Officials in Duke University Medical Center are working to combine the department of neurobiology and the clinical division of neurology to form a center in order to geographically centralize the basic sciences and clinical research in the field.
Such a partnership is nationally unprecedented and will include a massive re-organization of the neurobiology department and the creation of a Center for Translational Neuroscience. This move will facilitate greater interaction of technical, intellectual and clinical resources.
Dr. James McNamara, who took over as chair of neurobiology last year, has already launched four major research initiatives within the department and is currently leading the development planning for CTN.
The goal of translational neuroscience and of the collaboration is to accelerate the process by which molecular and cellular insights into disease mechanisms are translated into potential new therapies, said Dr. Warren Strittmatter, chief of neurology.
"Both Jim [McNamara] and I share a common vision of combining the strengths of the department of neurobiology and the division of neurology to ultimately help patients with disorders of the central nervous system," he said. "By working together on this common goal, often from differing clinical and research perspectives, we will help accelerate this discovery process."
Although the plans for this neuroscience initiative are just starting, Vice Dean for Basic Science at the School of Medicine Jo Rae Wright said she is looking forward to the growth that these changes will likely bring.
"I think that [McNamara's] proposal will really move neurosciences forward at Duke both at the University and the medical level, generating ideas that are collaborative and innovative and bring new technology to the campus," Wright said.
McNamara, who is also the Carl R. Beant professor of neuroscience, took over the department from former chair Dr. Dale Purves, who continues to remain a professor of neurobiology and now serves as director of the Duke Center for Cognitive Neuroscience.
During Purves' tenure as chair, neurobiology at Duke grew from a fledgling department into a national leader. "In his 10-year tenure he virtually created from scratch a top-10 department nationally," said Leigh DeNeef, associate dean of the graduate school.
When McNamara took the reins, he said he considered how to "take a mature department and make it better." The key, he concluded, was not to take a step forward but instead to "take a step different."
To broaden the department's scope, he has focused research in four new areas.
"It's only been a year, but he's really made this place exciting," said Guoping Feng, assistant professor of neurobiology. Feng is leading a research initiative on bacterial artificial chromosome transgenics, which involves activating genes in a subpopulation of neurons to test the functions of the neurons in mouse models.
"One of the most exciting aspects of neuroscience now is with the genome sequence," Feng said. "How genetics is related to the basic function of the brain and neurological diseases is bringing a new era to neuroscience research."
According to an internal document about the goals of the neurobiology department, "controlling gene expression in defined populations of neurons at a specific points in time in development of the mammalian brain in both health and disease is a 'Holy Grail' of neuroscience."
The second initiative involves proteomics-an area which, like BAC transgenics "has been around for a while," Feng said, but before now, neurobiologists had not applied these techniques to neuroscience.
The neuroproteomics initiative--led by Dr. Michael Ehlers, an assistant professor of neurobiology and recent recipient of the Eppendorf Award--will examine the separation and isolation of synaptic proteins, which are critical to learning and memory.
Pate Skene, an associate professor of neurobiology, will lead the investigation of gene expression profiling with the use of microarrays, a new technology that can help identify mutated genes.
Professor of Neurobiology David Fitzpatrick will lead the fourth initiative, conducting imaging of small animals in their nascent stage. McNamara, who was a faculty member before becoming chair, is confident in the ability of his team to develop these goals and propel the already-top department far beyond any other neurobiology program.
"The faculty is terrifically good," he said. "I've been here for three decades and I know these people very well."
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