Purdue's Discovery Park to host Indiana CTSI research retreat

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Panel discussions and presentations are planned at a meeting this month for the second phase of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), a partnership between Purdue University, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame.

The daylong research retreat, titled "Reflections, Looking Forward and Opportunities" and hosted by Discovery Park, is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21 in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Room 121.

Anantha Shekhar  Download Photo

Anantha Shekhar, M.D., director of the Indiana CTSI and associate vice president for university clinical affairs at IU, and Connie Weaver, Indiana CTSI deputy director and the Distinguished Professor and Department Head of Nutrition Science at Purdue, will provide plans and goals for the partnership over the next five years.

Discussions also are planned on the new programs, initiatives, perspectives and vision of Indiana CTSI, ranging from molecular therapeutics and drug discovery to so-called "supercores" in researching genomics, metabolomics and proteomics and hospital engagement for translational research. A separate presentation will highlight the new Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Initiative.

Faculty and staff from across Indiana CTSI partner institutions are invited to attend but registration is required. Representatives from industry who are interested in partnering with Indiana CTSI researchers also are invited to participate. To register, go online to https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7QdpXuK4NRfdh77. An HTML version of the agenda is at http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/bioscience/ctsi/

The three-university partnership was awarded a $30 million grant from the National Institutes of Health last September to continue its mission accelerating research discoveries across Indiana and beyond. That award from the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences renews the grant that established the Indiana CTSI five years ago, guaranteeing the institution will advance innovative health-care programs and biomedical research into at least 2018.

Connie Weaver  Download Photo

The Indiana CTSI's mission is to act as a statewide laboratory to advance translational research - the practice of taking results from research labs and clinics into safe and innovative treatments and therapies used in medical practice.

Since 2008, Indiana CTSI-funded researchers at the three partner universities have advanced discoveries in areas such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, autism, traumatic brain injury, polycystic kidney disease, and osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. 

Institutional pilot funds from the participating universities have generated a 19-to-1 return on investment from 2008-12, with $3.5 million in internal grants to scientists across the state attracting $65 million in federal research dollars and private investment over the same period.

Researchers affiliated with Indiana CTSI also have produced six technology licenses, 18 discovery disclosures, 22 patents and eight start-up companies. In addition, Indiana CTSI estimates it supports more than 80 full-time equivalent professional jobs across Indiana.

The IU School of Medicine and Purdue received the first $25 million NIH award to establish the Indiana CTSI in 2008, plus about $25 million in matching grants from IU and Purdue, the state of Indiana and public-private partners such as Eli Lilly and Co.

Additional support arrived a year later as Notre Dame joined the partnership, as well as several multimillion-dollar supplemental awards from the NIH granted to create tuition support and fellowship programs to prepare new scientists to engage in clinical and translational research. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program represents the NIH's largest single investment in clinical research.

About the Indiana CTSI

The Indiana CTSI is a statewide collaboration of IU, Purdue and Notre Dame to facilitate the translation of scientific discoveries in the lab into new patient treatments in Indiana and beyond. It was established in 2008 with a Clinical and Translational Science Award totaling nearly $60 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science at the National Institutes of Health (Grants UL1TR001108, KL2TR001106, TL1TR001107, UL1TR00006-05S2, KL2TR000163-05S1, TL1TR000162-05S1, TR000006, TR000163 and TR000162; PI: A. Shekhar) with additional support from the state, the three member universities, and public and private partners. It is a member of the national network of more than 60 CTSA-funded organizations across the country. 

Media Contacts: Phillip Fiorini, Purdue University, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu 

Kevin Fryling, Indiana CTSI, 317-278-0088, kfryling@iupui.edu

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