171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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February 2006
Children's Research Institute News Brief
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Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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We are very excited and proud of the accomplishments of children's researchers since the building opened its doors and was dedicated to
Dr. Charles P. Darby last year. In a competitive process, investigators were selected through peer-review for occupancy in the Institute.
This was a challenging effort because MUSC has never before used such a space allocation process. Also new: steering committee oversight
of research themes and multidisciplinary teams replaced departmental oversight and control of research space. In addition, several
outstanding investigators, working in their respective departments far removed from the Children's Hospital or pediatric biology, were
asked to consider how their basic research aligned with the mission of the DCRI.
Ultimately, the success of the Institute should be measured not only by the productivity of individual investigators with academic
appointments in different departments, but also by the net effect on children's health. The co-location of research programs should
catalyze collaborations between individuals and groups of scientists who have not previously worked together. It is remarkable that
the activities of investigators working in the DCRI account for over $23MM of MUSC's federal extramural funding!
As we celebrate the Darby Children's Research Institute's first birthday this month, it seems that just about every one of its 14 programs has established new
collaborations as a result of the DCRI's research environment. In all cases, programs are investing resources into research projects
that directly relate to children's diseases and biology. The new collaborations are more important than ever, given the fact that
funding of basic biomedical research has slowed significantly and will probably remain flat in the next few years. In some cases,
connections established with clinical investigators have resulted in the design of clinical studies of novel therapeutic approaches
for diabetes, chorioamnionitis, brain injury in the newborn, and sickle cell disease.
Moreover, children's clinical research protocols that are currently active in MUSC's General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) now account
for more than a third (17/50) of all investigator-initiated clinical research studies managed by the GCRC. Noteworthy examples include
Dr. Carol Wagner's evaluation of vitamin D requirements during pregnancy, Dr. Julio Barredo's study of hydroxyurea in sickle cell disease,
Dr. Richard Silver's study of atorvastatin in children with lupus, and Dr. Lyndon Key's study of molecular diagnostics in osteopetrosis.
These are fine examples of children's translational sciences at MUSC.
Through the efforts of children's researchers and DCRI investigators, we will continue to focus on developing and refining our innovations.
New collaborations and novel therapies across disciplines in the DCRI,, established interactions and networking between the state's children's
hospitals, and tremendous local community support for our Children's Hospital programs - all set the stage for families and health professionals
world-wide to think of Charleston as one of the top places to consult for children's care. The emerging "flagship" DCRI discoveries in controlling
inflammation across a broad range of diseases could well propel us to a leading position nationally.
As Provost John Raymond and College of Medicine Dean Jerry Reves have stated, one of the overarching challenges for MUSC in the next few years will
be to balance the needs of individual departments (clinical and basic) with the needs of centers and institutes. This is critical to the success of
the DCRI and to the state's economy at-large, because multidisciplinary research activity is much better oriented to meeting the needs of industry.
The departmental organization still has value, but in the last several years, most of the research conducted in academic health centers around the
country has shifted to centers and institutes. In fact, the NIH is seeking a reorganization of clinical and translational research into a new academic
home to transform the culture from a traditional discipline-based system (departmental) to one that is cross-disciplinary [DCRI, Clinical and
Translational Science (CTS)]. Whatever is finally decided about the optimal structure at MUSC to serve the new cross-disciplinary research strategy,
it seems clear that resources (indirect costs and other support) must align with the mission for the DCRI to sustain momentum in cross-disciplinary
research for children.
Please come and join us on February 16 and 17 to learn more about the DCRI and what we are collectively doing to improve the health of South Carolina's
children. Click here for more information.
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