Research Park Progressing
Genetic Research
Equipment Purchased
The latest weapon in WVU’s research arsenal can be used to analyze up to 500,000 genetic variations at one time or analyze the expression levels of all the genes in a cell.
“While we know about the genes that make up the human genome,” Sepideh Zareparsi, PhD, an assistant professor at the WVU Eye Institute, said, “the genetic variations that make each person an individual are of interest to us. What is there in an individual’s genetic makeup that makes him or her susceptible to macular degeneration, for example? This machine will allow us to look for the gene or genes involved in a particular disease.”
The Affymetrix gene chip platform will be used by researchers at the Health Sciences Center to study gene expression and genotyping.
“By studying gene expression, we can see what is happening in the cell,” Zareparsi said. “It is the first step in the therapeutic drug-discovery process.”
Gene expression is one of the processes by which proteins are produced from the DNA inside a cell. By studying gene expression, researchers can determine what causes a cell to become diseased. This information can be used to develop treatments for that disease.
The equipment has been used successfully in the past to identify genes involved in a variety of diseases. Zareparsi expects to study the genes involved in diabetic retinopathy, the blindness caused by diabetes, which is prevalent in West Virginia.
“This gives us the opportunity to do research on diseases that are of particular concern to West Virginians, including neuropsychiatric and neurologic disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular and lung disease,” said George Spirou, PhD, director of the Sensory Neuroscience Research Center. “Identifying the genes involved in these diseases gives us one more way to fight them.”
“We are taking another step in meeting the goals set forth in WVU’s strategic research plan,” said Robert D’Alessandri, MD, vice president of the Health Sciences Center. “This technology gives us the opportunity, for example, to combine neurosciences research with diabetes research, potentially affecting lives every day.”
The gene chip platform was purchased with funding provided by the National Institutes of Health, the WVU Health Sciences Strategic Research Plan, and charitable contributions to the WVU Eye Institute.
Researching Herbal Sustainability
Many West Virginians strolling through the woods of Appalachia either hunting or sightseeing have, no doubt, a great appreciation for the trees, plants, and shrubs that surround them.
What they may not know, however, is that in these wilds exists one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world—second only to the tropics.
WVU professors know the area is incredibly rich in species. And those same professors are bringing their research and expertise into a collaborative effort with two other universities in a proposed center for research and development of medicinal plants.
The collaboration, The Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies, was formed two years ago to focus research on native plant species and their medicinal uses, and recently secured its first major federal funding—$300,000 for initial studies from the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill.
Along with the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and Frostburg State University, WVU joined the initiative to investigate the health benefits of the Appalachian region’s herbal medicinal plants.
The research will focus on the Central Appalachian region covering West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
WVU has been researching uses, harvests, and distributions of medicinal plants like ginseng, block cohosh, and goldenseal. WVU’s contribution to the center will be the study of sustainability of harvest.
Math-Science Initiative Launched
WVU has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to recruit, retain, and place the next generation of engineers, scientists, and computer scientists from Appalachia in college.
The Engineers of Tomorrow Program is a multidisciplinary initiative within the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Human Resources and Education, in partnership with the EdVenture Group, a nonprofit educational outreach organization.
The initiative is designed to focus on the need to increase the number of high school students entering the math, science, and technology fields, particularly women and minorities.
Current national statistics indicate that only 21 percent of engineering’s total college enrollment are women, and only five percent are African American. Those statistics are even lower in West Virginia, where many students are first-generation college students.
WVU wants to change that dynamic by making West Virginia students more aware of career opportunities in these fields and by giving high school teachers the tools they need to increase student achievement.
Developing Better Materials for Metal Processing
Researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are achieving promising results in a project aimed at developing corrosion-resistant materials for containers and hardware used in molten metal processing.
The project, which got under way in 2004 with a $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Technology Program, is currently featured on the program’s Web site at www.eere.energy.gov/industry/resources/ebulletin.
Ever Barbero, chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is the principal investigator on the project.
“Corrosion and wear is a serious problem in the metal containers and hardware used in molten metal processing,” said Dr. Barbero. “It causes contamination, downtime for repairs, and loss of product quality. Our goal is to extend the life of hardware and containers used in metal processing through the development of improved materials, leading to significant energy and production benefits.”
The project’s results so far are very promising. Newly developed steel overlay is functioning well with little corrosion evident.
New rolls are scheduled to be installed soon for testing in an industrial-production steel-coating line. Researchers estimate that the new materials developed through this project will yield a total energy savings of more than 2.2 trillion BTUs per year in the coated steel industry.
“This project will directly benefit several industries in West Virginia,” said Barbero, “including the steel and steel coatings industries, specialty metals, metal casting, aluminum, and other related industries.”