Category: Homepage

BNMC Member Institutions Awarded Grants

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s)3 Comments on BNMC Member Institutions Awarded Grants

This past week, the University at Buffalo, Hauptman-Woodward and Roswell Park Cancer Institute were awarded federal grants for research and development. The University at Buffalo and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute received a $25-million Science and Technology Center grant from the National Science Foundation. Roswell Park Cancer Institute received new federal grants and other awards totaling nearly $7 million.
The University at Buffalo and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute grant will help them to lead the design of a major research to transform the field of structural biology, including drug development, using X-ray lasers. The grant will also help to create the BioXFEL Research Center as a multi-institution collaboration with eight other institutions nationwide.  Eaton E. Lattman, PhD, professor in the UB Department of Structural Biology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and chief executive officer of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI), will serve as the director of the BioXFEL center, which will be headquartered in HWI and UB’s Department of Structural Biology.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute nearly $7 million in grant funding from federal agencies and other sources through several faculty members. The awards will help fund vital research that aims to develop new methods to prevent and treat cancer and to improve the patients’ quality of life. Dr. Kelvin Lee, chairman of the department of immunology, was awarded three grants worth a combined $3.9 million. Two of the grants are from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and will help fund Dr. Lee’s work in immunology.  Dr. Lee also received a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for $1.56 million to learn what specific molecular pathways are essential for multiple myeloma cancer cells to survive. Additionally, eight other Roswell scientists were also awarded grants funding.

 

Photo © 2013 University at Buffalo | Douglas Levere

BNMC Top Explorer – do you have what it takes to win the Neighborhood Explorer Challenge?

by BNMCin Employees, Homepage6 Comments on BNMC Top Explorer – do you have what it takes to win the Neighborhood Explorer Challenge?

Are you the top urban explorer in your workplace? Prove it and win! The BNMC Neighborhood Explorer Facebook contest starts Monday, November 4th and runs through Monday, December 3rd! The ‘BNMC Top Explorer Challenge!’ is for employees on the Medical Campus who use their Neighborhood Explorer card to get discounts and freebies at local businesses. The contest is simple: like our page, and submit your email for a chance to win a $50.00 gift card to your favorite Neighborhood Explorer spot. Enter to win as many times as you want for the whole month for more chances to win! We’ll select three winners at random on December 3rd and each can select which fabulous restaurant or shop they want their gift card to!
Have a favorite Neighborhood Explorer spot? Let us know by sharing your story on our Facebook page! Click here for a full list of the participating businesses. Be sure to visit our Facebook page daily as we will be featuring photos of three different businesses each morning!

Not familiar with our Neighborhood Explorer Program? This free program offers employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus discounts and incentives to businesses in the Allentown, Fruit Belt, and downtown neighborhoods. Employees that participate in the program officially become Explorers when they receive and use the free Explorer Card.  Are you an employee on the Campus and have yet to sign-up for your card? Sign-up now!

Have questions about the contest? E-mail Sarah at smcquade@bnmc-old.local. Good luck!

UB Breaks Ground for New Downtown Medical School

by BNMCin Homepage, News

© 2013 University at Buffalo | Douglas Levere
© 2013 University at Buffalo | Douglas Levere

The University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Tuesday, October 15,2013 at Main and High streets on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

During the groundbreaking ceremony on the BNMC representatives of the university; public officials, including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo; and community members hailed the project as a milestone in UB’s history and in the city’s efforts to revitlaize itself as a destination for world-class health care.

The new downtown medical school is a vital component of the university’s UB 2020 plan – it’s a breakthrough plan in the university’s history and in the city’s efforts to reinvent itself as a destination for world-class health care.

The 540,000 sq. ft. complex will attract outstanding scientists, physician-scientists, clinicians and medical students – creating 100 new faculty positions and increasing the class size of its medical school from 140 to 180 students. The new school will also meet the growing needs for innovative, high quality, high-demand medical care in Western New York.

The new complex, designed by architects HOK (Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum), will have a light-filled, seven-story glass atrium connected by the two L-shaped structures, and will include spaces for spaces for laboratories, education facilities and collaboration. The space will also include advanced simulation centers for general patient care, surgical and robotic surgery training, and state-of-the art laboratory space.

The medical school is expected to transform Western New York into a major destination for innovative medical care and research and be a major contributor to 3,000-plus new jobs on the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus. The $375 million facility is projected to open in Fall 2016.

University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Layout:

Floors 1-2: medical education, community corridor, public outreach programs (such as the UB Mini Medical School) and NFTA-Metro rail station

Floors 3-5: state-of-the-art research facilities

Floors 3-7: administrative offices, academic departments

Floor 6: Behling Simulation Center, Clinical Competency Center and dean’s suite

Floor 7: gross anatomy lab, surgical skills and robotic surgery

UB 3

For more info: http://medicine.buffalo.edu/new-medical-school/quick-facts.html

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus To Open Coworking Space

by BNMCin Entrepreneurs, Homepage, Innovation Center, News

dig fb
For Immediate Release
September 24, 2013                

For more information:
Contact Kari Bonaro, kbonaro@bnmc-old.local, 716-218-7157, 202-904-7034 (mobile)

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus To Open Coworking Space

dig Designed as Part of  BNMC’s Progression of Resources to Support Local Entrepreneurs 

(BUFFALO – September 24, 2013) The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. announced today that it is opening a new coworking space in the Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott Street. Dubbed dig, it is yet another step in fostering entrepreneurship, creativity and collaboration. The space is designed for those in the early stages of developing a business or an idea.

dig stands for design innovation garage, a play on both the location – a former loading dock in the renovated Trico Products Corp., building, complete with a glass garage door overlooking the Medical Campus – and also on the move toward a more design-centric entrepreneurial culture.  This co-working community will represent a range of creative, technical, and operational industries, driving the creation of new possibilities, new collaborations, and new partnerships.

“dig complements the highly successful Innovation Center that provides office space and amenities for growing companies. Opening dig ties directly to the Governor’s vision of supporting entrepreneurial culture across the state,” said Matthew K. Enstice, president & chief executive officer of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. “dig will offer critical pieces needed by those with a young idea or business – work space, support, mentoring, and collaboration to get their business off the ground, creating more jobs and spurring the economy in our region.”

“One of our goals at the BNMC is to build a community of changemakers. We believe that hwp-contentens through collaboration and innovation, and what better way to do that than creating a co-working space for people who work on the Medical Campus or those who want to be a part of what’s hwp-contentening here,” said Patrick J. Whalen, chief operating officer of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. “dig will not only be a space to work from, but also a hub of information to help cultivate this community – hosting networking events, seminars, and community activities. “

Omar Khan, associate professor and chair of the University at Buffalo’s Department of Architecture, was integral in the conception and design of dig.

“I have been at a loss as to how to keep some of my best students around Buffalo after graduation,” said Khan. “Most are drawn to other cities that give them the creative vibe they cherish. To me, Buffalo is full of creative people but it lacks exciting workspaces where they can mingle and share ideas. dig provides such an alternative workspace that is visually exciting and socially dynamic. It is the type of design environment where young and old can collaborate on innovative solutions to globally pressing problems.”

The design team that created dig consists of faculty from the Department of Architecture and undergraduate and graduate students from the Situated Technologies Research Group: Prof. Omar Khan, Prof. Laura Garofalo, Michael Kirschner, John Geisler, Kathryn Hobert, Philip Gusmano, Joseph Swerdlin and Nicole Halstead.

dig will have “entrepreneurs-in-residence” on hand during the day to help members working on various projects, as well as a dig Curator on staff to help facilitate networking among members and develop programming for the space. dig members will be “announced” when they arrive on a large screen with details about what they are working on and/or their expertise to encourage networking. The space will be outfitted with large tables and chairs, lounge-type seating with couches and chairs, space for private calls and meetings, lockers and mailboxes, and a café.

There will be an wp-contentlication process to join the co-work space. Anyone is eligible to wp-contently, although membership preference will be given to those working toward social innovation. The introductory rates will range from a daily rate of $15 to all-access monthly rates of $100.

“We view this as an affordable option for entrepreneurs currently working at home, start-up companies looking to be a part of a larger community, families of patients looking for a place to work while visiting loved ones at the hospitals on the Medical Campus, a site for satellite offices – anyone looking for an environment to help foster productivity and success,” adds Whalen.

