BIRMINGHAM, AL — Two new interdisciplinary research centers were established at UAB by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees at its regular meeting, February 3.
The UAB Center for Glial Biology in Medicine — the first of its kind in the nation — will support basic and clinical research on the biology of glial cells, which have been recognized to be of critical importance in many brain and spinal cord injuries, glial-derived brain tumors and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and periventricular leukomalatia. About 25,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with often-fatal glioblastoma brain tumors. And more than 50,000 children are born with mental retardation each year due to glial-related conditions.
The center will be directed by Harald W. Sontheimer, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and director of the Civitan International Research Center and Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program.
The center will provide leadership and support for UAB to seek grant funding and establish facilities to allow researchers to compete for recently earmarked National Institutes of Health funds in this emerging field of scientific study. The creation of the center also uniquely positions UAB as a leader in glial research, which crosses the boundaries of clinical neurology, surgery, rehabilitation medicine and the basic sciences.
The board also approved the establishment of the UAB Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration. The center will be directed by Yogesh K. Vohra, Ph.D., professor of physics in the UAB School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and UAB University Scholar.
Several UAB schools, including the schools of dentistry, business, engineering, medicine, and natural sciences and mathematics, already have extensive collaborations within the field of nanotechnology. Such technology advances materials research and its applications through the synthesis of materials and structures of increasingly smaller dimensions, to one-billionth of a meter, or a nanometer. The CNMB will build upon recent developments in nanomaterials and its applications in biomedical fields by bringing together research expertise at UAB from a variety of fields, including physics, materials science, biomaterials and biomedical engineering, cell biology and orthopedic surgery.
Activities at UAB have focused on the nanostructured diamond and other super hard materials, nanostructured coatings for biomedical implants, nanostructure porous biomaterials for tissue engineering, nanoparticles for enhanced biomedical imaging and bio-sensing, dental implant applications and orthopedic applications.
In 1997, Vohra patented a process to grow synthetic diamonds by combining methane and hydrogen gases with high-powered microwaves. In 2001, Vohra and UAB faculty member Shane Aaron Catledge were issued a patent for the process they developed that produces a smooth nanostructured diamond film that can be deposited on metals. Since then, Birmingham-based Vista Engineering Inc. has licensed the technology from the UAB Research Foundation to develop large-scale coating methods for diamond-coated cutting tools used by the automotive industry. Vohra and colleagues have patented a new laboratory apparatus and method to quickly create large diamond gemstones of comparable quality to those found in nature.
CNMB faculty participants also have received grants from NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to develop new, more functional TMJ dental implants, and the National Science Foundation’s Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team award to develop nanostructured biomaterials for hip and knee implants.
Collaboration within the newly established center will allow opportunities for more expansive partnerships and commercialization of these nanomaterials and technologies, and creates the potential to generate significant economic growth for the state through such commercialization.
To be approved as a university-wide interdisciplinary research center by the UA System Board of Trustees, centers must demonstrate sponsorship from more than two UAB schools and be evaluated by the university's research advisory group on interdisciplinary faculty involvement; provision of research infrastructure; contribution to the intellectual environment, contribution to faculty and student recruitment, development and retention; a financial base to support center and core activities; internal and external review processes to assure quality and productivity; and leadership in the integration of research and service, including community outreach or partnerships.