The Washington Research Foundation (WRF) recently awarded three Washington State University researchers with grant funding to develop detailed plans for projects and programs that could significantly advance the state’s life-science ecosystem and improve lives. The funding will establish two new centers and facilitate collaboration at WSU and between industry.
Ken Roberts, Jon Oatley, and Kevin Murphy were among 12 teams of investigators from WSU, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, and the University of Washington awarded nearly $2.2 million to develop a proposal for a large-scale initiative for submission to WRF and/or other funding agencies. The funding also encourages researchers to explore commercialization pathways with the intent to develop innovations for the marketplace. Roberts, Oatley, and Murphy will focus their work in the areas of neurodegenerative diseases, reproductive health and human health, and nutrition from.
Roberts, professor and chair of the Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, will establish the Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience at WSU. The center will bring together investigators from across the state who have proven track records in neuroscience research and have a desire to translate their findings into advances in patient treatments.
Collaborating partners include researchers from the WSU’s Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Sleep and Performance Research Center, the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience, and healthcare providers from St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health System.
“Brain disorders such as neurological diseases have surpassed cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of global health loss,” said Roberts. “We are interested in looking at brain health across the lifespan of a person to better understand neurodegenerative diseases and the impact they have in childhood and late in life. The center will position WSU as a leader in neuroscience and provide a place where researchers and the healthcare industry can collaborate on future clinical advances and treatments.”
The center will position WSU as a leader in neuroscience and provide a place where researchers and the healthcare industry can collaborate on future clinical advances and treatments.
Ken Roberts, professor and chair
WSU Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology
Oatley, associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences, will host a series of workshops focused on reproductive health, specifically in gynecological diseases, infectious diseases of the reproduction tract, and male contraceptives. Researchers will partner with the private sector, NGOs, and the healthcare industry to identify gaps where research doesn’t meet the needs or challenges faced in society.
“This grant has the potential to lead to something big. The idea is to build the foundation and the collaboration to identify areas of research in reproductive health that could lead to a large grant with multiple partners working towards discovery and turning it into technology,” said Oatley.
The grant will also help Murphy, Clif Bar and King Arthur Baking Company Endowed Chair in Organic Grain Breeding and Innovation, bring food and health scientists together to establish the Center for Health, Environment, Food, and Farming. The center will provide a place for researchers to develop healthier whole grains, such as wheat, buckwheat, quinoa, barley, peas, and lentils.
“Food scientists in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences will develop new varieties of crops designed to be more nutritious. Researchers in the College of Medicine will then study the differences between the old and new varieties to better understand the health benefits of the newly developed varieties,” said Murphy.