“We are excited to help in the development of dig, not only as the hip place to be for co-working, but also the place where collaboration and shared resources lead to greater creative problem-solving,” said Rob Wynne, executive creative director of Wynne Creative Group, and tenant in the Innovation Center. “Plus it resides in the city’s hot spot for innovation – the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The area is ripe for this kind of workspace model.”

“We’re sharing cars and bikes, so it was only a matter of time before we shared space, and the Medical Campus is a perfect place to do it,” according to Creighton Randall, executive director of Buffalo CarShare.

dig members will receive complimentary memberships for CarShare and BikeShare in partnership with GO BNMC, the medical campus’ initiative to make it easier for employees to choose alternatives to driving alone.

The primary membership benefit is unlimited access to really innovative people. Members receive varying amenities depending on their level, ranging from high speed wifi and color copiers, to access to the Innovation Center’s fitness center, to conference room space and free coffee.

The Innovation Center is already home to 43 companies, ranging in size from one to 50 employees.

Learn more at digbuffalo.org and like us on facebook.

 

About the Thomas R. Beecher Innovation Center

The Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Innovation Center, located at 640 Ellicott Street in downtown Buffalo, is a LEED-certified research and development space housing life sciences and biotech companies, as well as companies offering support services like IP attorneys, talent acquisition, sales, and marketing. This state-of-the art facility is designed to accommodate small to medium companies seeking office, wet lab and/or research space, on a month-to-month basis or via longer term leases, located in the heart of the thriving Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. There are currently 43 companies located in the building and all but three are still operated by their founder.

The Innovation Center has received funding through New York State’s Upstate Regional Blueprint Fund Grant, RestoreNY, National Grid, the John R. Oishei Foundation, NYSERDA, and the U.S. Small Business Administration through a grant secured by Congressman Brian Higgins.

The Innovation Center is owned and operated by the BNMC, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that fosters conversation and collaboration among its member institutions, their 12,000 employees, and the community; coordinates activities related to sustainable planning, development and enhancement of its 120-acre space; and works to create a distinct, innovative environment that provides opportunities for entrepreneurship and active and healthy living.

About the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) is dedicated to the cultivation of a world-class medical campus for clinical care, research, education, and entrepreneurship on 120 acres in downtown Buffalo. It is home to the region’s top clinical, research, and medical education institutions, including: the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Olmsted Center for Sight, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo Medical Group, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Unyts, and the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. There are more than 60 public and private companies on the BNMC. More than 12,000 people come to work at the Medical Campus every day, and BNMC institutions see over one million patients and visitors annually. The Campus has an annual economic impact of $1.5 billion on the region. The Medical Campus consists of more than 6 million square feet of research, clinical, and support space.  bnmc-old.local

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New York Times Features Buffalo & BNMC

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Construction, Homepage, News5 Comments on New York Times Features Buffalo & BNMC

“New construction, ambitious plans and fresh optimism” is the pull quote that The New York Times reporter Keith Schneider used for emphasis in his article titled “Once Just a Punchline, Buffalo Fights Back” which compliments Buffalo on its economic growth. The article, published on July 30th, showcased some of Buffalo’s recent accomplishments, including those on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The article offered a positive outlook on our city’s progress and its future. Schneider highlights the BNMC’s ability to be innovative, attract business, generate employment opportunities, and create a positive effect on neighboring communities.
“Brendan R. Mehaffy, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning, said the Buffalo Niagara Medical campus was encouraging the construction of new hotels, retail space and luxury residential development. Home prices in the neighborhoods closest to the campus have risen 15 percent in the last two years, according to the city’s latest real estate figures.”

“the Medical Campus now employs 12,000 people, with possibly thousands more once another phase of development is finished about four years from now.”

“The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus embraced a strategy adopted by other postindustrial cities, embarking on projects in clumps rather than in large endeavors.”

The article captured the attention of locals & ex-pats around the globe. Follow up stories on the article were written by local news outlets WBFO, channel 2 and channel 7.

To read the articles mentioned in this post, please visit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/realestate/commercial/once-a-punch-line-buffalo-fights-back.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/221690/37/NY-Times-Article-Creates-Buzz-About-Buffalos-Economic-Development

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Buffalo-Highlighted-in-New-York-Times-Article-217861991.html

http://news.wbfo.org/post/ny-times-article-highlights-buffalo-s-new-growth

Bigger Steps towards a Smaller Footprint

by BNMCin Biking, Construction, Environment, GO BNMC, Homepage

in story biorention pictureSummer on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has been full of projects that are geared towards decreasing the campus’ ecological footprint. New incentives for alternate forms of transportation, particularly by bicycle, have been installed at the south end of the BNMC and along Ellicott Street. We are close to the completion of a secure bike storage unit and are currently beta testing Buffalo Bike Share. These amenities were designed to motivate our employees to contribute to our GO BNMC initiative by using a more environmentally friendly mode of commuting to work.
There are also new improvements coming for those arriving on our campus by car. The ongoing construction on Ellicott Street will soon replace the one-way street with a newly paved two-way traffic street and a sidewalk park, filled with gardens, trees, benches, bike racks, and electric vehicle charging stations. This construction will continue through the summer and conclude with the street going two-ways at the end of the year.

The bioswale at the south end of 589 Ellicott has been completed and is now a fully working bioretention facility that helps filter contaminants that would otherwise enter the Great Lakes System. It also lessens the pressures put on the Buffalo sewer system, while simultaneously growing a beautiful garden on our campus.

We are excited about the green improvements around our campus and look forward to updating their progress and announcing their completion soon!

in story bike storage pictureinstory path photo

UB Medical School Launches Community Magazine

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News

UB Medicine will chronicle transformations in WNY health care, including the school’s move downtown

The University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has launched a new magazine to inform the community about the school’s pivotal role in medical education, research and advanced patient care in the region.

The inaugural issue of UB Medicine, published this week, provides an overview of the historic changes underway in the school and the ways in which UB and its health care partners are transforming Buffalo’s medical-science landscape.

It features articles about:

  • The new UB medical school to be built on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus
  • The new UB Clinical and Translational Research Center and how it has helped position Buffalo as a leader in biomedical research
  • The nine nationally prominent medical educators and scientists recently recruited to the medical school to chair departments; and
  • How the medical school, under the leadership of Dean Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences, is working with health care partners in the community to create a more efficiently integrated health care system for Western New York.

To read a pdf version of the magazine, click here http://bit.ly/11W1iJL.

“These developments represent change on an order of magnitude few in our generation have known and provide a unique opportunity for our entire community to take part in an initiative that will benefit our region and its medical school long into the future,” says Cain.

“UB Medicine will keep our alumni and community wp-contentrised of this collaborative effort and serve as a way to chronicle and celebrate its many milestones.”

Ellen Goldbaum (UB); goldbaum@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4605

8,000 Riders Support the 2013 Ride for Roswell

by BNMCin Biking, Event, Homepage, Member Institution(s)

Ride for RoswellThe Ride for Roswell weekend began on June 21 at the University at Buffalo (UB) football stadium on North Campus with its 2nd annual Opening Ceremony. The weekend culminated with The Ride on June 22, raising more than $3.8 million, with 8,000 cyclists registered, 2,000 volunteers and more than 700 teams all supporting the 18th annual fundraiser to fight and eradicate cancer.
The funds raised will fund cutting-edge research and patient care programs, and a portion of the funds, $1 million, will be used to advance pediatric cancer care. In collaboration with Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, Roswell Park is enhancing its specialized Pediatric Cancer Care Program to provide the very best care for families whose lives are touched by childhood cancer or blood disease.

In 2012, 7,491 riders from 475 teams helped to raise $3.8 million and more than 10,000 people came out to support the annual Roswell Park fundraiser to help advance life-saving cancer programs and research.

The Opening Ceremony kicked off with 200 Peloton riders entering the UB stadium after making the 12-mile journey through Buffalo, beginning at Carlton Street. Activities commenced for the riders, ride volunteers, survivors, VIP guests, and Extra Mile Club members (those who raised $1,000 or more) as they also were able to learn about the work being done at Roswell Park to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Clinicians, staff, and survivors from 12 Roswell Park departments were present.

