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Academic
research is a key component of high-tech growth and a powerful
economic engine. The presence of cutting-edge research in
the region is vital to technology transfer, which enables
innovative ideas discovered in academia to achieve commercialization
in the marketplace. Tampa Bay has several powerhouse research
centers that are engaged in both pure scientific research
and aggressively pursuing technology transfer to enrich people’s
lives.
University
of South Florida
USF
is known nationally for its work in the medical sciences and
biotechnology; marine science and MEMS (microelectromechanical
systems); engineering, and nanotechnology and medical science.
The university’s reputation as one of the top 60 public research
universities in the country has blossomed with total university
research funding reaching $290 million in 2004. The National
Science Research Foundation ranks USF 29th among all universities
in medical science research and development expenditures.
More than
half of the research dollars to date have been generated by
the USF
Health Sciences Center, which combines the Colleges
of Medicine, Nursing,
Public
Health and the Center
for Physical Therapy. Health Sciences Center
research funding jumped nearly 26 percent in 2003 to $119.7
million. Much of the focus is aimed at finding
new treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s
diseases.
Last year
the university also broke ground on a new $14 million College
of Nursing and Integrated Education Building, which will offer
an innovative curriculum designed to allow collaboration between
the various healthcare disciplines of medicine, nursing and
public health. The nursing school increased enrollment
from 70 to 120 students to help meet the growing shortage
of nurses nationwide.
The
USF Research Park
To foster
collaboration among academia and business and speed the transfer
of knowledge to the marketplace, USF broke ground in 2005
on a new 87-acre Research
Park. The park will serve as a center of
biotechnology and life science research and entrepreneurship,
and bring together the disciplines of bioengineering and life
sciences medicine, biomedical engineering and medical manufacturing.
Offices
for the USF
Center for Biological Defense, the Tampa
Bay Technology Incubator, the USF
Center for Entrepreneurship and private business
partners will be housed there, as well as the Florida
Medical Manufacturers Consortium.
USF researchers
are actively involved in many innovative life science projects,
including:
- The
Rehabilitation
Engineering and Technology Program is funded
by the Florida
Department of Education to support new technology
in rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and
to assist them with employment opportunities.
- In
the College
of Engineering, researchers are investigating
the use of nanotechnology – nanoscale science and technology
– to manipulate molecules and discover new methods of drug
delivery, cancer detection and more.
- The
USF
Center for Robotic Search and Rescue is developing
high-tech search and rescue robots with many applications.
- The
USF
Center for Ocean Technology using MEMS (microelectromechnical)
technology to design underwater marine science sensors,
and now, medical-related products. Research is underway
to develop tiny instruments used in cochlear implants to
improve hearing, equipment to monitor vital signs and infections
in high-risk newborns, and internal insulin pumps for people
with diabetes.
- The
USF
Center for Biological Defense is researching
more effective methods of detecting bio-terrorist agents.
- In
2004, the USF Life Sciences Entrepreneurship program, part
of the USF
Center for Entrepreneurship, was ranked the number
one specialty program for training new entrepreneurs in
the country. The United States Association for Small
Business and Entrepreneurship calls the center "a national
model exportable to other universities across the country."
The Life Sciences program places emphasis in the areas of
pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices.
H.
Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
The H.
Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
is a nationally recognized hospital and research center for
cancer prevention and treatment. It is one of only 38
National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer
Centers in the U.S. At its location on the USF campus,
more than 700 Moffitt scientists and clinicians oversee some
200 grant-supported research projects. A new Vincent
A. Stabile Research Building opened last year, adding 200,000
square feet more laboratory space. Funded research projects
totaled $53 million in 2003.
Moffitt
is known for its landmark research discoveries in the area
of functional genomics, molecular targeting, anti-cancer vaccines
and genetic testing. A $3.2 million U.S. Department
of Defense grant is helping establish the National Functional
Genomics Center. Moffitt scientists are using functional
genomics to profile cancer cells and examine how genes instruct
cells to become normal or abnormal.
The
Tampa Bay Technology Incubator
The Tampa
Bay Technology Incubator fosters small start-up
biotechnology and life sciences’ companies, helping them achieve
success in developing and commercializing innovative ideas.
About a dozen fledgling companies will be moving into the
new Incubator when it opens this year. Here are some
examples:
Tampa
Shriners Hospital for Children
The
Center for Research in Skeletal Development and Pediatric
Orthopaedics at the Tampa
Shriners Hospital is also located on the USF campus.
