Number of people:
UNMC employees – 60 faculty, 180 staff
Nebraska Medicine-affiliated employees – 362
New Faculty:
Walter (Scott) Campbell, Ph.D., laboratory informatics
Keer Sun, Ph.D., immunology of infectious diseases
Maher Abdullah, Ph.D., microbiology and immunology
Vinai Thomas Chittezham, Ph.D., microbiology
Venkata (Rama) Kakulavarapu Ph.D., neuroimmunology
Prabagaran Narayanasamy, Ph.D., microbiology and drug discovery
Alina Sofronescu, Ph.D., clinical chemistry
Javeed Iqbal, Ph.D., lymphoma T-cell biology
Sarah Shunkwiler, M.D., transfusion medicine
Catalina Ortiz,, M.D., hematopathology
Scott Koepsell, M.D., transfusion medicine
Jessica Kozel, M.D., surgical pathology
Ji (Jane) Yuan, M.D., hematopathology
Hina Naushad M.D., hematopathology
Yuri Shenin, M.D., anatomic pathology research
New Programs:
Apheresis Medicine: Apheresis refers to the collection of blood for the purposes of removing one or more components such as plasma, platelets, or white blood cells using specialized equipment. The processed blood is then transfused back into the patient. The therapeutic applications of apheresis have expanded and on site supervision is now provided by our clinical pathologists who have completed sub-specialty fellowships in transfusion medicine.
Oncogenomics: This program is providing coordination of multiple new approaches to the characterization of cancerous tissues using state-of-the-art molecular techniques. This approach takes advantage of the rapid growth in knowledge regarding the molecular basis of cancer and new drugs that are directed to specific targets. The processing of large amounts of information is critical in the evaluation of the genetic information. The program results in the determination of therapeutic measures and determination of prognosis on an individual basis, also known as precision medicine.
Emerging Infectious Diseases: Building upon a strong base in microbiology and public health infectious diseases, the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory at UNMC and the clinical laboratory at Nebraska Medicine collaborated to develop the laboratory services for support of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. Specimen handling and test services protocols originally developed for pandemic influenza and highly resistant mycobacteria were re-evaluated and modified for treatment of patients with Ebolavirus infection including pre and post-mortem tissue sampling. The entire chain of events from specimen collection to reporting was risk assessed and procedures were developed to improve safety.
Significant Research Grants/Contracts and Publications:
Renewal of the NIH PO1 funding for Staphylococcus aureus research program was announced in 2014. The project, headed by Ken Bayles, Ph.D., has made significant progress toward understanding the role of biofilms in persistence of Staph infections. The research leadership team includes Tammy Kielian, Ph.D., and Paul Fey, Ph.D., as well as Mark Rupp, M.D. A key resource of the Center for Staphylococcus Research is the mutant bacteria library.
Defense Threat Reduction Agency funding was awarded to Steven Hinrichs, M.D., and his research team including internationally recognized scientist Oksana Lockridge, Ph.D., for its efforts to develop a new formulation of Butyryl Cholinesterase (BCHE). BCHE has been shown by Dr. Lockridge to be an effective bioscavenger of nerve agents and a field deployable medication is the goal of the project.
The World Health Organization reference book on Tumors of Bone and Soft Tissue was published with Julia Bridge, M.D., as one of the four co-editors. This authoritative fascicle describes diagnostic and pathologic features as well as molecular assays that identify the characteristic genetic mechanisms behind the neoplastic changes, many of which were first described by Dr. Bridge.
Research Highlights:
The Antimicrobial Peptide Database has become one of the most actively searched websites dedicated to antimicrobial discovery. The website was designed and is supervised by department researcher, Gus Wang, Ph.D.
Dr. Tammy Kielian and her research team have made significant progress in understanding the disease process leading to Juvenile Batten disease, a tragic process affecting the brains of children. Results of the research have led to the identification of a potential new therapy.
Steven Tracy, Ph.D., and Nora Chapman, Ph.D., recently demonstrated the mechanism through which coxsackievirus can maintain a persistent infection. Their publication in J. Med. Virol. 87:240-247, 2015 showed that CVB persistent infection in the murine pancreas is directly correlated with deletion of 5′ terminal genomic sequences.
Other highlights:
Service on national academic boards:
Audrey Lazenby, Ph.D., was elected to the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathologists.
James Wisecarver, M.D., was elected to the board of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.
Samuel Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., serves on the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Board of Scientific Counselors
Choudari Kommineni, D.V.M., Ph.D., alumnus of the department research program in toxicology, funded a new professorship.