Motivational speaker, Dave Dravecky, a former MLB professional who battled cancer, gave an inspirational talk to the crowd with his amazing story of hope and perseverance. Dravecky was forced to retire from his professional career as a baseball player, and ultimately, ended up losing his left pitching arm after finding out he had cancer. Grammy award-winning country singer, LeAnn Rimes  performed during the concert portion of the celebration.

On Saturday, various routes for The Ride opened, full of riders. Other routes ranging in distance started at 3 miles, going all the way up to 104 miles. Many cancer survivors and patients participated, ranging in ages and abilities, including virtual riders (a fundraiser who enjoys the same perks as riders but do not physically ride a bike).

“The Ride For Roswell supports the quest to find cures and save lives, and the money raised is so important to the funding of vital research and patient care programs that are critical to the thousands of people we treat every year,” said Donald L. Trump, MD, FACP, President and CEO of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. “But its meaning goes much deeper than that for our patients, survivors, families, employees and volunteers.  It’s a chance to honor a loved one, to take action, to make a difference, to bring hope and healing to so many people whose lives have been touched by this terrible disease. We are honored that so many people in our community and beyond have chosen to stand behind Roswell Park Cancer Institute and support the important and pioneering work we do right here in Buffalo.”

For more information about the Ride and the 2013 results, visit www.rideforroswell.org.

UB, Kaleida Win Green Construction Award

by BNMCin Construction, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Sustainability
UB Reporter Story: Published June 20, 2013

The new medical building in downtown Buffalo shared by UB and Kaleida Health received two honors at a local construction awards ceremony.

The 11th annual “Brick by Brick” awards, presented by Buffalo Business First, recognized Kaleida’s Gates Vascular Institute and UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center, which occupy the same footprint at the burgeoning Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The $291-million building, a significant step in UB’s effort to relocate its medical school downtown, won the Golden Brick award, which is essentially the ceremony’s building of the year award.

Kaleida occupies the building’s lower floors, which are dedicated to the surgical and interventional management of cardiac, vascular and neurological conditions, as well as a 16-bed highly specialized intensive care unit and a 62-bed short-stay unit.

UB is using its portion of the building to expand its focus on translating basic medical research into new medical breakthroughs, innovative treatments and new economic opportunities.

The building also took the “Best Green Project” award.

The UB portion was designed to be certified gold under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. It has an array of sustainability features that minimize how much energy the building consumes and make use of natural light.

Additionally, the building is located near mass transit systems and is composed of materials from local sources.

UB last year received two “Brick by Brick” awards: one for Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, the new School of Engineering and Applied Sciences building, and the other for the William R. Greiner Residence Hall, a sophomore dormitory.

Space Growing Scarce at a Medical Campus Seeking its Niche – Buffalo News Story

by BNMCin Attractions, Campus-wide, Construction, Homepage, Innovation Center, News

Fast-growing center seeks its place in the crowded biomedical sector

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus works to overcome the region’s reputation as a high-tax, Rust Belt destination, it is already attracting enough tenants to be outgrowing its footprint, with two million square feet of space already added and another two million square feet planned by 2016. From left, electric cars charge in the parking lot across from the Innovation Center. Michelle Roti, a research technician, adds antibiotics to a growth media for cells at Tartis/Aging. Tivona Renoni, from GO Bike Buffalo, left, and Henry Raess work in the Innovation Center.

(Photos from The Buffalo News)

Published: 06/8/2013, 7:15 PM

As the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus works to overcome the region’s reputation as a high-tax, Rust Belt destination, it is already attracting enough tenants to be outgrowing its footprint, with two million square feet of space already added and another two million square feet planned by 2016. From left, electric cars charge in the parking lot across from the Innovation Center. Michelle Roti, a research technician, adds antibiotics to a growth media for cells at Tartis/Aging. Tivona Renoni, from GO Bike Buffalo, left, and Henry Raess work in the Innovation Center. Matthew Masin/Buffalo News

By Stephen T. Watson | News Staff Reporter | @buffaloscribe

The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical campus in the world, with 106,000 employees working in 290 buildings spread over an area 50 percent larger than Darien Lake theme park.

The powerhouse University of Pittsburgh pulled in $127 million in National Institutes of Health research grants this year, eight times the University at Buffalo’s total.

And the Miami Health District generates a $3 billion annual economic impact for Miami-Dade County in South Florida.

Skeptics wonder how the younger, and far smaller, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus can carve out a similar niche in the nation’s crowded and highly competitive biomedical sector, while overcoming the region’s high-tax, Rust Belt reputation in order to recruit scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs.

But experts contend Buffalo is not too puny or too far behind the other centers, and the Buffalo Niagara campus will succeed if it leverages its advantages of strong community support, collaborative decision-making and proximity to Southern Ontario.

“I get some rolling eyes when I say, ‘Buffalo’s doing a terrific job’,” said Charlie Dilks, a consultant and former president of the Association of University Research Parks. “They say, ‘Buffalo’s a dead city.’ I say, ‘No, it’s not.’

“That’s from people who haven’t been there and haven’t seen what’s going on. Unfortunately, it takes a long time for reputations to change.”

Other cities have found that a robust medical campus generates an array of benefits, from boosting health care, improving medical education, attracting research funds and creating jobs by taking innovations from the laboratory to the marketplace. That’s why cities, health care providers and universities pool resources.

“That’s what an academic medical center does,” said Candace S. Johnson, deputy director of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, citing the revenue generated at Pitt, where she previously worked. “It would be fantastic if we had that.”

The 11-year-old Buffalo Niagara campus is growing quickly, with two million square feet of space – or about 10 Walmart Supercenters – added in the past two years and another two million square feet planned by 2016. Employment on site will grow from 12,000 to 17,000 by then.

But the land-locked, 120-acre campus is starting to feel a space squeeze, with an Innovation Center that houses young companies nearly filled. Campus officials are thinking vertically and planning construction of a new center on top of a parking ramp to make better use of space.

“We can’t build five-story buildings anymore. We have to maximize the site,” said Patrick J. Whalen, the campus’ chief operating officer.

Life-sciences jobs

Other cities may have much bigger medical campuses, but the biomedical field is a crowded one, and the industry is big enough – and specialized enough – that no single region or institution can dominate, according to Simon J. Tripp, senior director of the technology partnership practice for Battelle, a global research and development organization.

The nation has about 125 academic medical centers, including Buffalo, and all are trying to build a life-sciences economy from the research they perform, Tripp said.

“The pie is so incredibly large that even a small slice, particularly for a community the size of Buffalo, can be a pretty significant economic engine,” he said.

The successful medical campuses have strong leadership, are treated as a community priority and their member institutions play nice with each other, said Dilks, the industry consultant. “I don’t think you’re too late to the game at all,” he said of Buffalo.

The hard part, Tripp added, is creating a “comprehensive innovation ecosystem,” with sufficient venture capital and veteran leadership to build and support a network of startups.

The region needs to capitalize on its strengths as a border community with an educated workforce and low cost of living, experts said, while finding a niche in a field such as genomics or cancer research.

“You get to where you’re recognized as a center of excellence in something,” said Thomas A. Kucharski, president and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. “I think all that is starting to take hold on the medical campus. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time.”

Collaboration models

The medical campus organization – which represents UB, Roswell Park, Kaleida Health and other institutions – is a model of collaboration that followed less-successful efforts in the 1980s and ’90s.

“I think people were ready,” said Thomas R. Beecher Jr., an attorney who headed the medical corridor planning effort in the early 2000s.

Local organizers extensively studied the best practices at other centers and research parks.

“Tom Beecher said, ‘No sense reinventing the wheel. Let’s steal shamelessly from other places,’ ” Whalen recalled.

The Buffalo team learned, for example, the organization that runs the vast Texas Medical Campus makes enough money from the 27,500 parking spaces it owns to cover its overhead costs. Now the entity that runs the Buffalo campus is “pretty much self-sufficient” from parking and Innovation Center rent revenue, Whalen said.

Community benefits

It will take time for the benefits of the medical campus development to reach the surrounding neighborhoods.

Ruth Bryant, a retired assistant dean in UB’s School of Architecture and Planning, serves as the Fruit Belt’s representative on the medical campus board. She said residents are concerned about boosting home ownership in their neighborhood, ensuring they have access to the jobs created on the campus and keeping the cars and SUVs of campus employees from crowding their streets.