The center is dedicated to developing a better understanding
of children's musculoskeletal problems and identifying new
and better treatments, especially in the areas of congenital
orthopaedic deformities; diseases of the bones, joints and
muscles; and orthopaedic conditions resulting from traumatic
injuries. The Tampa hospital is one of 22 Shriners Hospitals
for Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The hospitals
were founded by the Shrine Fraternal Order to provide free
care to children under 18 with severe burns, orthopedic or
spinal cord conditions.
Shriners
International Headquarters, which houses the headquarters
for both Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Shriners
of North America fraternity, is also located in Tampa.
This administrative center coordinates the patient care and
research programs, as well as all other day-to-day activities
of the international network of 22 Shriners Hospitals and
the Shrine fraternity.
All
Children’s Hospital
In Pinellas
County, The Children’s Research Institute at All
Children’s Hospital works in partnership with USF
to investigate children’s health in immunology, oncology,
pediatric heart transplantation and behavioral pediatrics.
All Children’s Hospital is one of two freestanding children’s
hospitals in Florida and the only one on the state’s west
coast. The hospital is a leading center for heart and
kidney transplantation, pediatric immunology, cystic fibrosis,
cardiology, neurosurgery, genetics, cleft palate and craniofacial
disorders.
The
Tampa Bay Research Institute
Also in
Pinellas, the Tampa
Bay Research Institute (TBRI) is the first independent
biomedical research institute of its kind in Florida. The
Institute is dedicated to the study, cure and prevention of
chronic and infectious diseases with emphasis on gaining a
better understanding of the immune system. TBRI research
programs are lead by co-founder and President Akiko Tanaka,
Ph.D. Research projects include work on an oral botanical
drug to boost the immune system, viral drugs to be used against
the herpes virus, and developing vaccine technologies for
biodefense initiatives.
Florida
Blood Services
Florida
Blood Services, located in Pinellas County, is
currently partnering with USF
on research to develop innovative testing for further screening
and safety of the nation’s blood supply. Florida Blood Services
is also a testing resource for east coast blood centers and
medical facilities. The nonprofit organization distributes
blood and blood products to hospitals and ambulatory care
centers in three Tampa Bay counties.
The
Silverstein Institute
The Ear
Research Foundation at the Silverstein
Institute in Sarasota is a nonprofit research,
development and educational facility for medical conditions
related to hearing disorders. The Foundation is affiliated
with medical schools at the University
of Pennsylvania and the University
of South Florida. Graduate physicians specializing
in otolaryngology can pursue fellowship training at the institute.
The Silverstein
Institute also offers patient care services and community
education through the Florida
Ear and Sinus Center, the Facial
Plastic Surgery Center and Medical
Hearing Aid Systems.
The
Young-Rainey STAR Center
The nonprofit
National
Forensic Science Technology at the Young-Rainey
STAR Center (a former U.S. Department of Energy
Plant in Pinellas County) serves as a resource on DNA testing
to crime labs around the country. Another STAR Center
company, Constellation
Technology, is conducting research to developing
radiation, chemical and biological sensors to protect the
public in the area of homeland security.
The
Pepin Heart Hospital
The Pepin
Heart Hospital and Research Institute at University
Community Hospital in Tampa is a unique partnership
with the hospital, Tampa philanthropist Art Pepin and GE Medical
Systems, Inc. The new $40 million Pepin center will
serve as a GE Medical Systems showcase for advanced digital
imaging technology in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment.
It will feature an expanded research program that builds on
collaborative efforts already in place with the National
Institutes of Health, Duke University’s Clinical
Research Facility, the Cleveland
Clinic and other centers. A large auditorium
will host clinical research and education seminars.
Clinical
Research Service at Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Sarasota
Memorial was one of the first non-academic hospitals
in the nation to develop a clinical research service, and
has conducted some 250 patient care trials in the past 12
years. The
Clinical Research Center at Sarasota Memorial Hospital
is a designated research department with studies underway
in areas ranging from cardiology to neurosurgery and stroke.
Tampa
General Hospital Clinical Research Center
Tampa
General Hospital is the primary teaching facility
for USF,
and supports both teaching and research missions for new medical
discoveries. The hospital’s dedicated Clinical
Research Center coordinates some 165 drug, device,
procedural, survey and observational research studies.
The
Watson Clinic Center for Research
The Watson
Clinic Center for Research provides administrative
structure for Watson Clinic physicians conducting research
studies primarily in cardiovascular and cancer care.
The Watson
Center for Cancer Care & Research is an affiliate
of H.
Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, along with Morton
Plant Hospital and Morton
Plant North Bay Hospital.
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