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News Release
June 14, 2007
State Board of Education Awards Boise State
$1 Million to Establish Center for Musculoskeletal Research
New center will focus on causes and treatments for osteoarthritis
The State Board of Education today unanimously approved a $1 million grant
to Boise State University to establish a major biomedical research center to
coordinate studies on osteoarthritis, a disease that affects over 30 percent
of the U.S. population and costs $124 billion each year to diagnose and
treat.
The new Center for Musculoskeletal Research was selected for funding as part
of a competitive statewide process that also included proposals from the
University of Idaho and Idaho State University. A seven-member team of
administrators and scientists from outside Idaho reviewed the proposals from
Boise State and other universities and conducted on-site evaluations at each
campus earlier this year. Following the visits, the team recommended to the
State Board’s Higher Education Research Council that the Boise State
proposal be funded.
“The Center for Musculoskeletal Research will provide support, momentum and
visibility for Boise State’s growing biomolecular research programs, and it
will also serve as a catalyst for new research collaborations,” said Vice
President for Research Mark Rudin. “Our undergraduate and graduate students
will benefit by working alongside faculty on new research projects. This is
another step forward for Boise State as a metropolitan research university
of distinction.”
The center brings together Boise State faculty in biology, engineering,
kinesiology, computer science, chemistry and other fields for
interdisciplinary research projects that range from molecular interactions
to whole-body motions. In addition, the center will collaborate with the
Boise medical community and other research institutions in Idaho and the
nation on studies that could lead to new treatments for the devastating
disease.
Strong support from Boise’s medical community, along with outstanding
faculty that are already engaged in interdisciplinary research, contributed
to the success of Boise State’s proposal, said Lee Weber, a University of
Nevada-Reno professor and director of that state’s biomedical research
network who was a member of the evaluation team.
“Because Idaho doesn’t have a medical school, having strong support from
local doctors is crucial if you’re going to be able to conduct biomedical
research,” said Weber. “We were very impressed with the level of interest
among doctors with whom we met.”
Dr. Michael Coughlin, a Boise orthopedic surgeon and nationally recognized
researcher on the foot and ankle, was among physicians who supported the new
center. “Focusing research here in Boise and at Boise State makes good sense
because we have the scientific researchers, the labs and equipment, and the
know-how to get it done,” Coughlin said. “You couple Boise State with the
interest and involvement of the local medical community — this gives us a
vibrant research platform.”
Kinesiology professor Ron Pfeiffer will be director of the new center.
Biology professor Julie Oxford, the principal investigator on the grant,
will be the associate director for molecular and cellular processes, and
mechanical and biomedical engineering professor Michelle Sabick will be the
associate director for biomechanics. Eleven other Boise State faculty from a
variety of disciplines are also affiliated with the center.
The Center for Musculoskeletal Research will initially undertake two
projects. The first will be a study to identify the molecular signal that
triggers the onset of arthritis in a group of patients who have suffered
knee injuries involving the anterior cruciate ligament. A second project
will develop a computer model that identifies molecular markers for
arthritis in genetically modified mice that are predisposed to develop the
disease.
Both projects involve an interdisciplinary team of researchers, and, in the
case of the ACL study, will also involve Boise area physicians who will
extract synovial fluid from the knees of participants for genetic analysis
as part of the project.
The center will also support ongoing Boise State research involving genetic
susceptibility for arthritis. These studies include research on the
structure and function of cartilage, gender-related differences in ACL
injuries to the knee, bone metastasis in breast cancer, assessing the
effectiveness of diagnostic tests for certain types of shoulder injuries,
computer modeling of molecular studies, and other projects.
Scientific instrumentation acquired in recent years as part of research
grants from the National Science Foundation and other funding sources will
be an integral part of the new center and its research mission. Located in
laboratories across campus, the instrumentation includes microscopy systems
that allow material to be studied on a near-atomic level, a cluster of
linked computers that function as a super-computing system, state-of-the-art
computer animation technology and other equipment.
“As Boise State continues to expand its research programs in biomolecular
sciences, this new center will help lead the way,” Rudin said. “The positive
impact will be felt across campus in our classrooms and our research
laboratories, and it will help strengthen the culture of excellence that is
part of Boise State.”
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Contact: Mark Rudin, Vice President for Research, (208) 426-5732,
markrudin@boisestate.edu
Ron Pfeiffer, Department of Kinesiology, (208) 426-3709,
Pfeiffer@boistate.edu
Julie Oxford, Department of Biology, (208) 426-2395,
joxford@boisestate.edu
Media contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208)
426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu
Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in
Idaho, offering more than 190 fields of interest in eight colleges. The
deadline for degree-seeking students to apply for fall admission is July 18.
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Last reviewed on
Thursday, June 14, 2007
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