“How do you respect that neighborhood while still growing?” Bryant asked. “It’s the residents working with the campus to come up with the solutions.”

Officials acknowledge the campus won’t be considered a success until research is spun off into biotech companies.

“If you look at other models and other communities out there, it’s the private sector investment that drives everything,” said Enstice.

Innovation Center

Not every life-sciences company will succeed – as the demise of SmartPill Corp. showed – but the Innovation Center on the Buffalo campus is spurring this effort.

There are 63 companies in the center named for Beecher, including a fourth-floor incubator.

The center hosts Bagel Fridays, where tenants casually engage over a light breakfast, and three projects have grown out of the weekly gatherings.

“The building has great energy,” said Rob Wynne, the president and executive creative director of Wynne Creative Group, an advertising agency that moved its six employees to the Innovation Center in 2012.

Mobile HealthCare Connections was the first incubator tenant. The company works with doctors, nurses and pharmacists to provide real-time, in-home monitoring and management of patients, particularly those who are elderly and less able to get around.

“It’s the heartbeat of the medical community,” CEO Brian Egan said.

The Innovation Center opened in 2010, part of a recent flurry of construction activity, and 5,000 more workers are expected on campus by 2016, when Children’s Hospital and UB Medical School are opened.

City Comptroller Mark J.F. Schroeder has asked Whalen, the campus’ chief operating officer, to meet with representatives of credit ratings agencies to show them the development taking place on the medical campus.

One woman from Standard & Poor’s, looking at a map of the campus, told Whalen they seem to be running out of room.

Thinking vertically

The campus has to think vertically, Whalen said, as when UB’s Clinical and Translational Research Center and Kaleida’s Gates Vascular Institute were stacked in the same building. One option for the second Innovation Center fits this model.

The campus needs to build another center to house Albany Molecular Research Inc. and the other tenants of a drug and medical research facility.

The first plan, which would have required tearing down part of the former Trico complex, ran into objections from preservationists.

Now, campus officials are looking at a different wp-contentroach: Tearing down the aging, city-owned Ellicott Goodrich Garage, known as the EGG, and replacing those 900 spaces with a 1,600-vehicle ramp and several floors of research space on top of the $87 million structure.

AMRI, the anchor tenant, and its partners are receiving a $50 million state grant to support their move to the campus.

The hope is the next AMRI won’t require any financial carrot, because the prospect of locating on the medical campus will be attraction enough.

“It’s the culture change this is bringing to Buffalo. The campus makes that undeniable,” said Marnie LaVigne, UB’s associate vice president for economic development. “I have my own mother asking me, ‘Is this real?’ It’s real.”

email: swatson@buffnews.com

UB, Empire Genomics Partner with Life Technologies to Accelerate Innovative, Genetics-based Clinical Research in WNY

by BNMCin Biotechnology Companies, Campus-wide, Homepage, Life Sciences Companies, Member Institution(s), News, Research9 Comments on UB, Empire Genomics Partner with Life Technologies to Accelerate Innovative, Genetics-based Clinical Research in WNY

Collaboration Will Strengthen Regional Life Sciences Industry

Empire Genomics, Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) and the University at Buffalo (UB) will embark on a new partnership to develop world-class gene sequencing facilities for genetics-based clinical research on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The collaboration capitalizes on each organization’s strengths to help establish a new standard for genomic research in Western New York and continue to grow the life sciences sector of the region’s economy.

Life Technologies, a global provider of biotechnology products and services, will provide state-of-the-art genome sequencing equipment enabling UB and Empire Genomics to establish their initial set up of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified sequencing facilities on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The advanced sequencing technology available from Life Technologies, combined with the expertise of UB researchers and the Empire Genomics team, will help clinical researchers develop new diagnostic tests that, in the future, could enable physicians to prescribe treatments tailored to each individual based on genetic make-up.

“We are very pleased that after carefully looking at all of the alternatives, the University at Buffalo and Empire Genetics decided that Ion semiconductor sequencing was the best platform to help them reach their goal of advancing genetics-based clinical research, and ultimately driving growth in the life sciences industry in Western New York,” said Mark Stevenson, president and chief operating officer at Life Technologies.

Achieving CLIA certification will enhance and expand the services Empire Genomics and UB provide to clients across the globe, and holds the promise of spawning new diagnostic tests for a number of diseases or conditions. The results will eventually lead to new tools to deliver better health care while growing new jobs in Western New York.

“This collaboration is a great example of the impact that can be made when industry and academic partners work together toward shared goals,” said Marnie LaVigne, PhD, associate vice president for economic development at UB. “We look forward to continuing to partner with Life Technologies and Empire Genomics on these efforts to support the advancement of genetics-based clinical research and the life sciences as key economic drivers in our region.”

The CLIA-certified laboratories will be set up at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and at the downtown Buffalo headquarters of Empire Genomics, a provider of genetics-based research and testing services.

“Genetics-based diagnostics will play a major role in developing personalized medicine, and that in turn will create new job opportunities in Western New York,” said Norma J. Nowak, PhD, founder and chief scientific officer at Empire Genomics and director of science and technology at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. “Leveraging our combined strengths will ensure that we remain at the forefront of technological and research capabilities while making greater long-term contributions to the public health.”

*All products referenced are for Research Use Only and not intended for use in diagnostic procedures, unless otherwise noted.

Kerry Jones Waring (UB CoE);  kerryjon@buffalo.edu
;716.881.7997

Media Coverage:

Collaboration Brings Genetic Testing to Med Campus

UB, Life-sciences Firms Partner on Gene Sequencing

 

 

UB Researchers Have Developed and Validated a New Diagnostic Test for Chronic Sinusitis

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Research7 Comments on UB Researchers Have Developed and Validated a New Diagnostic Test for Chronic Sinusitis

The new test will provide chronic sinusitis patients with a definitive diagnosis for the first time

Clinical studies conducted at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have completed the clinical development of the first immunologic test for diagnosing chronic rhinosinusitis.

The new test, which is being launched this month nationwide by Immco Diagnostics of Amherst, N.Y., makes it possible, for the first time, to definitively diagnose the condition. Immco Diagnostics licensed the test from the Mayo Clinic, where the researchers, who later joined UB, first developed and patented it.

“This is a game-changer,” says Jens U. Ponikau, MD, clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at UB, who led the university’s clinical trials on the new test with David A. Sherris, MD, professor and chair of the UB Department of Otolaryngology, and Kishore Malyavantham, PhD, of Immco. “It provides physicians with a way to precisely identify what kind of inflammation is present in the nose and can help guide their treatment wp-contentroach.”

Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S., with more than 30 million sufferers, about 14 percent of the population. There are no wp-contentroved drugs or treatments that target chronic rhinosinusitis, mainly, Ponikau says, because physicians have not had sufficient insight into what causes it.

“The symptoms for chronic rhinosinusitis include long-term nasal congestion, thick mucus, headache, loss of sense of smell and opportunistic bacterial infections, most of which are similar to other common conditions,” Ponikau says. “So is it a year-round allergy, a deviated septum, the common cold, some recurrent bacterial infection or chronic sinusitis? Until now, there were few ways to tell.”

Some patients have even undergone endoscopic surgery in hopes of getting some relief, but often the disease comes back after surgery, he says.

While working at the Mayo Clinic, Ponikau and Sherris made the discovery that chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an immunologic condition in which rare white blood cells called eosinophils travel through the nasal skin into the mucus, where they release a toxic protein called major basic protein (MBP), damaging tissue and causing symptoms.

The Mayo Clinic patented the discovery as a clinical test and Ponikau and Sherris brought the research to Western New York when they were recruited to UB in 2003 to reestablish its program in otolaryngology, a specialty focusing on the ear, nose and throat.

“The major basic protein is specific only to chronic rhinosinusitis and does not wp-contentear in acute sinusitis, allergy or the common cold,” explains Ponikau, “but we and researchers at other centers around the world had to confirm this.”

“Patients afflicted with CRS show a specific kind of airway inflammation, which is usually not caused by bacterial infection,” says Lakshmanan Suresh, PhD, clinical associate professor in the Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences in the UB School of Dental Medicine and vice president of R&D and clinical services at Immco. “Our CRS test shows inflammation elicited due to fungus and is helpful in identifying patients where antibiotic therapy may not be helpful.”

