Gov. Rick Snyder: State should invest in biomedical research
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder speaks during the 4th Annual Symposium at the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building Friday.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Gov. Rick Snyder said today he wants the state to make sustained investment in biomedical research that will boost the economy in the long term and push forward new medical discoveries.
“We can come up with the idea, prove the scientific principles behind it, and we can also take it and make it into an application where it can touch peoples’ lives. That’s truly exciting,” said Snyder, delivering remarks at the annual Taubman Symposium on the University of Michigan campus.
Snyder said he wants more basic scientific research to translate to commercial opportunities, and he’d like the state to help make happen. While he didn’t provide details as to how this would occur, he said he would draw on his experiences as a co-founder of Ann Arbor Spark, non-profit economic development group with the same goal.
“I view that as one of the critical roles as governor of this state: to take that learning experience and expand it statewide,” he said.
But he encouraged sustained focus in a culture he dubbed “ADD,” and prone to shift its focus from one “bright shiny object” to the next.
The symposium aimed to highlight the work of several Taubman scholars, doctor-scientists whose research is funded in part by billionaire luxury mall entrepreneur, A. Alfred Taubman. The Taubman scholars are tasked with conducting “high risk, high reward” research that will have real-world applications to the patients they see in their clinics.
“In our basic science labs, we try to understand the cause of disease and develop new treatments and therapies that we can then take over to our patients,” said Eva Feldman, the director of the institute. “That is the genesis and the core of the Taubman Institute.”
Taubman’s donation of $22 million began the institute in 2007. The following year, Michigan voters approved Proposal 2, which loosened restrictions on embryonic stem cell research in Michigan, allowing scientists to use embryos left over from fertility clinics for disease research.
Taubman, a vocal proponent of embryonic stem cell research, has since poured millions more into the institute, including a $56 million gift in April 2011. His gifts to U-M top $142 million, which includes $100 million for medical science.
Feldman, herself a Taubman scholar, designed the first human trial involving ALS, or Lou Gherig's disease, and human embryonic stem cells. That trial is ongong.
Friday’s Taubman scholar speakers highlighted other areas of research, into better understanding in areas like obesity, pancreatic cancer and blood clotting.
In a trial that will eventually include 700 morbidly obese Michigan residents, Charles Burant, a U-M endocrinology professor, hopes to find clinically useful therapies for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
Now, there are 255 participants, the director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center told the crowd. After 48 weeks, most patients have lost nearly a quarter of their body weight and halved the medications they take.
“The point is to prevent them from regaining weight,” he said.
Noting that 70 percent of people in southeast Michigan are overweight or obese, Burant said he hopes results will help individuals outside the study.
“We convinced Bluecare Network to support his program as a pilot program, to see if we could have an economic system for insurance programs to cover weight loss program,” he said.
“We believe this is going to have a large economic impact.”
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
BhavanaJagat
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
ILLEGAL TRANSFER OF HUMAN EMBRYOS : Michigan State has a duty to give protection to human embryos that live and exist in the State of Michigan. In the absence of extradition proceedings, it is illegal to transfer human embryos from State of Michigan to Emory University, Atlanta. A Michigan Court of Law is the only competent legal authority which may permit the transfer of human embryos from State of Michigan to another State. In the absence of the approval by a Court of Law, the transfer of human embryos from State of Michigan is similar to CIA's rendition program involving illegal transfer of humans across State borders. Kindly share information in a transparent and truthful manner and take courage to include facts in your news story. Kindly share the name of the person who has permitted the transfer of human embryos from University of Michigan to Emory University, Atlanta.
BhavanaJagat
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 5:17 p.m.
THE EDITOR IS AT WORK : The first story on this subject mentioned the name of Emory University, Atlanta as the venue of the first human clinical trial which involves the use of 'neural stemcells'. The subsequent two stories fail to mention Emory University and 'neural'. Kindly give us some information about the pills that are being used to treat these obese patients. Do they curb appetite? How do they work? These patients could reduce weight by eating less and by spending more energy by increased physical activity. We do not really need pills to curb eating. How long they would continue to use these pills? The purpose of Basic Science is not that of inventing medical interventions for disease. The purpose must be that of understanding the Whole Human Organism and examine the nature of its existence in a given environment, and community.
Bob Krzewinski
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 1:48 p.m.
