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Institute for Science and Health News

The Institute is always actively working to support research that advances medicine and impacts lives. Check here for the latest on our activities, and those of our research partners. Or click on Latest Medical News Headlines, for updates on developments in the field of medicine.

Professional athletes partner with the Institute to impact the lives of children

The Institute is extremely pleased to announce that several professional athletes have chosen to have their foundations housed and administered by the Institute for Science and Health. To date, three foundations have been established by Isaac Bruce of the St. Louis Rams, Gary Baxter of the Cleveland Browns, and Delonte West of the Boston Celtics.

Each foundation is interested in impacting the lives of children. These interests are accomplished by encouraging a healthy lifestyle through educational program development and implementation, research on childhood illnesses, exercise and sports fitness, and the arts. These goals are in complete alignment with those of the Institute's Youth Health and Development Program Initiative and the LifeWise program.

To learn more about these athletes and the mission and activities of each foundation please select the "Foundations" link in the menu bar located near the top of the page.

Institute awards the second annual Dietrich Hoffmann Career Development Award to UK postdoc

The Dietrich Hoffmann Career Development Award was established by the Institute's Advisory Council on Tobacco Science and Health Policy as a way to honor the life-long achievements of Dr. Dietrich Hoffmann, a recognized leader in the field of tobacco science, and foster the development of future scientific leaders. It is with these lofty goals in mind that the Institute for Science and Health is proud to award the 2006 Career Development Award to Dr. Dominique Balharry of the University of Cardiff .

"Dom's presentation titled, 'The use of conventional toxicology to characterize the dose response of a human airway epithelium model to tobacco smoke components', was magnificent - it is a pleasure to see such fine work being done by such a young scientist," said Dr. Roger Jenkins, distinguished scientist and member of the Advisory Council.

Dom received the award during the Institute's 2006 Tobacco Science and Health Symposium held at the fabulous Hotel Sacher in Vienna , Austria . For her hard-earned efforts, Dr. Balharry will receive a research grant award of $40,000 USD to further support her important work.

Tobacco science and health grant recipient files for several new patents

Institute supported investigator, Dr. David White at the University of Tennessee, reports that following discovery in a grant project titled " Feasibility of breath condensate lipids and eicosanoids as biomarker predictors of exposure and harm " that a multitude of biomarkers of great utility could be detected in breath aerosol condensate. This aerosol condensate yield biomarkers associated with pulmonary pathology that can reflect the six cardinal elements of stress response; inflammation, immune system modulation, P-450 toxicity response, oxidative stress, programmed cell death (apoptosis), and modulations of these processes by the brain and peripheral nervous system.

As a direct result of the Institute supported research several U.S. Patent disclosures have been filed that relate to improvements in equipment design that significantly enhance sensitivity and specificity for detection of trace amounts of biomarkers. It is believed that these advances will result in clinically useful biomarkers that will be able to detect the initial stages of pulmonary stress responses that will positively impact human health.

ARTICLE ADDENDUM The Institute for Science and Health is deeply saddened to report that following receipt of the aforementioned patent disclosure information and a subsequent acknowledgment of a successful new grant proposal, that Dr. David White has been tragically killed in an automobile accident near his home. The Institute will do its best to keep the important work established by Dr. White moving forward.

Institute for Science and Health partners with Everglades organization

The Institute for Science and Health and John Marshall, President of the West Palm Beach-based Arthur R. Marshall Foundation, are proud to announce a new community partnership in the fight to restore the Florida Everglades, foster a healthy environment, and provide for children's health and development.

The Institute for Science and Health, which also has offices in St. Louis , Palm Beach , and New York , is an international research organization, incorporated as a non-profit, that collaborates with investigators at universities and research centers around the globe. The core focus of the Institute's mission is on identifying the causes of, and developing more effective treatments for, under-researched and under-funded diseases affecting millions in the United States and abroad. Since inception in early 2001, the Institute has invested millions of dollars in dozens of innovative research projects by teaming up with the best and brightest scientists and researchers whose cutting-edge ideas hold the most promise for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and cure for "orphan diseases." These conditions receive limited public attention yet collectively affect in excess of 25 million Americans and countless more worldwide. While the exact cause of many of these conditions remains unclear, a blossoming wealth of evidence suggests that environmental factors may play a significant role in disease formation.

The partnership will kick off on December 1, 2006 when the Institute will be recognized at the Marshall Foundation's Annual River of Grass Gala at the Kravis Center Cohen Pavilion . The Gala will feature an elegant dinner-dance and live and silent auctions. Proceeds will fund the Marshall Foundation's Everglades Education programs.

Josette Kaufman , Executive Director of the non-profit Marshall Foundation, said she was excited about the chance to work with the Institute. "The Marshall Foundation has a lot in common with the Institute for Science and Health because we both emphasize the importance of education. I know that this partnership is going to be incredibly productive for both of us," she said.

