| Claflin among Statewide Alliance to Receive $20 Million NSF Research Grant Charlene Slaughter - Thursday, July 23, 2009 Claflin University is one of 10 institutions of higher learning involved in a multi-million dollar statewide alliance established to conduct tissue biofabrication research, which could lead to the production of human organs. |
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In announcing the National Science Foundation award Thursday, Dr. Lance Haworth, NSF director of the Office of Integrative Activities, said the award will accelerate research and expand the collaborations among South Carolina’s colleges and universities. “This five-year, $20 million award will benefit the fields of medicine, engineering, mathematics, journalism and the social sciences,” Dr. Haworth said. “This award is the largest ever in South Carolina. The researchers in this alliance will be pioneering the field of biofabrication.” Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, president of Claflin University, said the alliance will allow Claflin to further strengthen its bond with colleges and universities in the state in the field of research. Claflin currently partners with the Medical University of South Carolina, University of South Carolina and Clemson University on research initiatives. “This research collaboration will allow us to build on our research capacity at Claflin University, and what we’re trying to do here,” Dr. Tisdale said. “For us, with the number of collaborative efforts we already have with these universities, including an engineering dual degree program with Clemson, the master’s in public health and health disparities research with USC, and a post-doctoral training program with MUSC – this builds on that and bolsters our research capacity.” Claflin will receive $1.1 million, which will be used to recruit and mentor three new faculty members who will contribute to the scientific goals for the statewide initiative. Claflin will also partner with Greenville Technical College to develop a dual degree program in biotechnology, train Master’s level and undergraduate students, and provide training opportunities for middle and high school teachers, guidance counselors and students for workforce building in bioscience research. More specifically, Claflin researchers will contribute to the research by developing a biofabricated molar implant technology for the replacement of teeth; developing computer programs to aid with the computer modeling of three dimensional maps of the blood vessels needed for biofabricated transplantable organs; and developing blood vessels for transplantation to patients who need vascular implants. Dr. Verlie Tisdale, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Claflin, is the university’s principal investigator. Dr. Samina Hasanali is a junior faculty member with support for project development. Dr. Omar Bagasra, director for the South Carolina Center for Biotechnology and Biology professor at Claflin, will serve as Dr. Hasanali’s faculty mentor and will contribute his expertise toward his own research project in vascular tissue development. Dr. Rebecca Bullard-Dillard, director of research development, authored the grant for Claflin. “This is Claflin’s second round of EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) research infrastructure building support as part of the South Carolina EPSCoR collaborative research initiatives,” said Dr. Bullard-Dillard. “The success and productivity of that first initiative in bioengineering and biotechnology has provided the foundation upon which the current award is based. Our researchers and student research trainees are eager to get to the job of pioneering the future of healthcare in the vital field of tissue regenerations and biofabrication.” MUSC will serve as the lead institution, with part of the grant going toward expanding and upgrading MUSC's current bioprinting lab into an Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Center, said Dr. Roger Markwald, lead scientific director. “This center will be the interface between the 10 partners and partnerships around the world,” Dr. Markwald said. “The goal is to use the expertise from everyone in the state to basically transform the technology." Bioprinting is the process of printing cells at high speeds into three-dimensional structures. The process was pioneered in South Carolina at MUSC and Clemson by retrofitting a laser jet printer. The next major hurdle to clear, which the grant funds and alliance will support, is discovering a way to build branching vascular “trees" that are needed for engineered organs to be viable. “You discover how things really work when you have to put it together piece by piece,” Dr. Markwald said of the challenge. “Once accomplished, 70,000 people in the United States alone will have a better chance of getting tissue replaced.” Dr. Jerome Odom, project principle investigator, said the research will promote scientific and technological progress nationwide. “The grant provides an opportunity to boost South Carolina’s research to higher heights,” he said. “The research done by these institutions has the potential to impact millions. The ability to fabricate organs offers new hope. This is global, there are no cultural boundaries. We want all of these universities to achieve national prominence and recognition.”
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