New Life Sciences Innovation Center and New Vice Chancellor for Research Build Collaborations Throughout the Region

Jan 23, 2007

The $57.2-million Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus will house research programs that will focus on liver disease, reproductive sciences, neuroscience, diabetes and the emerging field of proteomics, which examines the structure of proteins and how they can be used to treat diseases.

Civic leaders and university officials publicly opened the doors to the state-of-the-art Life Sciences Innovation Center on the University of Kansas Medical Center campus Tuesday afternoon. Located at the corner of 39th and Rainbow Boulevard, the five-story, 205,000-square-foot facility shows the new heights reached in life sciences research for the greater Kansas City community, Kansas and the region.

"The life sciences require an interdisciplinary approach, the kind that's fostered by the laboratories and conference rooms in this facility," said KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "People the world over who suffer from cancer, brain disorders and other debilitating illnesses will be touched by what happens here. The caliber of research in this center will dramatically boost the economic development of this region's life sciences initiatives."

The $57.2 million Center is a tribute to public and private partnerships. Under the direction of the University Research Development and Enhancement Corporation headed by Clay Blair, the Center is part of a statewide effort to expand research capabilities of Kansas universities. The state is paying the first five years of the construction bonds, with the final 15 years being paid by the KU Medical Center from funds generated by research grants. As a champion for life sciences research, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts served as a catalyst to help bring the project together. In addition, the Hall Family Foundation contributed $27 million to furnish the building with the latest equipment. That gift was part of a $42 million commitment the Foundation made to the Kansas University Endowment Association in 2001.

"The Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center creates an environment that will help us attract top researchers and foster collaboration," said Barbara Atkinson, MD, executive vice chancellor of the Medical Center and executive dean of the KU School of Medicine. "Already, with the promise of this new space, we've been able to recruit some of the country's leading physician-scientists away from places such as Vanderbilt, Duke and Emory."

Paul Terranova, PhD, who was recently named vice chancellor for research at the University of Kansas Medical Center, leads Adele Hall on a tour of the Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center. The Hall Family Foundation contributed $27 million to help furnish the building with the latest equipment.

Research programs in the Center will focus on liver disease, reproductive sciences, neuroscience, diabetes and the emerging field of proteomics, which examines the structure of proteins and how they can be used to treat diseases. Investigators can share equipment in common areas, which not only encourages "team science" but also avoids costly duplication. Faculty members moving into the Center bring nearly $60 million in extramural funding with them, with approximately one-third of that grant revenue helping to cover overhead costs.

"Research is all about discovery," said Paul Terranova, PhD, vice chancellor for research, president of KUMC's Research Institute and one of the investigators studying ovarian function and cancer in the new building. "Scientists today are out of their silos and working together, much like detectives, to solve the complex mysteries of disease. This building was designed to facilitate that scientific process with an eye toward being flexible for what the future might bring."

Atkinson recently named Terranova vice chancellor for research for the medical center campus, and the Research Institute board of directors named him Research Institute president at its Tuesday meeting.

"Dr. Terranova has provided key leadership for our research enterprise for a number of years and brings valuable experience to this new role," Atkinson said. "I look forward to working with him as we execute the vision outlined in the 'Time to Get it Right' report, commissioned by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. This is an especially dynamic time in our research efforts, and Paul is uniquely suited to lead us into the future."

Terranova began his distinguished career at the KU Medical Center as a postdoctoral student after earning his PhD from Louisiana State University. He previously served in numerous administration positions throughout the medical center and currently serves as senior associate dean for research and graduate education for the KU School of Medicine. In addition, he has served in leadership positions for national and international scientific organizations and has provided service to the National Institutes of Health by serving on study sections at the national Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the national Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Pictured from left to right are, Ed Phillips, Vice Chancellor for Administration; Karen L. Miller, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the KU School of Nursing and senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs; Clay Blair, D.Ed. Kansas Bioscience Authority Chairman; Barbara Atkinson, MD, executive vice chancellor of the Medical Center and executive dean of the School of Medicine; Robert Hemenway, PhD, Chancellor of the University of Kansas; Nelson Galle, chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents; Lane Christenson, PhD, reproductive sciences researcher and Paul Terranova, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research.