Ahh lets see. Is Mr. Snyder going to run this science based proposal past our legislature? You know, the same people that just passed a bill in the Michigan House that would skirt a federal phaseout of older, less efficient light bulbs? <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20111013/NEWS15/111013044/State-House-votes-allow-less-efficient-light-bulbs" rel='nofollow'>http://www.freep.com/article/20111013/NEWS15/111013044/State-House-votes-allow-less-efficient-light-bulbs</a>
Cassandra
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 11:17 a.m.
You all remember Lou Gherig; he was a teammate of Babe Root and Joe Digmadgio.
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 6:36 a.m.
""We can come up with the idea, prove the scientific principles behind it, and we can also take it and make it into an application where it can touch peoples' lives." == WE? We, Gov. Rick? Rick the Researcher, now that's a good one. Why not do some research on economics, you might "discover" something useful. LOL! I hope now that he knows where the Taubman Biomedical Research building is, he doesn't go back to Lansing and tell his Republican buddies he knows Education in Michigan is well off because billionaires are funding it. I'd be more impressed if Rick started showing up to watch teachers conduct 12 parent-teacher conferences in one evening. Or see him showing up to watch a single shift of nurses handling myriad medical details while attending personally to patients' needs. For that matter, it'd be fun to watch Governor Rick put on a hard hat and do a work shift with road crews. Of course, he already is convinced that only "business owners" have any significance or worth - the rest of Michigan is beneath his notice.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
"Snyder said he wants more basic scientific research to translate to commercial opportunities, and he'd like the state to help make happen." Cuts state funding to Michigan's largest research institutions by 15%.
say it plain
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
But surrounds them with Venture Capitalists, so it's all good ;-)
A2anon
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
Dear Gov. Snyder: INVEST in EDUCATION! Remember, our kids? Who will someday grow up and could, if properly educated in SMALLER classes with innovative teachers who have TIME to attend to them, to be the researchers and innovators and creators of our future????
leaguebus
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
The governor talks a good game, but where is the money coming from? Education? More welfare cuts? More Unemployment cuts? More cuts in revenue sharing to cities? Probably all of the above. One thing we don't have to worry about is any tax increases to the rich business owners.
DonBee
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
I would rather see Michigan invest in infrastructure research: 1) better electric grid design 2) better sewer design 3) better bridge design 4) better pipeline design 5) better road design 6) materials for all of these 7) sensors and controls for all of these GE is doing the grid design work and is now employing a couple hundred engineers, which Michigan has a surplus of. This is a better fit for the skills we have and there is zero competition for it. Becoming the hub of infrastructure design and materials would allow the state to export a large number of manufactured pieces to the rest of the world and we have the ports to support it. Bio Medical means competing with a number of places like Boston, LA, etc. that already are attractive to the "rock stars" in the industry. This is one we could own and everyone in the state would benefit from it - better infrastructure is required the world around.
say it plain
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 1:24 a.m.
Yeah, but what if all those manufacturing jobs types--you know, the (gasp) blue-collar type workers and (double gasp) those *union* types yikes!--end up hanging around, expecting new manufacturing plants to get built here once the engineering development works its magic?! Better to just outsource all that energy and infrastructure-y stuff, so that we can eliminate that, what do you call it again, "middle class"?! The profit margins are much better I think, aren't they?, for patented drugs and therapies, too, so...
Ron Granger
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 8:21 p.m.
"While he didn't provide details as to how this would occur" Um, yeah. He's starting to sound a lot like Granholm.
Technojunkie
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 7:31 p.m.
Spend a little money to figure out: 1) Why Paleolithic diets work 2) How health is impacted by heavy metals and where people are accumulating them from (hint: amalgam dental fillings) And obesity, cancer, heart disease, autism, etc become much more manageable problems. Or pick your own theories on root causes and fund research on those. But finding root causes won't lead to new prescription drugs, surgical treatments, therapy jobs, etc to manage symptoms so who cares.
say it plain
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 : 1:30 a.m.
Not that understanding causes won't lead to treatment, so much as that the causes are aspects of our world that nobody interested in making money seems interested in addressing! Like, how our food supply and production practices are terrible for our health, we fill our environment with toxins we know disrupt our endocrine systems, etc etc. But, easier to keep selling us the bad food and pour the chemicals into us and then try and 'cure' us of all our obesity and heart disease and brain imbalances with new 'therapies', then it is to stop all the 'causing' we're almost surely doing with our lifestyles ;-)
Sparty
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
Causes won't lead to treatment? That makes no sense at all!