Friday, September 2, 2005

K-State Establishes New Institute to Study Stem Cells

By Cheryl May

Scientists at Kansas State University have established the Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology to expand research around stem cells derived from the umbilical cord matrix after birth.

"This new institute is in a strategic position nationally to form collaborative relationships with other institutions," said K-State Provost M. Duane Nellis. "It will facilitate the type and amounts of comparative stem cell research that can be undertaken."

The new institute is a cooperative effort between the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine and the research vice provost. The institute is founded on the initial research of Professors Duane Davis, K-State College of Agriculture, Deryl Troyer and Mark Weiss, K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, and Kathy Mitchell of the University of Kansas. Numerous additional faculty from many departments at K-State and KU will participate as well.

"This work is an excellent example of how K-State scientists work across disciplines to build effective teams," said veterinary medicine Dean Ralph Richardson. "Had it not been for these faculty members reaching out to each other to share their individual observations relative to research and teaching, this exciting discovery might well have gone unnoticed."

The new institute is led by former Provost James R. Coffman as interim director. The researchers said his guidance has been pivotal to the institute's formation.

"We are excited about the formation of this institute founded on our discovery of an extremely rich, non-controversial source of stem cells," said Deryl Troyer, professor of anatomy and physiology. "The institute has potential to leverage research capabilities centered on umbilical cord matrix cells. It will foster comparative stem cell research that will significantly impact human regenerative medicine and agricultural biotechnology. One of its central missions is to integrate education and commercialization with research on these and related cells, which will afford new educational opportunities for students in agriculture and veterinary medicine as well as other fields at K-State."

K-State is a national leader in research using stem cells from the umbilical cord matrix of humans and several animal species, Nellis said.

"These cells have been shown to have remarkable adaptive capacity," said Ron Trewyn, vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School. "Kansas State University has a patent pending on methods to harvest, grow and store umbilical cord matrix stem cells and the use of matrix cells for therapy, tissue engineering and biotechnology. This foundational research has identified, and stands to make available, a plentiful and potentially low cost source of stem cells that are extremely adaptable and free of ethical controversy. The Institute connects this initial discovery with a strong array of related biotechnological research and development."

"The umbilical cord matrix cells have major advantages over other stem-cell sources," said Duane Davis, professor of animal sciences. "They can be harvested easily and in large numbers. And the cost of collecting them is relatively low."

Trewyn said the Institute is well positioned to contribute to the development of important stem cell technologies and to participate in the economic benefits that will be associated with stem cell research and applications in animal agriculture and in human and animal medicine.

"This new institute is a fabulous opportunity to use new tools and new technology to address animal health issues and to combine the research expertise of the College of Agriculture with the College of Veterinary Medicine," said Fred Cholick, dean of K-State's College of Agriculture. "Since beef is the No. 1 animal industry in Kansas, it is important to the state's economy to work together to make the most of our opportunities to improve animal health, production and well-being."

Researcher Mark Weiss, professor of anatomy and physiology, said, "Stem cell biology is the most exciting and promising field of science and represents the cutting edge of human and veterinary medicine. We now realize that the umbilical cord and placenta are important sources of stem cells. No longer are they seen as a biological waste material to be discarded after birth.

"I dream of a future in which stem cell therapies are used to treat such diseases as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, or heart attack. The Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology is dedicated to advancing stem cell science from the laboratory bench to the patient. The formation of the stem cell institute is the result of a year of hard work. It is a joy to celebrate this first milestone. There are many more stepping stones yet to cross to realize this dream," Weiss said.

Trewyn said these research goals are complemented by creating and expanding opportunities for education and training in this field of biological research and commercialization. Another result is development and commercialization of intellectual property resulting from the research program. As of 2005, use-specific licenses have been awarded to two commercial entities, one in human medicine and one in equine medicine. In addition, one startup company has been initiated.

Kathy Mitchell, University of Kansas professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology, said, "The work our group is doing is receiving national attention. Recently, we had invited presentations at a national stem cell conference at MIT, the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine Cancer Institute and our work will be a featured abstract for at the Society for Neuroscience Meeting in November.