OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Programs: Arthritis & clinical immunology/clinical operations - the national institutes of health once again designated omrf an autoimmunity center of excellence. With this renewed federal designation came a five-year grant to fund research on lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Omrf joins academic medical centers such as harvard and stanford as one of only 10 sites to earn the ace designation. In 2014, omrf's scientists continued to make key advances in the understanding and treatment of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, conditions in which the body mistakenly turns the weapons of the immune system. Among the discoveries this past year were new ways to predict and prevent lupus flares and links between vitamin d and autoimmune disease. The lupus foundation of america capped the year by presenting omrf's eliza chakravarty, m. D. , with its mary betty stevens young investigator prize. Awarded annually to a researcher who has produced extraordinary achievements in lupus research, the prize was given to dr. Chakravarty for her work with pregnant mothers suffering from lupus. This prize underscored the strength in autoimmune disease research omrf has built by supporting laboratory research with clinical studies and patient treatment.

cardiovascular biology research program - omrf scientists explored how suppressing epsins, a family of proteins involved in the creation of new blood vessels, can help stop atherosclerosis, the process of fatty plaques accumulating in the arteries. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is the top killer of both men and women in the united states. On the strength of that work, omrf secured a new research grant, which its scientists will use to look for more evidence that suppressing epsins can prevent or reverse atherosclerosis. Ultimately, says project leader hong chen, ph. D. , "the goal is to find new treatments for atherosclerosis, and we think digging deep into the precise mechanisms of epsins will lead us to them. "

immunobiology and cancer research program - omrf recruited an internationally recognized husband-and-wife research team to build its initiatives in breast cancer. Alana welm, ph. D. , and bryan welm, ph. D. , came to omrf in 2014 from the university of utah's huntsman cancer institute. Both scientists are keenly interested in precision medicine, which uses genetic information to tailor treatments for individual cancer patients. Specifically, the welms have done pioneering work in the field of xenografts, which involves transplanting human tumors into laboratory models to study cancer development. "by implanting a patient's tumor in a model, we can help predict if it will be a recurring cancer and, if so, what combination of therapies will be the safest and most effective for the patient," alana welm says. "right now, about 30 percent of breast cancers become fatal. We want to improve those odds. " the welms have already formed collaborations with physicians at the university of oklahoma's stephenson cancer center, where they are slated to begin a pair of clinical trials in breast cancer. These new trials will give oklahoma cancer patients access to novel therapeutic approaches available nowhere else.

other program services