RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES HIGHLIGHTS 2016-17
RESEARCH AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES HIGHLIGHTS 2016-17 Dear Colleagues, Supporters and Friends, Marshall University’s research and innovation continues to develop and accelerate. I hope you find it energizing to look back at the past year’s accomplishments by our researchers and innovators. Significant milestones have been achieved across the spectrum of research development, with our talented faculty pursuing solutions to important problems in our region by: • Developing research infrastructure through the study of algal blooms in the National Science Foundation Track 2 award in partnership with the University of Kentucky and Murray State; • Receiving multiple prestigious National Institutes of Health R01 awards focusing on health disparities in Appalachia; and • Winning a highly competitive Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institutes of Health in one of Marshall’s spinout companies—to be used to further develop their technology for synthesis of valuable biopolymers. In addition to being a year of significant accomplishment, this also was a year in which we mourned the passing of Dr. Jeff Kovatch, a talented researcher and educator in the university’s College of Science, and one of the co-principal investigators on the NSF Track 2 award. Diminished as we are by his passing, we are nonetheless rededicated to advancing our mission to honor his memory. John M. Maher, Ph.D. Vice President for Research
PROGENESIS ADVANCING WOUND CARE. A Marshall University biotechnology spinoff has received the first Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant awarded to a West Virginia company by the National Institutes of Health. The $1.06 million grant over two years demonstrates the power of university-originated research in driving economic development. Headquartered in Huntington, Progenesis was founded in 2006 by Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine faculty members Dr. Richard Niles and Dr. Hongwei Yu. The company is based on patented discoveries from Yu’s research on genetically engineered bacteria that produce the biopolymer alginate used in a variety of applications, including textile manufacturing, food production, wound care and drug delivery. Throughout its existence, Progenesis has had a strong relationship with Marshall University. The original patent is held by the Marshall University Research Corporation and the company has an exclusive worldwide license.
“This grant provides funding toward the continued development and commercialization of unique polymers produced by non-pathogenic bacteria. Currently, these alginates are extracted from brown seaweed, but this compound has a fixed composition that limits its performance. The grant allows for additional work on our engineered alginates, particularly to enhance their performance in advanced wound care.� DR. RICHARD NILES Chief Operating Officer, Progenesis Technologies LLC Emeritus Faculty Member, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
“This project will tackle a very significant health issue in West Virginia. Our work will focus on immune-based nutritional treatment for IBD. It will also have a potential application for preventing the growth of colon cancers, which are more malignant and common in IBD, a condition that impacts our state and Appalachia.� DR. UMA SUNDARAM Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
DR. UMA SUNDARAM IMPROVING HEALTH CARE. Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is defined by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. The most common types of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The condition, which is particularly prevalent in West Virginia and the Appalachian region, predisposes sufferers to a higher rate of colon cancer, which is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the Mountain State. With funding from a five-year, $2.39 million RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Uma Sundaram and his colleagues are studying the gastrointestinal absorption of amino acids, specifically glutamine, and its effects on IBD, with the hopes of developing better nutritional therapies. The prestigious RO1 grant is the largest of its kind to-date for the university.  
DR. BRANDON HENDERSON STUDYING ADDICTION. Dr. Brandon Henderson does research focused on a topic particularly relevant to the Appalachian region, where many of the states lead the nation in percentage of smokers. A new three-year, $650,000 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health will allow his team to study how the brain is changed by nicotine, specifically dopamine signaling. Researchers in Henderson’s lab use techniques in the fields of electrophysiology, microscopy, pharmacology and neuroscience to understand the process of addiction. They also are studying the flavors available with electronic cigarettes and their impact on addiction. Henderson’s work will provide important new information about why tobacco users become addicted to nicotine-containing products. His findings may provide the basis for developing new therapies to prevent or treat addiction to nicotine.
“Nicotine is the primary addictive component in tobacco products. Since smoking and chewing tobacco are a primary cause of many forms of cancer, it is very important for us to understand how the addictive process occurs in the brain. As we gain new knowledge, we are better equipped to discover and design ways of treating addiction.� DR. BRANDON HENDERSON Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
“Our results showed that pNaKtide was very effective at ameliorating the development of NAFLD and atherosclerosis associated with this Western diet. If this agent can ultimately be developed into a medication, it may have substantial utility on disease processes endemic to this region.� DR. JOSEPH SHAPIRO Dean, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
DR. JOSEPH SHAPIRO DR. ZIJIAN XIE FIGHTING DISEASE. Building on their recent research focusing on a peptide designed to block the oxidant amplifying function of the body’s cellular sodium-potassium pump, a group of Marshall investigators led by Dean Joseph Shapiro of the school of medicine and Dr. Zijian Xie of the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research has successfully demonstrated the peptide pNaKtide can reduce the development of experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis. The researchers studied pNaKtide in two strains of mice fed a typical “Western diet” high in fat and fructose. They demonstrated that the oxidant amplification loop controlled by the sodium-potassium pump significantly contributes to the development and progression of NAFLD and atherosclerosis. With these findings, researchers can better understand ways to treat or even prevent these conditions from occurring.