In February, the New York State Department of Health provided regulatory wp-contentroval for the test to measure MBP in nasal mucus.

The test can be performed in a physician’s office. A sample of nasal mucus is taken from a patient and is then sent to Immco Diagnostics for analysis, which will typically take a few days.

Physicians who want to obtain the test should contact Dr. Suresh at Immco at 716-691-0091 ext. 312 or ext. 149.

Ellen Goldbaum (UB); goldbaum@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4605

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Jasco Pharmaceuticals Join Forces to Advance Drug Research

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), News6 Comments on Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Jasco Pharmaceuticals Join Forces to Advance Drug Research

Organizations partner on preclinical testing of agent that has shown promise against solid tumors, blood cancers

A new partnership, first of its kind for both organizations, will see Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and Jasco Pharmaceuticals, LLC collaborating to advance development of an investigational pharmacological therapy that shows promise for treating both solid-tumor cancers and hematologic malignancies. The affiliation will see RPCI providing preclinical research infrastructure and services to fast-track development of Jasco’s lead agent and speed its progression to the clinical-trial phase.

That agent, JP_11646, is a PIM inhibitor that targets a class of kinase enzymes that help to regulate cancer cell survival. In preclinical studies, JP_11646 has shown activity against solid tumors including breast, colon, liver, lung and pancreas cancers as well as multiple myeloma.

Through this partnership, Jasco, which operates from Woburn, Mass., and has its headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., and RPCI will jointly pursue further preclinical development of the agent, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis to define its efficacy, its toxicity and how cells respond to it. The project is the first to take advantage of the Center for Drug Development at RPCI, a new program uniting Institute resources that previously operated separately.

Kelvin Lee, MD, Jacobs Family Chair in Immunology and Co-Leader of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at Roswell Park, will lead a study into the role PIM kinases play in CD28 signaling pathways, a survival mechanism that is a major cause of resistance to frontline multiple myeloma treatments.

“This collaboration brings Jasco’s unique kinase inhibitor platform together with Roswell Park’s comprehensive expertise in the development of novel therapies for oncology and the treatment of patients,” says Jasco Pharmaceuticals CEO Eugene Baldino. “It’s a great fit, and one that I know will reduce the development timeline of this promising agent, making it available to patients sooner.”

“Our goal is to get the therapy to cancer patients through a phase I clinical study within one year,” notes Alex Adjei, MD, PhD, FACP, Senior Vice President for Clinical Research and Director of the Center for Drug Development at RPCI, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s inaugural Conquer Cancer Foundation Drug Development Professor. “It’s an ambitious but totally realistic goal given the resources for preclinical and clinical research that exist at RPCI and the tremendous progress Jasco has made on this agent so far.”

Annie Deck-Miller, RPCI Senior Media Relations Manager; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org; 716.845.859

UB is Recognized Nationally as a 'Next Generation University'

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), News4 Comments on UB is Recognized Nationally as a 'Next Generation University'

National public policy institute says UB and 5 other universities are models for national higher education reform

The University at Buffalo is among six public research universities from across the country recognized in a new report by the New America Foundation for “embracing key strategies that make them models for national reform.”

UB and the other “next generation universities”—Arizona State University, Georgia State University, University of California-Riverside, University of Central Florida and University of Texas-Arlington—were cited in the report by New America Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy institute, for the strategies they’ve used to expand enrollment and achieve higher graduation rates in a cost-effective manner despite declining revenues.

UB was noted, in particular, for working with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature to enact the NYSUNY 2020 legislation, as well as for its innovative wp-contentroaches to expanding student access while improving the quality of education, including its “Finish in 4” graduation pledge.

“Opening the doors of opportunity to a world-class education is a guiding priority for UB as a 21st century public research university,” says UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “We’re pleased that we are steadily earning national recognition for our efforts in this regard. As we realize our UB 2020 vision of academic excellence, we are focused on providing a transformative educational experience for our students. And we are working equally hard to ensure that this experience is available to all students with the talent and dedication to pursue it.”

Charles F. Zukoski, UB provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, says the report reinforces UB’s position as “an innovator in delivering exceptional value in education and research.”

“We have built and are expanding educational programs that focus on issues faced by our students and the larger society that recognize the role higher education plays in advancing individuals and society,” Zukoski says. “Our programs focus on delivering the skills that will enable our students to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation—and with minimal debt—and be successful over the course of their careers.”

The New America Foundation report, titled “The Next Generation University,” notes that at a time when many public universities are “failing to respond to the nation’s higher education crisis,” these six institutions are “breaking the mold by boldly restructuring operating costs and creating clear, accelerated pathways for students.”

“These universities are continuing their commitment to world class research while increasing enrollment and graduation rates, even as the investments from their states have declined,” the report says.

“With the economy stuck in neutral, tuition prices and student loan debt skyrocketing, and parents and students increasingly questioning the value of a college degree, our public institutions urgently need a different wp-contentroach to the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse mix of students at a reasonable cost,” the report says.

“Public universities can move onto a more prosperous financial footing and provide more students with a high-quality education at the same time—if they take advantage of the strategies that the next generation universities…have pioneered.”

The report features case studies of the six universities that highlight each institution’s strategies for success. The universities were chosen for inclusion in the report based on a detailed analysis of federal education data. The institutions were studied through a series of site visits, interviews with campus personnel and an analysis of institutional policies.

New America Foundation representatives visited UB on Feb. 26, meeting with Tripathi, Zukoski, other members of the UB senior leadership, a student group and a representative group of faculty from across the disciplines.

The report praises the next generation universities for developing new revenue sources and strategies to reduce costs. UB was cited for forging a partnership with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature—the NYSUNY 2020 legislation passed in 2011, which resulted in historic public higher education reforms for the state, including a predictable tuition policy and a $35 million challenge grant enabling the university to move forward with plans to move the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The report notes that these increased revenues have enabled UB to add more than 300 undergraduate course sections in high-demand classes to help students graduate in a timely fashion. They also support the university’s plans to hire 250 additional faculty members.

The report specifically mentions UB’s “Finish in 4” program that pledges to provide entering UB freshmen with the academic resources they need to graduate in four years.

To read the New America Foundation report, click here.

John DellaContrada (UB); dellacon@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4601

Governor Cuomo Unveils Major Economic Development Initiative

by BNMCin Homepage, Investment Opportunities, News10 Comments on Governor Cuomo Unveils Major Economic Development Initiative

Governor Cuomo Unveils Major Economic Development Initiative to Transform University Communities into Magnets for New Businesses and Investment

Under Tax-Free NY, Any New Business Will Be Able to Operate Tax Free on a SUNY Campus for Ten Years

Albany, NY  (May 22, 2013)

Press Release

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled “Tax-Free NY,” a game-changing initiative that will transform SUNY campuses and university communities across the state into tax-free communities that attract start-ups, venture capital, new business, and investments from across the world.

Tax-Free NY will entice companies to bring their ventures to Upstate New York by offering new businesses the opportunity to operate completely tax-free – including no income tax for employees, no sales, property or business tax – while also partnering with the world-class higher education institutions in the SUNY system.

“Over the past two years we have cut middle class tax rates to their lowest rates in sixty years, cut taxes for small businesses, while at the same time investing like never before in our institutions of higher education,” Governor Cuomo said. “With unemployment at its lowest in years and more private sector jobs in New York than ever before, we are beginning to see the results of our efforts. Tax-Free NY will supercharge our efforts to grow our economy by transforming localities in Upstate New York into virtual tax-free communities for new businesses and new jobs. Under Tax-Free NY, communities across Upstate will become a magnet for new businesses, new startups, new venture capital, and new jobs, taking our economic development and job creating efforts to a level never seen before.”

Temporary President of the New York State Senate Dean G. Skelos said, “The most important thing we can do is provide more jobs for New Yorkers so they can provide for their families. This initiative has the potential to make New York more economically competitive, help us attract businesses from other states and grow our economy for the future. The solution to so many of the concerns we face is the need for more jobs, and I believe that we should spend the rest of the legislative session working to cut taxes to reduce the cost of doing business so we can empower the private sector and create new jobs.”

