CRI dedication scheduled for Feb. 10Dedication ceremonies for the Charles P. Darby Children’s Research Institute will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, beginning in the MUSC Basic Science Building Auditorium and ending with a ribbon-cutting in the lobby of the Children’s Research Institute.The opening culminates more than 20 years of effort to bring to the Carolinas a comprehensive children’s research facility. One of only 15 such facilities in the nation and a handful in the Southeast, the institute brings together top researchers from the entire Medical University whose interest is childhood diseases. These researchers will work with clinicians not only in a quest to prevent and cure childhood diseases for future generations, but also to provide current patients with the opportunity to avail themselves of new therapies. The new facility is a 121,000-square-foot, seven-story building, housing state-of-the-art laboratories and providing space for researchers in 14 programs. Each program has investigators representing multiple departments and disciplines. The open lab design and shared research space fosters interaction and communication among the researchers. The ultimate goal is the prevention and cure of childhood disorders, including diabetes, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, cancer, nutritional deficiencies and diseases of the heart and bone. “Science is a team sport,” said Bernard Maria, M.D., executive director of the institute. “Discoveries are a result of group effort, and our departure from a departmentalized model enables top researchers from a variety of disciplines to work together in shared open spaces, an environment conducive to a creative synergy among investigators. This is something not possible with laboratories scattered across departments and located all over campus. Researchers competed for space in the new facility and our criteria were not just excellence, but a real passion for pediatric research.” “To be at the top tier of pediatric care, a facility must excel in three components—clinical care, education and research,” explained Lyndon Key, M.D., professor and chair of the MUSC Department of Pediatrics. “At MUSC we already have a world-class, nationally recognized children’s hospital for the care of sick children. Being part of the Medical University of South Carolina, we have an outstanding education component. We also have numerous nationally recognized pediatric researchers spread across our campus. By drawing these researchers together into a dedicated Children’s Research Institute, we have all the elements in place to put Charleston on the map as a national leader in children’s health. In addition, the facility will act as a magnet to draw the best and brightest in the field of pediatric research to our campus.” All research in the new facility is dedicated to the premise that children are not miniature adults. Rather than making adaptations for children from experience with adults, investigators will delve into what treatment will best serve the unique needs of the child. Research in childhood diseases sometimes produces spin-offs to benefit adults. An example of this occurred at MUSC recently. Inderjit Singh, Ph.D., scientific director of the new children’s research institute, studying adrenoleukodystrophy, a childhood disease, found that a class of drugs known as “statins” was effective in reducing brain damaging inflammation in cell culture and in experimental animals. This work led to the first human trial on statin drugs for patients with multiple sclerosis, an adult disease. The trial showed that the drug held promise for patient with multiple sclerosis. The opening of the institute is the culmination of the vision and efforts of Charles P. Darby, M.D., a physician known for his lifelong service and dedication to the welfare of children. When Darby assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Pediatrics in 1982, he faced an overcrowded and understaffed pediatrics unit in the university hospital. He began working with legislators to secure more than $50 million for the construction of a state of the art pediatric health center. His dream was realized in 1988 with the opening of the MUSC Children’s Hospital. By the time Darby retired in 2001, the hospital was named by Child magazine as one of the 10 best children’s hospitals in the country. But his retirement from the chairmanship of the Department of Pediatrics was far from an end to his dedication to the wellbeing of children. He remains a tireless advocate for children’s health through his current position as executive director of the Center for Child advocacy of the MUSC Children’s Hospital as well as numerous volunteer state and community activities all geared to the welfare of children. Careers in Clinical Research lecture
Friday, Feb. 4, 2005
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