University partnership to further medical research

So do the city’s manufacturing, technology and education fields.

The two industry giants announced Sept. 15 that St. John’s has agreed to be a senior corporate affiliate of MSU’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering, a primary component of the anticipated Jordan Valley Innovation Center research facility. JVIC will be located at the site of the former MFA Mill downtown and is scheduled for completion in April.

As a corporate affiliate, St. John’s physicians will work with other JVIC affiliates and MSU faculty and students to research medical devices and treatment strategies.

The health system will pay $61,000 per year for affiliate status, which gives it access to state-of-the-art lab facilities and specialized scientists. It’s a means to an end that St. John’s has wanted to reach for more than three years, CEO and President Kim Day said, citing the company’s desire to delve deeper into medical research.

“It’s a great marriage for us to try to make something happen,” he said.

It wasn’t long ago that St. John’s was conducting about 12 clinical trials at any given time. Now, that number has grown to about 70.

The partnership with MSU will take St. John’s research beyond clinical trials with human subjects, however, and into the realm of bench research in a laboratory setting. Day said initial projects will include the use of nano-engineered collagen tissues to develop a new cornea for eye surgeries, the development of pain-killing and tissue-repair agents for amputee and burn victims, and enhanced brain monitoring of closed-head-injury patients.

That research will be furthered by the advantage of having a cluster of educated minds in one place, said JVIC Director Ryan Giedd. Other corporate affiliates include Brewer Science, Crosslink Polymer Research, Infrared Solutions, Nantero and Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc.

“The synergy that occurs between the companies is really effective; it makes it look like a huge corporation,” Giedd said. “You have experience in all these different areas.”

The benefits don’t stop there.

Giedd predicts the partnership will create a number of manufacturing jobs in the region and motivate MSU students who have a unique opportunity to work with top-notch researchers.

Pete Miles, St. John’s director of medical research, said St. John’s anticipates it will be able to attract more physicians to the area who are looking for a place to practice and research simultaneously. Additionally, a handful of St. John’s doctors could take on adjunct professor status at MSU to teach the results of their research at JVIC.

Miles said work between St. John’s and MSU is expected to begin in November. While JVIC is constructed, Giedd said research work is temporarily being done in Kemper Hall on the MSU campus.[[In-content Ad]]