Senate Majority Coalition Co-Leader Jeffrey D. Klein said, “In order to compete in today’s hyper-competitive global marketplace, we need to continually develop bold and creative ideas to attract the best and fastest growing companies. Tax free zones are the next frontier in this effort. These zones hold the potential to provide jobs and upward mobility to thousands of unemployed and underemployed New Yorkers while building a brighter economic future for communities across our state.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, “Our colleges, universities and community colleges are New York’s greatest competitive advantage and should be the engines that drive our job-creation efforts. Through the Tax Free New York Program, we will transform vacant campus space and land into new jobs and all of the related opportunities that spring up around areas of economic activity. Using the world-class College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as a model, this program will enhance the academic missions of our colleges and universities, ensure that local graduates can find rewarding opportunities at home, and promote the advancement of emerging technologies.”

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said, “The Governor has said many times that SUNY is the economic engine for New York, and these new tax free zones will further our campus’ ability to innovate, create jobs, and attract new companies through public private partnerships. I want to thank the governor for supporting SUNY and for continuing to raise the bar for higher education in New York State.”

Tax-Free NY includes:

  • Tax-Free Communities: All SUNY campuses outside of New York City and designated private colleges north of Westchester will be tax free (no sales, property, or business/corporate taxes). Up to 200,000 square feet surrounding the campus will included in the tax-free community.
  • Employees Exempt from Income Taxes: Employees of businesses that open in Tax-Free NY communities will be exempt from paying income taxes.
  • Additional 3 Million Sq. Ft in Commercial Space at Private Universities: Under Tax-Free NY, 3 million sq. ft. in commercial space will be available at New York’s private universities and twenty strategic state assets will also be designated tax-free.
  • Businesses Eligible for Tax-Free NY: Eligible businesses include companies with a relationship to the academic mission of the university and companies creating new jobs, including new businesses, out-of-state businesses that relocate to New York and existing businesses that expand their New York operations while maintaining their existing jobs.

SUNY’s 64 campuses are located in all corners of New York State, and most New Yorkers live near a SUNY campus:

  • 93% of New Yorkers live within 15 miles of a SUNY campus
  • 97% of New Yorkers live within 20 miles of a SUNY campus
  • 100% of New Yorkers live within 30 miles of a SUNY campus

To find a nearby SUNY campus, visit New York’s transparency website at Open.ny.gov:
Map of campuses: https://data.ny.gov/d/cfb3-a8v8
Dataset: https://data.ny.gov/d/3cij-nwhw

Tax-Free NY continues the Governor’s work to reverse New York State’s reputation as the “tax capital” of the nation. Since taking office, the Governor has cut middle class tax rates to their lowest rates in 60 years, enacted the state’s first-ever property tax cap, eliminated or greatly reduced the MTA payroll tax for nearly 300,000 small businesses, and provided middle class families with a child tax credit.

Since taking office, the Governor has focused on growing New York’s economy, particularly in Upstate NY, where decades of decline and decay have taken their toll. In this year’s State of the State address, the Governor expanded on his economic agenda with a focus on innovation. Building on his successful Regional Economic Development Councils and NY SUNY2020, the Governor launched the Innovations Hot Spots Program and created a $50 million Venture Capital fund to help bring to market the technological innovations born at New York State’s internationally renowned research institutions.

Tax-Free NY will replicate the economic success of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in the Capital Region. By partnering with the University at Albany and the State, CNSE grew to become not only a preeminent research college for nanoscale technology, it also attracted billions of dollars in private sector investment, transforming the Capital Region into the international epicenter of the commercial nano-industry. Modeled on this success, Tax-Free NY will entice potential start-ups to bring their new business ventures here to Upstate New York, where they will benefit from resources offered by partnering with higher education institutions as well as the ability to do their business completely tax-free for a decade.

“The groundbreaking Tax-Free NY initiative further demonstrates Governor Andrew Cuomo’s strategic vision and bold leadership in establishing New York as the epicenter of the global nanotechnology industry,” said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, Senior Vice President and CEO of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. “This pioneering initiative builds on the Governor’s success in harnessing the power of education and innovation to attract jobs, companies and investment from the leading high-tech companies around the world, and in the process, creates exciting career and business opportunities for New Yorkers.”

###

Carpool Options Expand for Employees on the BNMC

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Parking, Transportation8 Comments on Carpool Options Expand for Employees on the BNMC

GO BNMC has made new Carpool Only parking spots available in the 589 Ellicott Street lot and the Michigan-Goodrich Garage. Starting Monday, May 27th, carpoolers must have a special “Carpool Parking Tag” to gain access to these spots.
If you are a current carpooler or are interested in carpooling, please call 716.218.7351 to register you and your rideshare partners for the new parking tags.  There are no additional costs.

Also, to make carpooling easier, registered carpool parking tag holders can now be given an additional parking tag that they can share with their rideshare partner.  There are no extra costs for this additional tag.

Please keep in mind that only one parking tag will be allowed in the lot or garage at a time to avoid abuse of this system.  The parking gates will not open for the additional tag if the other tag is already inside the lot/garage.

As demand for carpool parking grows, GO BNMC will expand the amount of designated carpool spaces and adjust carpool policies to make it as easy as possible to choose this economical commuting option.

Do you want to try carpooling, but need to find someone that to rideshare with? As a GO BNMC member, you can connect with other potential carpoolers that work on or near the Medical Campus. All you have to do is sign-in to your account, see where interested carpoolers live, determine if their work schedule coincides with yours, and see what their ridesharing preferences are. Once you have found a potential match, you can send them a message to jumpstart the conversation. It’s easy, safe, and can be a great way to meet new people.

For more information or to register for carpool parking tags, please call 716.218.7351 or email gobnmc@bnmc-old.local. Visit www.gobnmc-old.local to learn more about carpooling and other alternative transportation options for employees on the BNMC.

NOTE:  The above carpool information does not wp-contently to employees who park in the Roswell Garage on Michigan and Carlton.

DSCF4076

Insulin Fights Inflammation and Even Small Amounts of Glucose Trigger it in Type 1 Diabetics

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, Research, Wellness2 Comments on Insulin Fights Inflammation and Even Small Amounts of Glucose Trigger it in Type 1 Diabetics

Findings of small UB study are significant for understanding, treating infections in Type 1 diabetics

A small University at Buffalo (UB) study has found for the first time that in Type 1 diabetics, insulin injections exert a strong anti-inflammatory effect at the cellular and molecular level, while even small amounts of glucose result in “profound inflammation.”

The findings show that in Type 1 diabetics, insulin has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. This effect essentially suppresses the important pro-inflammatory protein called HMG-B1, which facilitates the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines (messenger proteins) that induce even further inflammation when secreted and released by the injured cell.

The work builds on previous research by the investigators in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which showed that insulin had the same anti-inflammatory effect in obese and Type 2 diabetes patients, but it highlights some important differences.

According to the paper, published in February in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, insulin’s anti-inflammatory effect takes longer to occur in Type 1 diabetics, about six hours, as opposed to two hours in Type 2 diabetics and obese patients. It also took about six hours for inflammatory markers known as reactive oxygen species to wp-contentear in Type 1 diabetics after glucose infusion whereas it took wp-contentroximately one to two hours in Type 2 diabetics and obese patients.

“The reason for this delayed response to insulin and glucose in Type 1 diabetes patients is not clear and requires further investigation,” says Paresh Dandona, MD, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine; chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism in the UB medical school; and first author on the study. “It is possible that these patients have a more intense level of inflammation, which requires a greater effort to induce a change.”

Another significant difference was found when the Type 1 diabetics were infused with glucose alone. While Type 2 diabetics and obese patients demonstrated no changes in glucose concentrations when administered small amounts of glucose, there was a small but significant increase in glucose concentrations in the Type 1 diabetics.

“The infusion of small amounts of glucose, 5 grams per hour over four hours, leads to a profound inflammatory effect, including the generation of the HMG-B1 protein,” says Dandona. “Since 20 grams of glucose is the equivalent of just four teaspoonfuls of sugar, this has extremely important implications for Type 1 diabetics.”

According to Dandona, even relatively small and brief increases in glucose concentrations induce an increase in the expression of inflammatory markers, such as toll-like receptors (proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system) and others at the cellular and molecular level in Type 1 diabetics, because they have no insulin reserve.

