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| Breaking New Ground |
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"This new science park places innovative medical science very close to global pharmaceutical and medical device leaders and that proximity will accelerate the translation of new medical discoveries into improved therapy and diagnostics.”
-RFU President and CEO Dr. K. Michael Welch.
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Senator Duckworth Visits Rosalind Franklin University |
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Rosalind Franklin University was honored on August 6, when U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) visited the University to observe learn about our innovative research projects, and observe the progress on the Innovation and Research Park under construction, as well as hear about how the park will impact economic development in the region. Another key goal of the new science park is to connect our medical and graduate students alike with biomedical companies in the Lake County biocluster.
In addition to meeting with Provost Dr. Wendy Rheault, Executive Vice-President for Research Dr. Ron Kaplan, and Director of Community Relations Joseph Piasecki, Senator Duckworth also met with Dr. Stephanie Wu, Associate Dean of Research, Professor and Director of the Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) for the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, and Dr. Noah Rosenblatt, Associate Professor of CLEAR, an area of personal interest given her own extensive experience as a military vet and user of prosthetic devices . The Senator visited RFU’s Gait Lab which helps and trains veterans with prosthetic devices, the elderly, and patients with diabetic foot wounds to prevent and avoid falls which can create significant physical damage. Senator Duckworth was also very interested in the RFU programs focusing on collaboration with the adjacent Lovell Federal Health Care Facility which includes both a regional V.A. Hospital and Naval Hospital.
“Cutting-edge, disease-based research programs like these are critical in fostering making life-saving discoveries, boosting economic development and student development”, said Senator Duckworth. “I’ll continue working to bolster research at universities and community colleges across Illinois, so that every student has the opportunity to contribute to impactful projects like those here at Rosalind Franklin University.” Senator Duckworth viewed the initial construction of the new Innovation and Research and heard about its impact for the region. The local non-profit Lake County Partners estimates the project will help create 500 jobs when completed and spur $117 million in annual economic development for the region. Lake County is home to the largest concentration of bioscience companies in the Midwest, including Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens and numerous small businesses.
“Our university is dedicated to progressing cutting-edge science on major diseases such as Diabetes (Diabetic wounds), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
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| Steel Rising |
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The next phase of development on the Innovation and Research Park began with the arrival of steel girders in July, creating the framework of the new park. The first two floors are in place, with two more to follow shortly as construction continues.
The Innovation and Research Park, a 100,000 square-foot addition to our campus in North Chicago and home to the largest concentration of bioscience companies in the Midwest, is scheduled for completion by summer 2019. The building will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, meeting and office space for six new disease-based research centers which will be housed in the park, and space for commercial startups and national and international healthcare firms.
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Rosalind Franklin University Scientists Lead with Cutting Edge Research |
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A team of scientists from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University and headed by Rosalind Franklin University Professor David M. Mueller, PhD, an investigator in the university’s Center for Genetic Disease, has solved the structure of mitochondrial ATP synthase. The enzyme is responsible for making ATP, (adenosine triphosphate,) the major energy source of cells. Published by the journal “Science First Release” on April 12, the study results show the broader function of ATP synthase in disease and drug mechanisms. Given its importance in fueling the cell, determining the complete structure of the enzyme has been a scientific “holy grail”, promising to reveal secrets about the ATP machine that could lead to therapeutic target identification and advance understanding of metabolic disease and other cellular pathologies. “Understanding how the enzyme actually works requires the knowledge of its three dimensional molecular structure at the atomic level,” said Dr. Mueller. “Our study illustrates how a coordinated effort by scientists can bring about an important goal, with each of us looking at the project from a group perspective, a problem that could not have been solved individually.”
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New Study Sheds Light on Effects of Drug Abuse |
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In a paper published in the June 25 edition of the journal “Frontiers in Physiology” entitled, “An argument for Amphetamine - Induced Hallucinations in an Invertebrate,” William N. Frost PhD, Professor and Chairman of the Division of Cell Biology and Anatomy at RFUMS, along with co-scientists, shed new light on the hallucinatory effects resulting from the abuse of drugs. The replication of many human drug-related behaviors in invertebrates suggests that underlying mechanisms may also impact diverse nervous systems, including humans. Their research may help create a better understanding of the impact of hallucinatory drug abuse, and support drug treatment programs.
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| SmartHealth Activator |
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Despite the way medical innovation may sometimes be imagined as an individual working alone to achieve a breakthrough solution for an identified patient problem or disease, In reality such medical innovation is the result of interactions between several people who share and build on ideas and advances – even if it means those ideas may lead to false starts. To help achieve this ideal, SmartHealth Activator immerses biotech startup founders in a small pool of elite bioentrepreneurs and biotech executives, all devoted to the idea of interaction and sharing; a concept known currently as “Group Genius”. SmartHealth accelerates the discovery of drugs, diagnostics and medical devices being developed at Midwest universities that diagnose, prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Group Genius teams actively collaborate, create, iterate and execute for a SmartHealth startup company. In this spirit of cooperation, in early summer, 20 “Group Genius” members, each with at least three decades of industry experience, met on the RFU campus to address critical questions, such as "How do we screen biotechnology for SmartHealth?" and "How do we build effective teams around biotechnology?" Next up, SmartHealth will be building a “Group Genius” team around research being developed by Dr. Raul Gazmuri, Professor and Director of RFU’s Resuscitation Institute.
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| Upcoming Events |
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Register for BioPathways Entrepreneurial Speaker Series
Join us for the next BioPathways session on September 11, featuring Wayne Robson, Senior Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Chicago. Robson will be joined by Matthew Johnson, Vice President of Business Development for Bloom Burton & Co., one of the leading biotech investment banks. Robson and Johnson will discuss biotechnology in Canada in the session, “Our Neighbors to the North: Outlook for Canadian Biotech.” The session will be held from from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Centennial Room of Rosalind Franklin University. Space is limited so register early.
The BioPathways Entrepreneurial Speaker Series at RFUMS is a monthly event organized with the SmartHealth Activator, featuring prominent bioentrepreneurs, bioscience executives, investor groups and university researchers. The program provides the opportunity to network and share knowledge across sectors – education, business, industry, and state and local government – with a common theme of health care.
At the July 10 Biopathways event, Bob Chib, Head, Corporate Strategy and Innovation, Licensing and Alliances for Astellas, offered his views on the Japanese pharmaceutical market in a session entitled “Perspectives on Innovation from a Japanese Pharma”. Amiel Rosenkranz, PhD, Director of the RFU’s new Brain Science Institute (BSI) also presented an overview of BSI’s structure and cutting-edge disease-focused research in areas such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases as well as brain repair and anxiety and stress.
Symposium to Examine How Sex and Gender Analysis Improves Research, Technology and Patient Care
We’re holding the third annual Women in Science and Healthcare Symposium on Thursday, September 13 from 7 – 9:30 p.m. Rosalind Franklin, CPCC, ACC and member of a member of Rosalind Franklin University's Board of Trustees since 2004, will offer opening remarks. Dr. Londa Schiebinger of Stanford University will demonstrate the creative power of sex/gender analysis and how it can be harnessed to advance discovery in health, medicine, machine learning, and robotics in a lecture and panel discussion entitled, “Gendered Innovations under the Microscope”
Read more information and register today |
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