MUSC nets $13.5M to fund four new research centers: 7/4

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MUSC nets $13.5M to fund four new research centers
The South Carolina Lottery Center of Economic Excellence Oversight Committee awarded $13.5 million in matching money to four new research centers at MUSC. The funded proposals were in the areas of marine genomics (jointly with the College of Charleston), proteomics, brain imaging (jointly with the University of South Carolina) and neuroscience.
These four awards were made after a rigorous peer review process of 20 applications from investigators at the University of South Carolina, MUSC and Clemson University. The review criteria included scientific excellence, collaborative opportunities and potential economic impact.
Also funded in this round of applications were three endowed chairs in automotive engineering at Clemson University. The University of South Carolina was awarded support for a nanotechnology center, as well as the joint effort with the Medical University in brain imaging.
Research Center of Economic Excellence in Applied Marine Genomics ($4 million)
The center will develop and use genomics tools to produce aquatic species with increased resistance to disease and infection and will develop the science and technology to enable rapid detection of pathogens.
“This will help shrimp growers reduce economic losses and preserve productivity,” said project director Eric R. Lacy, Ph.D., director of MUSC’s Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center. “A collaboration with the Clemson University Genome Institute will enable us to adapt this strategy from the more conventional agricultural community where it has been used successfully in plant and mammal species such as rice, corn and pigs.”
The center will work in partnership with the College of Charleston’s Masters in Marine Biology program and Masters in Environmental Science program. “This partnership with the college will help create a biomedical and biotechnical bridge to the economic community of South Carolina by training students with skills in modern marine genomic science. In addition, these findings will be available for commercial application in the corporate and government arena,” Lacy said.
Norine Noonan, Ph.D., dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics at the College of Charleston, said, “We are delighted to be a partner with the Medical University in this important project. Our students and faculty will benefit both from the scientific collaboration, which complements our strength in marine biology and environmental research, and from the opportunity to work on issues of great economic value to our state.”
Lacy said the need for transformation of the aquaculture industry to one that incorporates modern molecular and genetic techniques is exemplified by decreasing state revenues from the South Carolina aquaculture and offshore fishing industries.
As director of MUSC’s Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Lacy sees a Research Center of Economic Excellence in Applied Marine Genomics focus on three major areas: 1) genomic and proteomic research on economically valuable aquatic species; 2) technology development of biosensors and diagnostic tools in partnership with private sector companies; and 3) development of courses and research experiences for students from the undergraduate to the doctoral level.
“These new courses and expanded research opportunities will create a vibrant intellectual environment for future scholars and innovators. It should also help us expand career pathways for students seeking jobs in the new aquaculture and marine environmental genetics industries,” Lacy said. “Genomic technology has become a major driver for most of the pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology has continued to grow in areas associated with non-medical applications such as environmental and marine health.”
Lacy envisions the center to be led by two nationally and internationally recognized scientist-entrepreneurs supported by endowed professorships, complementing each other in molecular genetics and bioinformatics, creating new jobs and spin-off companies, and attracting scientists of national stature.
“This center will build upon the basic infrastructure in marine genomics (molecular genetics, proteomics, and bioinformatics), which has already been developed by MUSC in partnership with the National Ocean Service (NOS), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the College of Charleston,” Lacy said.
“With the tight budget, working in partnerships enables us to achieve more with less and this is a perfect example,” said John Miglarese, deputy director, S.C. Department of Natural Resources' Marine Resources Division. “We're on the cutting edge of application of science for managing marine resources. The genesis of this line of research came from a real marine resource issue in the wild. DNR scientists have been looking at shrimp virus issues for years. There are issues constantly arising dealing with marine resources, particularly with increasing development along the coast. The research we will be doing will provide us with the basic tools to deal with the issues that will undoubtedly arise in the future with pressure on the coastal environment. This initiative allows us to deal with these as broad issues—to focus on the general health of the animal and the effect of the environment on the resource.”
The newly constructed Hollings Marine Laboratory at the Ft. Johnson marine and environmental research campus will serve as the center’s focal point. Lacy said that these organizations share complementary missions and cooperate with each other in shared faculty, research programs, grants and educational programs.
Proteomics Research Center ($4 million)
Proteomics is the study of all of the proteins expressed in a living system and is the new frontier of biological research following completion of the Human Genome Project. “The availability of the genome sequence sets the stage for the larger task of interpreting the biological significance of the information, and proteomics will be the key to this interpretation,” said Daniel R. Knapp, project director for the Proteomics Research Center and professor of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
Proteomics has the potential to diagnose, cure, or prevent human disease; optimize agricultural production; thwart bioterrorism agents and mitigate environmental damage. With respect to human health, the near term payoffs of proteomics are the identification of new disease markers for diagnosis. Longer-term payoffs will be the molecular understanding of disease, which will provide the basis of development of new therapies and new modes of prevention of disease.