“Our findings show that even a small amount of carbohydrate cannot be tolerated by Type 1 diabetics without the protection of injectable insulin even over a short period of time without the risk of inflammation,” he says. “This has profound implications for the severity of inflammation in patients with infections and in terms of taking insulin before meals.”

In the study, 10 Type 1 diabetics received either insulin infusions of two units per hour with 100 milliliters of dextrose per hour or just the dextrose, following an overnight fast. Blood samples were collected at intervals of zero, two, four and six hours after the infusions.

In the group that received insulin plus dextrose, markers of inflammation were suppressed and blood sugar readings stayed normal, at around 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter).

But those who received just dextrose experienced a blood sugar spike from 115 mg/dl after fasting to 215 mg/dl at four and six hours, as well as an increase in the generation of key inflammatory markers. These include reactive oxygen species and several toll-like receptors, which may be involved in inflammatory processes, including gram positive and gram negative infections, metabolic inflammation as associated with obesity and diabetes and atherosclerosis.

“We were interested in these inflammatory markers in particular because although Type 1 diabetics are already being treated with insulin injections, they can be susceptible to infections and other inflammatory conditions, which lead to very serious, even life-threatening, complications, such as septicemia,” he said.

“Based on these observations, we are now beginning a study on meals taken with and without insulin in Type 1 diabetics, so that we can better understand what missing even a single insulin injection at mealtime means to a Type 1 diabetic patient,” he concludes.

Co-authors with Dandona, all from UB, are Husam Ghanim, MD, research assistant professor; Kelly Green and Chang Ling Sia, research assistants; Sanaa Abuaysheh, research associate; Nitesh Kuhadiya, MD, UB medical resident; Manav Batra, UB medical resident; Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, and Ajay Chaudhari, MD, both formerly associate professors at UB.

Ellen Goldbaum (UB); goldbaum@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4605

Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center Seeks Feedback for Feasibility Study

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Homepage, Member Institution(s)2 Comments on Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center Seeks Feedback for Feasibility Study

The largest non-profit hearing and speech center in the country is located here in Western New York on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. In its 60th year serving Western New Yorkers, the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center (BHSC) is looking to expand its diagnosis and treatment services by conducting a feasibility study survey to help solidify need-areas for growth and sustainability through its upcoming strategic fundraising campaign.
The BHSC has a number of programs that enhance the quality of life for children, teens, adults, and the elderly dealing with various communication disorders. From speech-language impediments to hearing and learning difficulties, BHSC offers accredited and certified professional support for community members and the resources for continued growth. With over 350 staff made up speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists physical therapists, early childhood educators and more, the environment created for learning and advancement is one that families with a loved one receiving treatment cherish.

To-date, the organization has served more than 100,000 individuals. To serve even more, there are four key initiatives that BHSC is looking to generate feedback and support for based on assessments from its leadership team are:

*Language to Literacy™ Fund: $1,000,000 to establish a Language to Literacy™ Fund allowing the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center to grow this very successful Language to Literacy™ program for children 3 to 18 years old. This intervention literacy program assists 365 students to increase an average of 1.3 grade levels in just 20 sessions.

*Social Communication™ Fund: $1,000,000 to establish a Social Communication™ Fund to serve more children 5 to 17 years old who struggle with conversational skills, self-regulating skills and important every-day problem-solving and cooperation skills. There are currently65 children per year served, but the goal is to serve at least 200 per year.

*Early Childhood Center Fund: $1,500,000 to establish the Early Childhood Center Fund to serve more children with autism spectrum disorder, various disabilities and behavior challenges. The center currently helps more than 250 children each day but looks to serve more. Rremaining at the forefront in treating these health conditions which have such a large impact on society today is challenging. BHSC has specially trained speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists provide services in nine school sites and throughout the community to over 2,400 children each year. Combined therapies come at a high cost and reimbursement rates rarely cover 100% of actual costs.

If you would like to support BHSC’s mission improve the quality of life for all with communication disorders by delivering cutting edge diagnosis and treatment of hearing and speech impairments and related special education services or to simply learn more about the feasibility study being conducted by The Steier Group, visit www.askbhsc.org. All surveys are encouraged to be in by Friday, May 24th. Click here to take the survey.

Learn more about BHSC below:

*May has been designated as National Better Hearing and Speech Month. BHSC is offering free hearing screenings to children and adults of all ages at all four clinic locations. Help raise awareness and understanding about communication disorders and the organizations that diagnose and treat them today.

Better Hearing and Speech Month

American Cancer Society Seeks Participants for Cancer Prevention Study

by BNMCin Community, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Research, Wellness

To better understand ways to prevent cancer, the American Cancer Society is recruiting men and women across the US and Puerto Rico for a landmark new research study – Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). Enrollment is being made possible in partnership with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus on Wednesday, June 19th at Roswell Park’s Gaylord Cary Conference Room from 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Individuals may choose to participate if they are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study (which involves completing follow-up surveys periodically over the next 20-30 years), are between the ages of 30 and 65 years old and have never been diagnosed with cancer. For more information, visit www.cps3buffalo.org, call 1-888-604-5888 or e-mail mcps3@cancer.org.

CANCER

May = National Bike Month

by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Transportation, Wellness

A number of events are lined up to celebrate National Bike Month here in Buffalo. Created to promote bicycling as a way to have fun, exercise and get from one point to another, National Bike Month is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. As a way to celebrate ways to preserve your health and the environment, enjoy the community at large and join a nationwide movement connecting bike-riders everywhere, this month is sure to offer frequent cyclists and those who just ride for fun the opportunity to help promote active and healthy lifestyles.
Join cyclists in your community by biking to work, school, destinations, and to various events in Buffalo to bring awareness to the importance of bicycle-friendly communities and the benefits that come with biking on a regular basis.

Events:

National Bike to School Day: Wednesday, May 8th

National Bike to School Day

Bicycle Commuter Breakfast: Friday, May 17th 6:30 a.n. – 10 a.m. on the BNMC @ 929 Washington Street

bike to work day poster

National Bike to Work Day: Friday May 17th

National Bike to Work Week: Monday, May 13th – Friday, May 17th

Download the GObike Buffalo Bike Month events poster for an additional list of events around Buffalo. Visit GObike Buffalo for more  information about creating sustainable transportation communities.

GO BNMC Continues to Provide Incentives for Employees to Try Transit

by BNMCin Campus-wide, Employees, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Sustainability, Transportation


The “Try Transit This Spring” campaign continues as one of many efforts to encourage employees not to drive alone to work on the Medical Campus. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. acquired funds totaling $393,432 to produce initiatives and partnerships that promote sustainable access and smart commuting. Various initiatives are underway to increase use of alternative transportation options by employees in order for the 1 million annual patients and visitors to have sufficient parking options.

After well over 200 2-week free transit passes were given to employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for them to try public transit from April 15th-29th, GO BNMC is now offering subsidized 3-month NFTA Metro Rail & Bus passes. Employees on the Medical Campus that do not already commute using alternative transportation can qualify to receive 3 months worth of passes for a total $60 (less than a third of the total cost of riding the Metro Rail & Bus unlimited for those same 3 months).

The free and subsidized passes are just one of the ways GO BNMC is encouraging employees to take alternative modes of transportation. Incentives are offered to all GO BNMC members who commute to work by walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling or taking the Metro Bus & Rail on a regular basis. Members can win gift certificates to local retail businesses and restaurants, and transit passes that are raffled off monthly.

For employees that live on the outskirts of the city of Buffalo, the NFTA Express Bus picks up and drops off at two designated Park & Ride locations: Route 69E – Alden, Appletree Business Park, 2875 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227 and Route 72E – Orchard Park, ECC South Campus, 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park, NY 14127. The express routes arrive on the Medical Campus around 6:40 a.m. and depart the Medical Campus around 3:30 p.m. at the Allen/Medical Campus Station.

To provide a peace of mind for employees that commute using an alternative transportation more than twice a week, there is the Guaranteed Ride Home program. The Guaranteed Ride Home program allows each GO BNMC member that signs up to receive 4 vouchers to use to get home (a free taxi ride for up to $60 excluding tip) from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. This means that if there isn't a convenient alternative transportation option immediately available, members can simply pull out the wallet-sized voucher and follow the instructions to get home. It's that simple. Each time a voucher is used and turned in to the taxi driver, another will arrive in the mail until all of the 4 vouchers are used.

