Field Neurosciences Institute 'Close to Cures' gala returns to support stem cell breakthroughs
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/09/close_to_cures_the_goal_as_fni.html
SAGINAW, MI — Sometimes, says Dr. E. Malcolm Field, two plus two equals five or maybe even six.
He even has a law about interactive returns, looking at recent developments built on groundbreaking stem cell discoveries made at the Field Neurosciences Institute labs in Saginaw Township and Mount Pleasant. A recent study found researchers exploring the use of stem cells in creating new heart tissue. On the neurological front, it's led to the study of a common substance found in Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease, possibly linking them at the most basic level.
This year's benefit gala, "Field of Hope, Close to Cures" on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Temple Theatre, adds another tool to the home front efforts. The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. with a grand entrance featuring Dani Vitany and Ten Hands Tall, followed by a bountiful buffet and, at 8 p.m., "American Idol" 2011 winner Scotty McCreery.
Proceeds from ticket sales — $125 for the entire evening; $85, $70, $55, $45 for the show alone — will purchase an in vivo imagery system that will allow researchers to see how a living organism responds to different therapies rather than making after-the-fact conclusions from slices of a dead brain.
That's important, said the institute's executive director, Dr. Gary Dunbar.
In earlier research using equipment purchased through the institute's annual fundraiser, researchers found that the stem cells inserted into live brain tissue weren't found in the autopsy. But didn't it keep the respective disease at bay for the natural life of the test animal?
"Bingo!" Dunbar said. "With the new imagery system, we can visualize what is happening with the stem cell transplant in a live animal. We can see how well it is functioning, how long it survives and why the test animal keeps doing better. Why do they work?"
If their speculation proves correct and the cells are releasing their proteins before they die, it could lead to the formation of pluripotent cells capable of delivering even more to the diseased areas.
The institute works with a growing pool of young volunteers who approach the research with unbiased perceptions and no pet theories, generating several medical papers — "and not published in any old magazine," Field said. Clinical studies on humans took place at least a decade ahead of what they predicted five years ago.
"We have youngsters who want to come back to the lab two or three times," Field said. "They go on to prestigious colleges with what they've learned firsthand, and I've heard of some who've been accepted in the medical programs during their interviews at the school."
Field asks nothing of them that he hasn't done himself. Early in his career, he spent time with medical teams in Germany, England and Switzerland, building on the excitement of discovery as they shared information.
Awake at 4:30 every morning these days, driven by the boyhood memory of his best friend's death from a ruptured appendix, he often quotes Winston Churchill, "Never give in."
"I haven't given up on the Holy Grail of cell replacement," Dunbar said.
The gala has drawn support from people looking for miracles around the next corner while appreciating the subtleties that often have profound consequences.
Think about it, Field said.
From the beginning of history, our grasp of new information doubled about every thousand years. With the invention of the printing press, it doubled every 300 years, he said, and in today's information-drenched world, it's escalated to a dizzying every 48 hours.
"We have a new neurosurgeon at St. Mary's, Dr. Joseph Adel, whose specialty training is in aneurisms," Field continued. "We've tripled or even quadrupled what we know about that already. A young lady was flown in from Cheboygan, and she's alive today after a quick operation. There was a time not so long ago that we wouldn't have even attempted that."
If you don't keep up with the latest, "you become obsolete," he said. "You've given up. I've spent a lifetime learning."
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/09/close_to_cures_the_goal_as_fni.html
SAGINAW, MI — Sometimes, says Dr. E. Malcolm Field, two plus two equals five or maybe even six.
He even has a law about interactive returns, looking at recent developments built on groundbreaking stem cell discoveries made at the Field Neurosciences Institute labs in Saginaw Township and Mount Pleasant. A recent study found researchers exploring the use of stem cells in creating new heart tissue. On the neurological front, it's led to the study of a common substance found in Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease, possibly linking them at the most basic level.
This year's benefit gala, "Field of Hope, Close to Cures" on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Temple Theatre, adds another tool to the home front efforts. The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. with a grand entrance featuring Dani Vitany and Ten Hands Tall, followed by a bountiful buffet and, at 8 p.m., "American Idol" 2011 winner Scotty McCreery.
Proceeds from ticket sales — $125 for the entire evening; $85, $70, $55, $45 for the show alone — will purchase an in vivo imagery system that will allow researchers to see how a living organism responds to different therapies rather than making after-the-fact conclusions from slices of a dead brain.
That's important, said the institute's executive director, Dr. Gary Dunbar.
In earlier research using equipment purchased through the institute's annual fundraiser, researchers found that the stem cells inserted into live brain tissue weren't found in the autopsy. But didn't it keep the respective disease at bay for the natural life of the test animal?
"Bingo!" Dunbar said. "With the new imagery system, we can visualize what is happening with the stem cell transplant in a live animal. We can see how well it is functioning, how long it survives and why the test animal keeps doing better. Why do they work?"
If their speculation proves correct and the cells are releasing their proteins before they die, it could lead to the formation of pluripotent cells capable of delivering even more to the diseased areas.
The institute works with a growing pool of young volunteers who approach the research with unbiased perceptions and no pet theories, generating several medical papers — "and not published in any old magazine," Field said. Clinical studies on humans took place at least a decade ahead of what they predicted five years ago.
"We have youngsters who want to come back to the lab two or three times," Field said. "They go on to prestigious colleges with what they've learned firsthand, and I've heard of some who've been accepted in the medical programs during their interviews at the school."
Field asks nothing of them that he hasn't done himself. Early in his career, he spent time with medical teams in Germany, England and Switzerland, building on the excitement of discovery as they shared information.
Awake at 4:30 every morning these days, driven by the boyhood memory of his best friend's death from a ruptured appendix, he often quotes Winston Churchill, "Never give in."
"I haven't given up on the Holy Grail of cell replacement," Dunbar said.
The gala has drawn support from people looking for miracles around the next corner while appreciating the subtleties that often have profound consequences.
Think about it, Field said.
From the beginning of history, our grasp of new information doubled about every thousand years. With the invention of the printing press, it doubled every 300 years, he said, and in today's information-drenched world, it's escalated to a dizzying every 48 hours.
"We have a new neurosurgeon at St. Mary's, Dr. Joseph Adel, whose specialty training is in aneurisms," Field continued. "We've tripled or even quadrupled what we know about that already. A young lady was flown in from Cheboygan, and she's alive today after a quick operation. There was a time not so long ago that we wouldn't have even attempted that."
If you don't keep up with the latest, "you become obsolete," he said. "You've given up. I've spent a lifetime learning."