Meeks, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences - $2.1 million to study psychological changes in nursing home residents • Dr. Nobuyuki Matoba, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology - $1.5 million to study plant-based pharmaceuticals • Dr. Ayman El-Baz, Department of Bioengineering - $1.4 million to develop diagnostic techniques for lung cancer • Dr. Carolyn Klinge, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genet- ics - $2.9 million to investigate molecular mechanisms in breast and lung cancer • Dr. Terry Scott, Department of Special Education - $6 million for research and personnel development "The real winners, though, are the rest of us, whose lives will improve because of the new discoveries in medicine, bioengineering and other f elds," Ramsey said. Student and faculty researchers in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology are working on a variety of projects including plant-based pharmaceuticals. Researchers determine electrical blasts increase survival for pancreatic cancer patients The use of irreversible electroporation (IRE) doubles the survival time for patients with locally advanced pancreatic can- cer, according to research- ers at the University of Louisville. "The appropriate and precise use of IRE in appropriately selected patients with locally ad- vanced pancreatic cancer can result in a median overall survival close to 24 months, which is nearly double the sur- vival rate with the best new chemotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy," said Robert Martin, MD, PhD, director of surgical oncology at UofL. IRE uses ultra-short but strong electrical f elds to create holes in cell membranes, ultimately leading to cell death. The main use of IRE lies in tumor removal in regions where precision and conservation of the basic cellular matrix, blood f ow and nerves are of importance. In the study, 200 patients at six sites throughout the United States, including UofL's James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health, re- ceived IRE following che- motherapy. The patients were followed for up to seven years after their initial diagnosis and initiation of treatment. The average survival time for patients was close to two years. "This study demon- strates that IRE, in con- junction with standard- of-care, may substantially prolong the survival rates of patients with locally advanced pancreatic can- cer," Martin said. "While additional research is needed, ablation may represent an addition to the current standard of care for Stage III pan- creatic cancer patients whose only treatment options until now have been chemotherapy or a combination of chemo- radiation therapy." Martin

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