DAN HOLLIS SETTING THE STANDARD. Professor Dan Hollis of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications this year brought home two first-place awards for his creative work from the National Broadcasting Society’s convention in New York City. Hollis won in both the professional audio and video news categories for features about the Ona Speedway in Ona, West Virginia. These were the 13th and 14th first-place awards Hollis has earned over the years from the National Broadcasting Society, although the audio award was a first. Hollis says the idea of doing both an audio and video version of the same general story with different writing, interview clips and focus reflects a current broadcast journalism trend he encourages his students to follow. 
“Working exclusively with sound was a challenge for me. I am typically a television guy who combines writing with great video and audio. Working with just the audio, I had to use my writing and the sound to create the image I wanted people to feel and see in their minds.� DAN HOLLIS Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, College of Arts and Media
“Sepsis is a serious complication caused by the body’s overwhelming response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, multi-organ failure and death. Current treatment strategies, which include the use of antibiotics, fluid resuscitation and additional support based on the symptoms, fail to address the needs of patients adequately. With the increase in antibiotic resistance and emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens, current treatment modalities are increasingly being challenged. Our method for treating sepsis using cerium oxide nanoparticles addresses this aptly without any potential concern for antibacterial resistance.” DR. ERIC BLOUGH Professor, School of Pharmacy
DR. ERIC BLOUGH PATENTING SOLUTIONS. Marshall researchers have developed a method for treating sepsis—one of the world’s major health problems—and other inflammatory disorders using cerium oxide nanoparticles, which also are widely used as a polishing agent for glass mirrors, in sunscreens, ophthalmic lenses and in the automobile industry to increase fuel efficiency. The investigators have been awarded a U.S. patent for the method and associated applications, which are now available for licensing through the Marshall University Technology Transfer Office. The treatment, researchers say, involves the nanoparticles being injected into a vein after which they passively target liver Kupffer cells and exert the beneficial effects. This method opens up new doors to treat sepsis and other disorders, including alcoholic liver disease and the inflammation seen after trauma, severe burns or spinal injury.
DR. WILLIAM FORD PROTECTING WATER. Marshall University researchers are partnering with colleagues at Murray State University and the University of Kentucky on a $3.8 million National Science Foundation grant to study toxic algae blooms. Funds from the four-year grant will provide advanced environmental sensor systems, train students and faculty in their use, and help apply the sensors to solutions for an emerging environmental problem common in both states. Harmful algal blooms, or Cyano-HABs, have been identified as a water quality threat in West Virginia and Kentucky, impacting drinking water and irrigation sources, as well as energy production. The 33 new sensors provided through the grant will allow the researchers to monitor water chemistry, weather conditions and other factors for the purpose of developing predictive models that can better explain and forecast conditions leading to toxic algae blooms. The project also will provide mentoring of early career faculty and undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students from the region.
“Although much world-wide attention recently has been focused on harmful algal blooms, the causes of blooms are not well understood. Rapid changes in land use, the effects of climate change on precipitation quantity and distribution, and increasing human population pressures on energy production complicate studies done to date.� DR. WILLIAM FORD Assistant Professor of Engineering, College of Information Technology and Engineering
“In sociology we talk about how the self is formed in relation to significant people in our lives, but we are also place-situated beings, forming identities in relation to important places as well. We often forget the importance of place in shaping who we are.� DR. KRISTI FONDREN Associate Professor of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts
DR. KRISTI FONDREN EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH. The National Recreation and Park Association selected Dr. Kristi M. Fondren, associate professor of sociology, to receive its 2016 Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research. The recognition is given annually to someone whose research contributions have significantly advanced the cause of the parks and recreation movements, and whose dedication to the field parallels the dedication and zeal toward parks, recreation and conservation exhibited by the presidents after whom the award is named. The recognition stems from Fondren’s book “Walking on the Wild Side: Long Distance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail,” which explores motivations and experience of extreme hiking in a natural environment. The volume identifies problems in existing trail management regimens and offers potential solutions for improved resource and experience management in national parks and related areas. The book also provides a call for people to be more active and get out and experience the natural environment.
KEY RESEARCH CONTACTS John M. Maher, PhD Vice President for Research Executive Director, Marshall University Research Corporation 304.696.4748 | maherj@marshall.edu Joe Ciccarello Director, Grants and Contracts/Associate Executive Director 304.696.4837 | ciccarello@marshall.edu Karla Murphy, CPA, MBA Chief Financial Officer 304.696.7118 | murphy72@marshall.edu Bruce Day, CIP Director, Office of Research Integrity 304.696.4303 | day50@marshall.edu Amy Melton Assistant Director, Technology Transfer Office Conflict of Interest Coordinator 304.696.4365 | amy.melton@marshall.edu
Marshall University Research Corporation Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex One John Marshall Drive Huntington, West Virginia 25755 304.696.6598 marshall.edu/murc
Marshall University Research Corporation Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex One John Marshall Drive Huntington, West Virginia 25755 304.696.6598 marshall.edu/murc