Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute: Advancing Regional Life Sciences
KCALSI
KCALSI At A Glance: Updates on significant life science activities in the Kansas City region
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March 2015

NBAF-focused Research Enters Third Year at K-State's BRI, Research Transition Underway

Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute is in the third year of a seven-year, $35 million grant from the state of Kansas. The funding supports the development and transition of several National Bio and Agro-defense Facility-centric research projects as well as training and workforce development.
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Saint Luke’s Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute Awarded Highest Stroke Designation under New Missouri Law

Missouri became first in the nation to designate by law the hospitals to which stroke patients should be taken for treatment. No longer will this be determined solely by the patient’s geographical location.
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Doctors Getting Clearer Picture Of How to Slow or Stop Kidney Disease in Children

Children’s Mercy Hospital is providing leadership in an ongoing NIH-funded national study to identify the best ways to stop or slow the progression of kidney disease in children. Learn more »

Distinguished Scholar of Animal and Human Health Arrives at Mizzou

Dr. Thomas Spencer, internationally recognized for his research in reproductive and developmental biology, will have a joint appointment in the MU Division of Animal Sciences and the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health to further his studies to increase fertility in beef and dairy cattle.  He also studies how to translate findings from animal research to human medicine to solve fertility problems in women and improve their reproductive outcomes. Learn more »

TVAX Biomedical Animal Health Subsidiary Raises $2 Million

TVAX Animal Health is working to adapt TVAX Biomedical's immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer in companion animals such as, cats, horses and dogs. Learn more »

Researchers Find 'Affinity Switch' for Proteasome Assembly Process in Cells

K-State and KU researchers are studying how a specific "molecular machine" inside of cells is assembled.  This study may lead to better treatments for neurological diseases, cancers and other disorders. Learn more »

Plants Can Tell the Difference between Attacking Insects and Respond in Different Ways

University of Missouri researchers recently studied how plant genes responded to insects that harm them. Identifying these defense genes could allow plant breeders to target specific insect species when developing pest-resistant crops. Learn more »

Digital Sandbox funds four new companies

Digital Sandbox KC is adding four early-stage companies to its program. The Kansas City-based companies range from cyber security industry to health care, and each will receive funding for proof-of-concept projects. Learn more » 

 

Kansas State Engineer Receives $500,000 Award 

Gurpreet Singh, K-State assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award for his nanotechnology research. The award will also help organize educational activities for high school students and teachers. 
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MRIGlobal Supports Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists

David Pamies, a postdoctoral student at The Johns Hopkins University, will receive the award to travel to the prestigious conference where he will present his research as an MRIGlobal-sponsored scholar. Learn more »

Study: High Stress for Mothers Increases Secondhand Smoke Risk for Infants 

New mothers who experience higher levels of social stressors are the least likely to have rules that ban smoking in the home, which could expose their infants to secondhand smoke and increase health risks, according to a study that includes a University of Kansas researcher. Learn more »

New research at KU Medical Center Finds a Possible Correlation between Milk Consumption and Brain Health 

KUMC researchers studied 60 participants who included milk in their diet.  Their research showed that these participants had higher levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, in their brains. Learn more »

Kansas City Public Housing Residents Get Spring Break Visit from Health Providers

Truman Medical Center, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences partnered to provide health screening to residents in Kansas City public housing. In addition to dental services, there were vision screenings, healthy eating consultations, checks of height, weight and blood pressure, and information on applying for Medicaid and for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Learn more »

KU School of Health Professions alumnus Karen Schell is Bringing Better Health Care to Ghana

Karen Schell, who received a degree in respiratory therapy from KU, is working to create Ghana's first bachelor's degree program in respiratory care, with the potential to change the way health care is provided in this developing West African nation. Learn more »

Camp Focuses On Helping Kids with ADHD

Children's Mercy Summer Treatment Program  designed for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) provides in just eight weeks the equivalent of up to seven years of traditional ADHD therapy. Organizers said they hope the model program will grow because more than four-million kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. Learn more »

Trauma-Sensitive Schools Foster Resilience

Truman Medical Centers, in partnership with the Kansas City Public Schools, is working to develop the Trauma Sensitive Schools Initiative. The inaugural Resilient Schools Facilitator Summit is planned for this June 8-12. Learn more »

Despite Strong Year for KU Research, Funding Trend is Lower 

During the past four years, externally sponsored research expenditures at all University of Kansas campuses totaled more than $1 billion. It was the strongest four-year span in KU history. Even so, the future funding trend for university research is sobering at KU and nationwide. Learn more »

SCD Probiotics® to Participate at Ingenuity Central as Exhibitor & Award Winner  

SCD Probiotics will participate in Ingenuity Central at the K-State Olathe campus on Thursday on April 9, 2015 as one of twenty-two Ingenuity Award winners in the region. Learn more »

MRIGlobal’s NREL Executive to Retire

Dan E. Arvizu, PhD, MRIGlobal Executive Vice President, has announced his intent to retire at the end of September 2015. Arvizu is the Director and Chief Executive of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Learn more »

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