“Any organization that aspires to be at the forefront of biological research will require capability for proteomics study,” said Knapp. “Being a relatively new frontier area, national leadership in the field of proteomics has not yet been firmly established, giving South Carolina the opportunity to establish itself as a leader in the area.”
The MUSC center has already begun to position itself in this leadership role by joining with Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Yale and six other leading universities in being selected among the nation’s first 10 NIH funded proteomics centers. NIH designation came with $15 million in support.
The technology development activities of the center will spawn the development of new companies to commercialize the new technologies both for research and for application in health care and other fields. The center will also help position South Carolina as a potential site for a new national laboratory for proteomics research.
The center will be located at MUSC, but will also involve Clemson University as part of the new Clemson-MUSC Bioengineering Program. Additionally, both Clemson and the University of South Carolina will participate as part of the statewide “BioX” initiative in regenerative medicine.
South Carolina Brain Imaging Center of Excellence ($2.5 million to MUSC and $2.5 million to USC)
“One of the last remaining frontiers in science and medicine is to understand how the human brain works, both in health and disease,” said Mark George, M.D., the MUSC project director and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Neurology. “We have new powerful and non-invasive tools for imaging the brain, giving us the realistic expectation of using new technology to improve the function of the damaged or even the normal brain.”
South Carolina is both an ideal testing ground and needy recipient for many of these technologies. For example, in the context of technology to repair the damaged brain, South Carolina has the highest incidence of brain injury caused by stroke of any state in the U.S. Similarly, considering brain-related technologies for defense and law-enforcement, South Carolina is also optimally positioned. With the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute located in S.C., this is an ideal place to foster technology related to detection of deception.
In addition to the brain imaging work on campus, MUSC has created a Brain Stimulation Laboratory with ties to other clinical neuroscience groups on campus. This laboratory has been a world leader in developing potential clinical applications of stimulation technologies. They have pioneered studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of depression and are actively investigating deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
“Advances in brain imaging technology are giving us an amazing window into the brain,” said John Oldham, M.D., professor and chairman of the MUSC Department of Psychiatry. “This center will make possible unprecedented progress.”
MUSC researchers will join forces with investigators from the University of South Carolina’s world-class programs in cognitive neuroscience, computer science, engineering and public health.
“By bridging together the complementary expertise of the two universities, we will create a research center in brain imaging that can provide all the expertise for major federal grants and contracts,” said George. “I envision the creation of a world-class brain imaging center and industrial cluster spanning MUSC and USC.”
Gordon C. Baylis, the USC project director for the Brain Imaging Center and associate dean of the USC College of Liberal Arts, added, “This is an exciting time, but it is just the beginning. By working together, researchers at USC and MUSC will continue to make ever more important breakthroughs in biomedical research. This can only enhance the health and standard of living of all South Carolinians.
Center of Economic Excellence in Neuroscience Research ($3 million)
MUSC has placed emphasis on building programs in the neuroscience of aging because of the demographics of South Carolina in particular and the nation in general.
More than half of the population of South Carolina is older than 56 years of age, and it is estimated that the number of individuals over that age will double in the next two decades as a result of aging and the influx of retirees. Therefore the number of individuals with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and stroke will increase accordingly.
“The Center of Economic Excellence in Neuroscience Research would place emphasis on these age-related neurodegenerative problems,” said Mark Kindy, Ph.D., director of the Neuroscience Institute.
The center will facilitate and coordinate interdisciplinary research efforts in the neurosciences. MUSC neuroscience research, ranging from molecular and cellular to clinical neuroscience is nationally and internationally recognized.
“As modern medicine increases the average lifespan, it is critically important to understand age-associated cognitive difficulties,” said John Oldham, M.D., professor and chairman of the MUSC Department of Psychiatry. “This center will provide much needed support for this important work.”
The funds will support three endowed chairs in the neurosciences. Qualified candidates will be internationally known scientists with established programs of innovative research in movement disorders and/or neurodegenerative diseases. The individuals would have industry relationships and/or experience in pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies.
The center will also serve as one focal point in the effort to develop a plan for a new neuroscience building at MUSC. Additionally the center will play a role in the Neuroscience Institute.

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