Alan Willer, Senior Vice President of the Institute for Science and Health, is extremely enthusiastic to enter into this partnership with the Marshall Foundation. "We share a common passion for healthy people, healthy living, and a healthy environment, and look forward to making the world a better place for our children. This partnership is a shining light for the future, for together the Institute and the Marshall Foundation can forge a healthier tomorrow through innovative and meaningful educational and research programs," he said.

Founded in 1998, the Marshall Foundation has three goals; restoring original plant life and water flow patterns to the greater Everglades ecosystem, educating young people and the public about Everglades ecology, and delivering the message of restoration to as many people as possible through comprehensive public outreach programs. In recent years, the Marshall Foundation has planted over 77,000 native Florida trees in wetland areas, awarded over $250,000 in scholarships and internships, involved more than 4,000 volunteers in hands-on restoration projects, and provided experiential programs for youngsters to learn and become involved in environmentally-conscious healthy living.

For more information about the Marshall Foundation, call 561-805-TREE (8733), visit www.artmarshall.org or email PlantCypress@aol.com .

Celebrity Golf Outing is a Smash!

The day was cool and blustery, but the chilly autumn weather gave way to a hot time on October 11 for about 120 golfers attending the Adam & Jana Timmerman Celebrity Golf Outing . With the support of many St. Louis Rams players, this year's event raised over $65,000 to fund pancreatic cancer research on early detection methods and targeted therapies.

	Members of the St. Louis Rams Football Team at the Golf Outing: Marshall Faulk, Cam Cleeland, Dane Looker, Marc Bulger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Adam Timmerman, Blaine Saipaia, Madison Hedgecock, Shaun Lynch, Matt Taylor, Rex Tucker and Mike Furrey

The golf outing was co-chaired by Rams guard Adam Timmerman and his wife, Jana, whose father died of pancreatic cancer at age 59.

One of the reasons the tournament is so popular is that participants have the opportunity to play with a member of the St. Louis Rams. They also enjoyed a cocktail hour, awards dinner, and silent/oral auctions after the tournament.

Homer Sedighi, golf outing birdie sponsor, launches a beauty off the tee

"This is as good a golf outing as I have ever attended," said Tony O'Connor, Regional Vice President of the Wealth Management Group for Southwest Bank. Many thanks to the fine businesses, individuals, volunteers, and charitable organizations that have generously sponsored this event. For a complete listing of our sponsors, click here.

The Institute For Science and Health funds its first two projects on pancreatic cancer research

The Institute For Science And Health is proud to announce that it has recently awarded its first two grants for pancreatic cancer research as part of the Institute's Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Program Initiative.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease that is often difficult to clinically distinguish from pancreatitis. This difficulty in differential diagnosis likely serves as a contributing factor to late diagnosis, delayed treatment, and poor prognosis. Once diagnosed, the median survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 4-6 months, with a five-year survival rate of less than 5%. Overall, pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, accounting for nearly 6% of all cancer deaths nationwide. Current estimates established by American Cancer Society indicate that in 2005, in excess of 30,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the US, while an estimated 32,000 deaths are anticipated from people afflicted by this dreaded disease. Despite these alarming statistics, financial resources directed toward pancreatic cancer research pale in comparison to many other cancers. Part of this can be attributed to the extremely high mortality rate among those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the general dogma that there is little that can be done that will make a significant impact toward lowering the mortality rate.

The Institute For Science And Health believes that a positive impact can be achieved through focused research and educational efforts. The goal of the Institute's pancreatic cancer research focus within the Gastrointestinal Diseases Program Initiative is to develop strategies that would allow accurate early detection and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and develop new treatment methodologies leading to a cure. The ultimate aim of this effort is to improve treatment outcomes and offer hope where little has existed before.

As a result of donor generosity, the Annual Golf Outing with the St. Louis Rams, and the Acoustic Alchemy benefit concert, the Institute has recently awarded two seed grants for pancreatic cancer research.

One award, directed toward developing new treatment options through targeted therapies, was made to Dr. F. Farasatti at the University of Minnesota for a project titled "A Signal-Smart Oncolytic Virus for Targeting Pancreatic Cancer". A second award was made to Dr. B. Agarwal at Saint Louis University for a project titled "Development of an immunohistochemical panel of markers to aid in early diagnosis of pancreatic cancers"

The Institute For Science And Health firmly believes that support of these two seed projects will provide a solid foundation to garner additional financial resources for continued support of projects on gastrointestinal diseases.

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The Institute is always actively working to support research that advances medicine and impacts lives. Check here for the latest medical news headlines or click on Institute News , for the latest on our activities and those of our partners.