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At the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, WVU researchers have been increasingly successful in winning competitive federal and private research funding. WVU has concentrated in interdisciplinary focus areas that address the state’s long-term health needs.
In cancer cell biology, WVU is national leader in developing studies on cell signaling and growth, on the action of chemotherapy drugs and other therapeutics at the cellular level, and on other aspects of cancer research. The National Institutes of Health has funded several projects – including the most competitive R01 grants, and the National Center for Research Resources has designated WVU as a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in cancer biology. WVU programs for cancer patients – including clinical trials of the latest drugs, radiological and surgical treatments – are directly tied to our laboratory research.
In cardiovascular sciences and vascular biology, WVU has a full array of researchers in the basic sciences, in clinical care, and in risk prevention and health promotion working together to address some of West Virginia’s most pressing health issues.
WVU is also the home of a nationally-recognized COBRE in neurosciences. The University has several independent areas of neurosciences research – the sensory neurosciences labs, the Blanchette Rockefeller Institute, our advanced imaging work on neural systems, and others – which, together, can create new synergy in the understanding of the links among the senses, thought and memory, and behavior. This area is strongly supported by competitive Federal grants and by funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which supports only the most advanced work at America’s leading research universities.
WVU developing three other health research focus areas, based on the needs of the state and the funding available from NIH and other sources: lung cell biology and pulmonary disease; immunology and infectious disease; and exercise, diabetes and metabolic disorders.
A major commitment to research has led to impressive institutional growth in this area. Externally funded research awards has increased dramatically and are expected to quadruple in the next few years. Our scientists are engaged in a broad range of investigations, including basic science, clinical, and translational research, clinical trials, and other advanced investigations.
As part of our increasing research emphasis, we have acquired an impressive array of advanced equipment and have increased institutional support for improvements in our research infrastructure. We have had PET for several years, and recently acquired a 3.0 Tesla MRI, twice as powerful as a regular MRI, which is being used extensively in research. We have also recently opened a $1 million, 2,500-square-foot transgenic facility that supports a wide variety of research projects, especially in the areas of neuroscience, cancer, immunology, and cardiovascular disease.
Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute
The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) is a world-class research institute seeking practical solutions to neurological diseases, with a special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.
Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center
Cancer research is a major area of growth at WVU. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding has grown dramatically in recent years and continues to climb.
WVU Eye Institute
Eye Institute researchers are developing new techniques to diagnose and treat eye disease, with a current focus on glaucoma, retinal disease, visual pathology, and genetics.
Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health
The Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health provides education, service, and research in occupational and environmental health.
Center for Advanced Imaging
The Center for Advanced Imaging is an advanced research and clinical imaging facility with a PET scanner, a PETtrace cyclotron, and a 3-Tesla MRI.
Institute for Health Policy Research
The Institute for Health Policy Research conducts investigations into healthcare needs in the region and works with policy makers to develop strategies improve health services.
Sensory Neuroscience Research Center
The Sensory Neuroscience Research Center conducts multidisciplinary studies of sensory systems. The center has 13 laboratories.
Center on Aging
The Center on Aging provides service, education, and research to promote quality of life in later years and make recommendations to policy makers.
Prevention Research Center
The Prevention Research Center conducts disease prevention and health promotion research and outreach aimed at improving the health of the people of Applachia.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
A division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is adjacent to the Health Sciences Center complex.
Center for Health Ethics and Law
The Center for Health Ethics and Law provides resources relating to legal and ethical issues in healthcare, including end-of-life care, advance directives, and others.
Center for Rural Emergency Medicine
The Center for Rural Emergency Medicine (CREM) provides outreach, education, and technical support aimed at improving the quality of emergency medicine in rural areas.
Research is gaining momentum in many areas, including cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular/renal, occupational/environmental health, ophthalmology, and many areas of basic science. Our research faculty is growing and nationally renowned scientists are joining our ranks.
Our Clinical Trials Research Unit is increasing support for and assisting faculty with the administrative and financial aspects of clinical trials. We are also engaging in an increasing number of public-private partnerships, such as a major initiative in the area of proteomics, that are enhancing our ability to improve people’s lives and promote economic development in our region. Finally, we are promoting collaborative research by placing special emphasis on interdepartmental, interdisciplinary, and interschool research projects, including collaboration between basic science and clinical departments.
