Research Institute Head Shares His Vision

Dr. Michael Friedlander

Wielding a $50 million dollar start-up budget and an intent to employ 50-100 people by year’s end, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VCTRI) Executive Director Dr. Michael Friedlander has the ears of many  in town. The new biomedical institute, slated to  open Sept. 1st., is adjacent to the Virgina Tech Carilion Medical School on South Jefferson St, which welcomes its first class earlier this week.

On July 22 the NewVa Corridor Technology Council (NCTC), a local trade group centered on the intersection of technology and business, hosted Friedlander at their monthly “Tech and Toast” breakfast meeting in Roanoke. Friedlander spoke about  the opportunities for biomedical innovation that the institute could provide. He first put forth the question of “how to go about making a difference” by way of research.  Making a difference, Friedlander  said, requires defining focus areas, identifying talent, providing resources and forming partnerships.

After giving a brief overview of the focused research areas planned for the VCTRI, (including the study of degenerative aging disorders, technological advances such as imaging and bioengineering that can be used in treatment), he  honed in on one particular area of research that the institute will undertake as the main subject of his presentation: cognitive functioning in the brain.

One of the first issues covered in Freidlander’s wide-ranging survey of cognitive function was brain injury. Positing brain injury as a “silent public health epidemic”, he pointed out that brain traumas account for the bulk of ER visits and said there are between 1.5 million to 3 million traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. per year. Taking current events into account, he noted that a good number of wounds in recent military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have been “largely non-penetrating concussive” injuries that can directly affect brain function.

One of the tools used to examine brain function that Friedlander’s researchers will use is the functional MRI (fMRI). While a regular MRI can only study brain anatomy, the FMRI observes microscopic blood flow changes in the brain to make images of functioning activity patterns at work. Friedlander said in addition to aiding neurorehabilitation for brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain, this imaging could also help the study of autism.

Autism, icreasingly diagnosed in recent years,  is a brain disorder of social interactions.  While FMRIs have been used in the past to observe the brain in isolation, they are now being used to analyze  brain activity simultaneously while people interact and undertake behavioral tasks. This allows researchers to understand how activity traits in some parts of the brain such as the cingulate cortex may be related to severity of autistic symptoms.

Aging and its effects on cognition also came up in Freidlander’s  talk. One of the benefits of better understanding of brain function is coaxing a brain cell’s natural ability to regenerate. “Older brains can grow new neurons in memory-critical areas,” he said. By observing brain function Freidlaner said researchers can study how the growing of neurons, referred to as neurogenesis, is stimulated by exercise but can be negated by social isolation.

The VCTRI’s Human Neuroimaging Lab will work jointly with the institute’s department of Human Genome Sequencing to examine links between imaging, behaviors and genes.

Friedlander said that he hopes to bring the study about using a community partnership of schools, businesses, community organizations, churchs and interest groups along with interested individuals.

Friedlander wrapped up his presentation by elaborating what VCTRI could do for southwestern Virginia. He said that a wealth of scientific talent would be brought to the region and that other benefits should include generation of intellectual property.  Support from local, state and national political leaders would be key in bolstering the institute,  said Freidlander.  Early partnerships with healthcare and business leaders, along with community involvement, would also be essential to the institute’s success.

For more infor about VCTRI, visit http://www.vtc.vt.edu/research

By Aaron Layman

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