OU expanding scope of its biomedical research efforts

By Dave Groves, news editor

With a new director in place at OU’s Center for Biomedical Research, efforts are now well under way to capitalize on research opportunities that will broaden the university’s already intense focus on the applied health and biomedical sciences.

Center Director Bradley Roth said both faculty and student researchers are excited about an opportunity to take advantage of the institutional resources that support OU’s Research Excellence Fund. Grants distributed through the fund are designed to help get fledgling research projects up and running.

A call for proposals was issued early this year and the submission deadline is nearing. Roth said he expects to see a great deal of interest from scientists hoping to lay the groundwork for larger and more detailed biomedical research work.

“Often this is viewed as seed money for research that can lead to people getting federal funding later,” he explained. “You really need the preliminary data to win that.”

Virinder Moudgil, OU’s senior vice president and provost, said an exciting change in the center’s grant funding framework is that awards are now available to researchers in schools throughout the university.

“We were not able to tap into all the resources we have available to us here under the old arrangement,” he explained. “The good ideas come from everywhere. The broader your participation, the more the chances that you’ll find those new and encouraging ideas.”

The center also is seeking new membership – a process that Roth expects will heighten interest in contributions that Oakland University has long made to the health science community.

“You can see that every week, there is a paper or two coming out by OU people doing biomedical research,” Roth said. “People are excited about this. I think there is a lot of interest.”

Roth said work done by faculty and students often explores the primary mechanisms of physiological systems. This research provides new insights and answers to questions that often stand in the way of breakthroughs in specialized areas of health science.

“We need to support this research and help people understand that it’s the foundation on which the health care industry is built,” he said.

Moudgil said that under the gifted stewardship of former director Denis Callewaert, the Center for Biomedical Research helped establish a highly encouraging and supportive environment for health science investigators at OU. Moudgil expects this same environment to be markedly enhanced under the center’s new director.

“In Brad Roth we have an acknowledged and respected leader in biomedical research. That in itself will be a tremendous advantage for us,” Moudgil said. “The opportunities for growth in biomedical research are expanding exponentially, and I am confident the center will play a big part in that under his leadership.”

Revitalizing the center’s primary mission of support for faculty and student research work complements a number of other health-related initiatives at Oakland. These include the founding of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and plans to build a $62 million Human Health Building as part of a future medical park on campus. A medical school building and a medical research facility also are planned.

For more information about the Center for Biomedical Research, visit the Web site.