The Methodist Hospital Research Institute

Rice and The Methodist Hospital Win Stimulus Funding Team Will Test Emerging Wireless Applications in Houston´s East End

HOUSTON (Oct. 13, 2009) – A team of wireless researchers and doctors from Rice University and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute have won a $2 million federal grant to design and test next–generation wireless platforms and remote patient monitoring devices in Houston´s working–class Pecan Park neighborhood.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the money to a six–person team of researchers from Rice´s Center for Multimedia Communication (CMC) and from the Abramson Center for the Future of Health, a joint effort by Methodist and the University of Houston. The funding was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Renowned Stem Cell Researcher Irving Weissman To Speak at TMHRI

HOUSTON (Sept. 29, 2009) – Irving L. Weissman, M.D., director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, will deliver a seminar titled "Normal and Neoplastic Stem Cells," in honor of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute´s first annual Cockrell Foundation Award in Clinical or Translational Research on Nov 11, 2009.

TMHRI Joins GCC´s John S Dunn Chemical Genomics Research Consortium

HOUSTON (Sept. 3, 2009) – TMHRI has been accepted as an affiliate member of the Gulf Coast Consortium´s John S Dunn Chemical Genomics Research Consortium. Members of this group work together to develop a multi-institutional program for high-throughput imaging-based screenings that will facilitate drug discovery in the Texas Medical Center. Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Wong for his work in this effort.

Dr. John D. Baxter Receives Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship Award

HOUSTON – (Sept. 1, 2009) – Dr. John D. Baxter, co-director of the Diabetes Research Center and division head of endocrinology at The Methodist Hospital, received the Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship award for his academic achievements in the field of thyroidology.

This award honors the memory of Dr. Sidney H. Ingbar and recognizes academic achievements in the field of thyroidology, keeping with the innovation and vision that epitomized Dr. Ingbar´s career. As part of the honor, Dr. Baxter will deliver his lecture, "Mechanisms of Thyroid Hormone Action: Perspectives and Applications," on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at the 80th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association in Palm Beach, Florida.

"We are extremely proud we have someone of Dr. Baxter´s caliber doing such advanced thyroid research at Methodist," said Dr. Richard Robbins, chairman of the Department of Medicine at The Methodist Hospital.

Baxter also serves as director of Methodist´s Genomic Medicine Program and is a senior member of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute. Prior to receiving the Sidney H. Ingbar award, Dr. Baxter received numerous other awards, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the Koch Award from the Endocrine Society, and the Outstanding Investigator Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

For more information on The Methodist Hospital, see www.methodisthealth.com. For more information on The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, see www.methodistresearch.com.

Carin and Todd Barth Host TMHRI dinner featuring Diabetes Research

David Underwood of the Fondren Foundation, at left, presents the Fondren Award to Jack Blanton, Sr. on April 29.

HOUSTON – (May 6, 2009) – Ms. Carin Barth, a member of TMHRI’s Board of Directors, and her husband Todd hosted a dinner for 125 guests at the River Oaks Country Club on Wednesday, April 29. At the dinner, Jack Blanton, Sr. received the Fondren Award from the Fondren Foundation for his outstanding service to The Methodist Hospital. This event also spotlighted the diabetes research program at TMHRI.

At the suggestion of Ms. Barth, Institute Director Dr. Michael Lieberman began the scientific portion of the program with a brief speech about the work of TMHRI. In Dr. Lieberman's words, “What makes TMHRI so attractive to researchers across the country is our commitment to interdisciplinary research and a culture of innovation and discovery.”

Collaborative center aimed at treating, curing retinoblastoma opens

First center of its kind in Southwest; first in nation to offer gene therapy

HOUSTON – (March 25, 2009) – Doctors and researchers from four Texas Medical Center institutions have joined together in the fight against retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the eye.

The result of their collaboration is the Retinoblastoma Center of Houston, which includes experts from Texas Children´s Cancer Center, the Children´s Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.

Together these specialists will pioneer advancements in treating and curing retinoblastoma through ground-breaking research and the development of innovative therapies.

"By having top clinicians and researchers join forces, the Retinoblastoma Center of Houston will be able to deliver the highest quality patient care and conduct important research related to the diagnosis and treatment of retinoblastoma," said Dr. Murali Chintagumpala, clinical co-director of the center, pediatric oncologist at Texas Children´s Cancer Center and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Retinoblastoma affects about 350 infants and children in the United States each year and is the most common malignant tumor of the eye in children. Retinoblastoma is often curable, but may result in the loss of the eye.

Internationally Acclaimed Researcher Joins Methodist and UH

Hormones Expert Gustafsson to Lead Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and UH

HOUSTON – (February 5, 2009) – The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and the University of Houston have recruited a top hormones researcher and his team to carry out laboratory research and to create next-generation pharmaceuticals and medical technologies at a world-class center to be established by UH and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (TMHRI). Gov. Rick Perry today announced the awarding of a $5.5 million through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) to support the new center.

Jan-Åke Gustafsson, a renowned figure in the study of hormones and a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Assembly, will lead the Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling.

“The recruitment of Dr. Gustafsson and establishment the center represents a substantial collaboration between UH and Methodist," said Michael Lieberman, M.D., Ph.D., director of TMHRI. “Dr. Gustafsson will join two of the world’s top nuclear receptor researchers, TMHRI’s Drs. Willa Hsueh and John Baxter, in establishing the world’s largest center for nuclear receptor research."

Dr. Stephen Wong named John S. Dunn, Sr. Distinguished Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering

HOUSTON – (February 2, 2009) – Stephen Wong, Ph.D, P.E., was recently awarded the John S. Dunn, Sr. Distinguished Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering at The Methodist Hospital. Wong, who holds more than $6 million in NIH funding, will leverage this chair to pursue more innovative research that combines genomics with advanced imaging and biosensing techniques for more personalized medical care.

In his version of personalized medicine, Wong is coupling high throughput genomics and advanced mathematical algorithms with biological studies to identify the best combination of drugs for specific types of cancer within certain individuals. His goal is to take all of the guess work out of treatment decisions, saving cost and time, both of which are precious commodities for patients with cancer. He is also extending this approach to combat neurodegeneration.

He is also in the process of developing what he calls a "lab in a needle," enabling physicians to make on-the-spot diagnoses and initiate suitable therapies right away. It can also reduce the time it takes for physicians to determine if a certain chemotherapy is toxic to a patient. For example, rather than waiting for blood tests to determine this, the lab in a needle will be inserted directly into the liver, which processes toxins, and results will be immediate. This could help determine if the patient´ medications need to be changed well before debilitating side-effects are felt.