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Physiology, Neuroscience continue upward trend

by Michael Baker
Public Relations
A little more than five years ago, MUSC’s Department of Physiology and Neuroscience was struggling to survive.

The Department of Physiology, as it was known, conducted very little research and operated with the help of only one NIH grant.  Meanwhile, a cohesive neuroscience unit remained an aspiration rather than a reality.

However, MUSC renewed its dedication to the department with the arrival of Peter Kalivas, Ph.D., professor and chair of Physiology and Neuroscience.

“Research activities in Physiology had been permitted to degenerate,” he recalls. “My charge was to build a neuroscience department and to refocus our efforts on acquiring programmatic funding.” 

To do that, the department focused on neuroscience as a translational enterprise. Rather than just experimenting in laboratories, Kalivas recognized that making the next logical step, from molecular biology to clinical treatment, was essential to the department’s success.

Mark Kindy, Ph.D., director of MUSC’s Neuroscience Institute, expounded on the idea.

“We bridged, and still are bridging, the gap between the basic and clinical sciences,” he explained. “We do a lot of exciting research in the lab, but we need to continue to apply the results of our research to the patients.”

Kindy added that the translational aspect of the department’s work was imperative, based on the predilection of the National Institutes of Health for funding grants of a translational nature.

To that end, the department began a variety of neuroscience-related research projects. 

In one example, the department researched ways to advance or inhibit aging by studying animal models. Kalivas explained that by analyzing dopamine depletion within the animals’ brains, researchers examined genetic and cellular manipulations that could be used to reverse or prevent the cognitive deficits associated with aging.

Kalivas said the department also collaborates with many organizations. Within the educational realm, institutions such as Johns Hopkins, the University of Pittsburgh, UC-San Francisco, and Clemson assist MUSC with various research projects. 

Specifically, Kindy illustrated a collaboration with Clemson in which the university’s bioengineers work with researchers from MUSC, using cell-based models to understand the mechanisms of spinal cord injuries. 

In another example, Clemson and MUSC work together studying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Bioengineers and biologists examine affected neurons to discover why they function differently from neurons associated with healthy cells.

In the public sector, Lotta Granholm, Ph.D., currently works with a motion picture company to develop software that aids in detecting motor deficits in humans. Ideally, Kalivas said, the software will be able to identify diseases such as Parkinson’s disease  in their earlier stages.

“Rather than diagnosing Parkinson’s after physical deficiencies become readily apparent,” he said, “the program would allow doctors to intervene, preventing or slowing the progression of motor diseases.”

The renewed and strengthened commitment to neuroscience produced noticeable returns—not just academically, but financially as well.

The department’s NIH funding in recent years has skyrocketed after ranking in the 98th percentile. For the fiscal year 2002, the department’s NIH-funding rank stood in the top 48 percent. The overall trend continues during this fiscal year, Kalivas said, as the department has already arranged $9.7 million in total grant money, including grants from NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense.

He credits the collective work of the Physiology and Neuroscience faculty for the department’s progress.

“The people we’ve hired have been excellent, just super,” he said. “I feel very lucky.”

The faculty’s effectiveness extends beyond basic and clinical research, producing results in the classroom as well. According to Kalivas, the department’s graduate program is arguably among the most popular on campus, and the program has grown along with the department.

“When I started here, we had two or three grad students and a couple of post-docs,” Kalivas said. “Now, each group’s numbers have increased to 20 and 25, respectively. The department should be very proud.”

In a little more than five years, the faculty members in the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience restored a nearly defunct research program and molded it into one that has experienced ongoing growth and success.

“The direction in which we’re headed is great,” Kalivas concluded. “I think the department is definitely on a continuing upswing.”
 
 
 
 
 

Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.