VCU news

By Sathya Achia Abraham and Frances Dumenci

From delving into ways to best help veterans cope with the aftermath of traumatic head injuries to understanding what makes our tickers talk on the molecular level and educating our local communities about maintaining and preserving the Atlantic sturgeon, research at Virginia Commonwealth University made a resounding impact in 2013.

Whether it was at the laboratory bench, in the field or at the patient bedside, VCU faculty, students and staff produced high-caliber, collaborative and interdisciplinary research on a daily basis. By translating these discoveries into real-life applications, the VCU research community is making its mark on the world.

In 2013, research institutions across the country faced grave challenges – fewer research resources and less grant funding – during the government sequestration and shutdown. Despite these economic pressures on external research funding, VCU topped $248 million in sponsored research for FY2013.

VCU is garnering an impressive reputation as a top urban research university. In its latest Top American Research Universities report, the Center for Measuring University Performance listed VCU as a Top 50 public research university overall. VCU was listed in the Top 50 rankings in the categories of faculty awards, doctorates granted and number of postdocs.

“These are major achievements for which I am grateful to my faculty colleagues, and it is a wonderful testimony to our national competitiveness and our determination to elevate VCU as one of the nation’s premier public research universities,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D.

In September, U.S. News and World Report named VCU a 2014 “Up and Comer” among national universities in its annual Best Colleges rankings. VCU ranked 14th, tying with Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tulane University and six others.

“Being listed among America’s rising national universities is an honor that reflects our commitment to brightening VCU’s star on the national map,” Rao said. “Our mission as a new type of research university is to transform the human experience through education, innovation, service and a focus on human health, and our efforts have begun to attract national attention in countless ways.”

The following is a small sampling of the very successful research enterprise at VCU in 2013.

— VCU was awarded a $62 million federal grant to oversee a national research consortium of universities, hospitals and clinics that will study what happens to service members and veterans who suffer from mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions. The concussions to be studied include both combat injuries, such as those from blasts and bullets, and civilian injuries, such as those from car accidents, sports injuries and falls. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/inside-research/vcu-will-lead-62-million-study-of-traumatic-brain-injuries-in-military-personnel/  

— VCU received an $18.1 million federal grant to study so-called modified risk tobacco products and other novel tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, and to develop an evaluation tool to help inform United State tobacco regulatory policy. VCU is among 14 institutions across the country selected to participate in a regulatory research program that will provide vital scientific evidence to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/funded-program-highlights/vcu-receives-18-1-million-grant-to-study-novel-tobacco-products/

— Addiction is a painful reality that affects 23.6 million Americans every day. It’s a disease not only of individuals, but of families and communities. There are scientists around the word working to find the root of all this suffering in order to heal it. Several of those leading experts seeking answers are right here at VCU. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/inside-research/addiction-from-genes-to-drugs/

— A key component of translational research is community-engaged research, or CEnR, an area in which VCU is on the national forefront. As a result of VCU adopting community-engaged research as a core goal in its strategic roadmap, Quest for Distinction, the university has a robust and rigorous CEnR portfolio. Collectively, VCU has more than 250 active CEnR projects and more than 1,000 community partnerships. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/research-to-community/building-partnerships-for-better-health/

— A well-known Native American proverb says, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.” That principle serves as a cornerstone of the new medical school curriculum at VCU, where hands-on, active–learning reigns. VCU aims to help future physicians learn to practice medicine efficiently and with empathy and caring through a unique collaboration between the VCU School of Medicine and the VCU School of the Arts. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/inside-research/medical-students-learn-art-of-patient-perspective/

— A theoretical, three-dimensional (3D) form of carbon that is metallic under ambient temperature and pressure has been discovered by an international research team. Researchers from VCU, Peking University and Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics employed state-of-the-art theoretical methods to show that it is possible to manipulate carbon to form a 3D metallic phase with interlocking hexagons. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/road-to-discovery/three-dimensional-carbon-goes-metallic/

— Widowed chronic pain patients experience less emotional suffering and greater psychological hardiness when faced with lifestyle stress, such as physical pain, than their married, divorced, separated or single counterparts, according to a VCU-led study. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/road-to-discovery/widows-widowers-emotionally-inoculated-against-chronic-pain/

— Allen Wittig is not your average undergraduate student. At 57 years of age, he is already the holder of a bachelor’s degree from University of Maryland University College. He’s also a retiree from the U.S. Air Force Band Career Field. VCU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) awarded Wittig a grant to research music of the Civil War era. His efforts represent one of the many student research success stories at VCU. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/profiles/research-fuels-students-musical-composition/

— Long after wars and military conflicts have passed, landmines and unexploded ordnances remain, posing a threat to many innocent civilian lives. An estimated 110 million landmines or unexploded ordnances exist worldwide. In an effort to overcome this complex issue, VCU researchers are exploring how plants may be used to detect buried explosives. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/inside-research/using-plants-to-detect-buried-explosives/

— VCU researchers have some new clues into what makes our tickers talk – on the molecular level. In the heart, ion channels work together to control heart rate and rhythm. Unfortunately, channels that misbehave can cause an irregular heartbeat know as cardiac arrhythmia. Researchers at VCU are examining heart cells to determine the function and regulation of ion channels in the heart. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/road-to-discovery/getting-down-to-the-heart-cells-of-the-matter/#.Ut_hX7ROmUk

— For the past several years, researchers at VCU have investigated the biology and life history of the Atlantic sturgeon, a giant prehistoric fish, with the goal of protecting and restoring it to the coastal rivers of Virginia. To expand that mission and educate the community, VCU partnered with the community to launch a project called “Rivers in Real Time: Migration.” It engages high school students in the James River watershed through a hands-on learning experience at the VCU Rice Center. VCU faculty and student researchers, together with high school teachers and students, have tracked the migratory movement of sturgeon and shad in the James River. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/research-to-community/rivers-in-real-time/

— The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research awarded a $4.4 million grant to VCU to conduct advanced research, training and technical assistance that helps people with physical disabilities find jobs. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/funded-program-highlights/vcu-awarded-4-4-million-grant-to-boost-employment-for-people-with-physical-disabilities/  

— In a laboratory, preclinical study, researchers from VCU Massey Cancer Center combined structural features from anti-nausea drug thalidomide with common kitchen spice turmeric to create hybrid molecules that effectively kill multiple myeloma cells. http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu/road-to-discovery/ingredient-in-common-kitchen-spice-turmeric-when-combined-with-anti-nausea-medication-thalidomide-effectively-kills-cancer-cells/

These and many, many other stories of discovery through innovative research are available online at Across the Spectrum, a blog showcasing the scope of research at VCU. Visit Across the Spectrum and subscribe today.

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