Terranova currently serves on the editorial boards of Endocrinology and Endocrine and has given numerous lectures worldwide. Terranova has received several teaching awards from KU and, in 2002, he received the Chancellors Club Research Award for significant scientific discoveries.

As one of the investigators studying ovarian function and cancer in the Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center at the KU Medical Center campus, Terranova has played a key role in preparing the facility for occupancy this month.

"We are on the threshold of great opportunities here at the medical center, and thanks to the hard work of many talented investigators, including Paul Terranova, we have the ability to change the dynamics of life sciences research in our region," said Atkinson.

The Research Institute at KUMC assists faculty in developing research grant proposals. Overseen by a board of directors composed of university administrators, faculty and community members, the Research Institute serves as the legal entity for receipting grants and contracts.

What It Takes to Build a World-class Research Center

• 600,000 total man hours estimated to complete the project
• 230,000 lbs. of metal ductwork for building HVAC (Comparatively, a Boeing 747 is built with 147,000 lbs. of aluminum).
• 32,000 square feet of exterior brick
• More than 33 miles of electrical conduit; more than 119 miles of electrical wire
• 600 tons of structural steel
• Almost 22 miles of mechanical and plumbing piping
• Approximately 24,000 tons of concrete
• 1,100 tons of reinforcing steel (or about 210 miles of rebar)

Physician-Scientists Collaborate on Life Sciences Research

Fourth Floor ~ Liver Program
Program Director: Yvonne Wan, PhD

The liver is the central regulator of chemicals in the body -- screening and controlling uptake of nutrients, drugs and toxicants from outside the body while overseeing the amounts of fats, sugars, proteins and hormones within the body. Ten investigators in the Liver program study the genetic and environmental factors that control this broad range of liver functions, and how these functions are altered in disease states. These investigations will lead to dramatic improvements in the prediction, detection and treatment of diseases that directly affect and involve the liver such as alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver disease, gall stones, liver cancer, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Third Floor ~ Reproductive Sciences
Program Director: Paul Terranova, PhD

Establishing and maintaining the reproductive health of women, men and children is the singular mission of research conducted in nearly 20 research laboratories across the KUMC campus, including the Center for Reproductive Sciences (CRS) in the KLSIC. Areas of strength within the CRS include the physiology of male and female reproductive tracts; the relationship between the embryo, the placenta and maternal health during pregnancy; causes and treatments for diseases that include infertility and ovarian cancer; and the regulation of male fertility through development of novel drugs.

Second Floor ~ Neurological Sciences
Program Director: Peter Smith, PhD

The Neurological Sciences Program with 19 principal investigators is devoted to the study of the nervous system in health and disease. Specific focus areas include nerve degeneration in diseases such as diabetes; disorders affecting hearing and balance; neuroplasticity associated with adaptation after injury; reproduction-related nervous system disorders including female pain syndromes associated with estrogen (such as migraine and fibromyalgia); and nutritional disturbances during pregnancy and how they relate to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and post-partum depression.

First Floor ~ Proteomics Program
Program Director: Gerald Carlson, PhD

Proteomics is the study of the proteins that make up the human body. Proteins control human health by interacting with target molecules and when those interactions are altered, it can lead to a multitude of diseases including Alzheimer's and cancer. The 10 investigators in the Proteomics laboratories study the interactions of proteins to understand how individual biological processes work in identifying potential protein targets for therapeutic treatment, and in designing drugs for those target proteins.

Ground Floor ~ Diabetes Program
Program Director: David Robbins, MD

Diabetes and obesity in the Kansas City area are increasing at an alarming rate. Kansas University now leads a partnership with a variety of area private and public healthcare organizations to bring new resources to researchers, encourage innovation to cure or prevent diabetes and obesity, and reduce the complications and risk factors with the ultimate goal to provide better healthcare.