To learn if you qualify to receive a subsidized Metro Bus & Rail pass or vouchers for the Guaranteed Ride Home program, call 716.566.2316 or e-mail gobnmc@bnmc-old.local. For more about GO BNMC, visit www.gobnmc-old.local.

Follow @GOBNMC on Twitter for more news and updates.

RPCI Becomes Associate Member of the New York Genome Center

by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), News

Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has joined the New York Genome Center (NYGC) as an Association Member to collaborate to design clinical wp-contentlications for genome sequencing in oncology.

As a leading, comprehensive national and international center for cancer research, clinical care and education, RPCI provides basic and translational research, educational programs, and multidisciplinary and compassionate patient care. RPCI also brings additional resources such as its Genomics Shared Resource, a Pathology Resource Network, Bioinformatics Shared Resource, and Data Bank and BioRepository (DBBR).

“Its unique, specialized focus on cancer research, prevention and treatment will contribute significantly toward our knowledge of disease, furthering our mission of achieving personalized medicine,” said Robert B. Darnell, President and Scientific Director of NYGC.

Offering resources like the bio banking facility, RPCI will be able to assist the NYGC in learning about genetic origins and new treatments for cancer patients. The collaboration will also serve as a catalyst for important large-scale cancer genomic studies to be conducted at NYGC with other members.

Donald Trump, MD, President and CEO of Roswell Park Cancer Institute stated that “This partnership enhances our opportunities to extend collaborations with our colleagues throughout New York, including the New York City cancer centers, thus allowing us to bring the latest discoveries in genome science to our work to understand, prevent and cure cancer and other diseases.”

The collaboration opportunities that will come from this recent partnership will lead to resourceful and impactful research opportunities and clinical breakthroughs which will result in decreased health disparities of New York residents.

UB and St. John Baptist Panel Releases Report on Creation of Economic Opportunities for Residents

by BNMCin Community, Fruit Belt, Homepage, Outreach

UB and St. John Baptist panel releases report on creation of economic opportunities for residents of neighborhoods bordering Buffalo’s Medical Campus

UB to begin immediate implementation of panel’s recommendations

The Economic Opportunity Panel (EOP), wp-contentointed by the University at Buffalo (UB) and St. John Baptist Fruit Belt Community Development Corp. to assess how the opportunities created by the sale of the McCarley Gardens housing complex could be more accessible to the residents of McCarley Gardens and the city’s Fruit Belt, released its report today.

Last week, the panel presented its report to UB President Satish K. Tripathi and Minister Michael Chapman, consultant/CEO, St. John Baptist Fruit Belt Community Development Corp.  A copy of the report is available here (http://tinyurl.com/UB-EOP-Report).

Created in 2011 as a contingency of the future sale of the McCarley Gardens housing project to UB, the EOP, in preparing its report, met with nearly 70 community and business leaders over the past year and a half. More broadly, the panel considered how UB’s growing presence on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), and the growth of the BNMC itself, could benefit neighboring communities.

An internal working group of UB and the church, the EOP consisted of six members with expertise in business services and procurement, job training and workforce development, minority hiring and business ventures, and leadership development.

While acknowledging that UB already meets or exceeds state-mandated targets for minority and women employment and business participation on all of its downtown Buffalo construction projects, the EOP report identified six ways the university could do more to “make economic opportunities more accessible to those in our community who have had too few such opportunities.”

The panel’s recommendations build upon the success of projects and initiatives already underway at UB to increase community access to jobs and business opportunities created by UB’s expansion in downtown Buffalo.

The panel recommended that UB:

Tripathi and Chapman thanked the EOP for its work and said that steps will be taken to implement the panel’s recommendations. “The EOP’s report marks the beginning of a process of community engagement, not the end,” Tripathi said.  “The university very much wp-contentreciates the panel’s efforts on behalf of UB, the church and the community.”

“We give thanks to God for this Biblically based social justice model,” Chapman said.  “The EOP has done an excellent job and we congratulate and thank them for their service on the panel and for representation of St John Baptist Church and its affiliate corporations and community at large.”

Chapman continued, “Our project is a national model; it’s the most comprehensive collaborative economic urban workforce development model.  It is our responsibility to turn the panel research into practical wp-contentlication. We expect to create employment opportunities and minority participation through SJBC Corporation and SJB Business Corporation for various positions in construction, automotive, welding, robotics, security, as well as administrative and health services.

“St John and its affiliate corporations have potentially $60 million in projects slated over the next seven years, which will provide training and employment opportunities to community residents in addition to what the University at Buffalo commits.”

Tripathi said UB will take immediate steps to implement the EOP recommendations.  Specifically, the university will:

With the submittal of its report, the EOP will disband.  The UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council will serve as a primary economic development liaison between the university, the community and BNMC partners.  The council, established in 2010, will work with the university and community to ensure that the EOP’s recommendations are addressed, and will pursue additional ways UB and BNMC partner institutions can open up new economic opportunities to community residents.

Members of the  UB 2020 Opportunities Advisory Council include chairperson June W. Hoeflich, member, UB Council; Michael Badger, pastor, Bethesda World Harvest International Church; Ravinder Bansal, chairman and CEO, AirSep Corp.; Robert Bragg, vice president, decision support and campus development, Kaleida Health; Deanna Alterio Brennen, president and CEO, Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce; Matt Enstice, executive director, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; Thomas A. Fentner, senior vice president, human resources and administrative services, HealthNow New York Inc.; Vicki Garcia, vice president, human resources management, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration, UB.

Also, Anthony Johnson, CEO, Empire Genomics; Mary Lou Klee, director of corporate employment and corporate human resources, Kaleida Health;  Michael Pietkiewicz, assistant vice president of government and community relations, UB; Michael Sexton, general counsel and chief institute operations officer, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Brian C. Springer, executive vice president, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; and Paul E. Tesluk, Donald S. Carmichael Professor of Organization and Human Resources, UB School of Management.

Members of the EOP included Dennis Black, vice president for university life and services, UB; Colleen W. Cummings, former executive director, Buffalo Employment and Training Center; Hoeflich; Brenda W. McDuffie, president and CEO, Buffalo Urban League; Hon. James A.W. McLeod, Buffalo City Court judge; and Tesluk.

John DellaContrada (UB); dellacon@buffalo.edu; 716.645.4601

Play Streets® Comes to Buffalo

by BNMCin Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Wellness

play streets postersPlay Streets® was created to help prevent and combat childhood obesity by the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Just like in various cities across the country, Play Streets® will come to Buffalo beginning Sunday, May 5th.
Select streets will be closed to cars and opened to the community to walk, ride bikes, skate and participate in physical activities like dancing, jumping rope, hula-hooping and even climbing a rock wall!

Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Buffalo helped to shape the development of Play Streets® in Buffalo by providing concrete evidence of growing obesity trends and direct feedback from youth in our city regarding the impact of the environment on their health and well-being, as well as what they'd like to see to improve.

To continue collecting that important evidence, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partners are being summoned to assist with data collection at the Buffalo Play Streets® events.

Volunteers Needed!

In order to reach the evaluation goal, 20 adult and 30 youth surveys need to be completed at each of the 5 events. People who complete a survey will receive an incentive, probably a frisbee. Of course, before and after the surveys have been completed, volunteers are free to hang out and enjoy all of the Play Streets® activities.

Volunteers are needed to help with set-up, clean-up and assisting event participants.If you'd like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Henry Raess, Play Streets Coordinator by e-mail at henry@gobikebuffalo.org or by phone at 716.218-7161.

Events

People are encouraged to walk and bike to the events and throughout the events, where there are a number of activities to get you moving.

Want to know more? Play Streets features a number of fun activities, including dance workshops, zumba, line-dancing, yoga, bike repair workshops, bike rodeos, a climbing wall, sports and games. Information on nutrition, health and wellness will be available. Buffalo Play Streets partner BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York will have their Healthy Zone Cruiser at each event, providing jump ropes and hula hoops for kids to play with and information on healthcare. In addition, Massachusetts Avenue Project’s Growing Green mobile market will be at several Play Streets, providing information on gardening and urban farming, growing seasons, recipes for preparing and cooking various vegetables and selling their fresh, locally-grown produce.

For more information, go to www.gobikebuffalo.org/programs/play-streets.