$2 million grant will help people with disabilities study science

Bradley S. Duerstock, at right, an assistant research professor at the Purdue Center for Paralysis Research, received a $2 million grant to help people with disabilities study science. Duerstock is collaborating with Susan M. Mendrysa, an assistant professor of basic medical sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine. The grant will support the creation of an Institute for Accessible Science at Purdue. The institute will include an accessible wet laboratory and a Web-based interactive community for individuals with disabilities currently working in, or interested in, biomedical research careers. The new Accessible Biomedical Immersion Laboratory will utilize flexible space in the Discovery Learning Research Center.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Students who dream of studying science but face hurdles because of physical impairments may find new options thanks to a $2 million grant awarded to Purdue University.

"The science community sees a drop in students studying science when they move from undergraduate to graduate work because graduate students need to be able to work independently in laboratories," said Bradley S. Duerstock, an assistant research professor at the Center for Paralysis Research and principal investigator on the project. "Many laboratories do not have the physical space to navigate a wheelchair or adjustable lab equipment that provides people with disabilities the necessary hands-on experience required in a lab. These obstacles are keeping many bright minds from studying and pursuing careers in areas such as biomedical research."

The grant, which is administered by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will support the creation of an Institute for Accessible Science at Purdue. The institute will create an accessible wet laboratory, which is the standard laboratory for scientists to conduct experiments on chemical and biological matter, and a Web-based interactive community for individuals with disabilities currently working in, or are interested in, biomedical research careers.
Duerstock, who is a neuroscientist, is a wheelchair user, and he often uses and creates adaptive-assistive technologies so he can work in the lab.

"This idea originated from a school-wide forum where Brad shared information about the assistive technology that he uses," said Susan M. Mendrysa (pronounced Men-driss-a), assistant professor of basic medical sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine and project team member. "I'm interested in engaging more students in laboratory work, especially in biomedical research, so pursuing a project where the students are already interested in science is a great opportunity. We just need to eliminate their obstacles."
Only 2 percent of employed scientists and engineers age 35 or younger have a disability, but that demographic represents 10.4 percent of the overall U.S. work force. In 2007 only 1.1 percent of U.S. science or engineering doctorates had a disability.
"Thanks to technology today, most laboratory equipment can be adapted for students with disabilities, but we need information to determine the exact needs and available resources," Duerstock said.

To better understand the needs, as well as obstacles, the institute will coordinate a Web-based interactive forum, powered by HUBzero software that was developed at Purdue, to gather student feedback and list examples of research laboratory accommodations.
"People like me are working in laboratories and finding creative ways to use equipment or retrofit laboratory space," Duerstock said. "Institutions are going beyond their legal obligations to provide federally mandated access to reduce physical barriers. This forum will be a place we can share ideas and create databases about what is working."

The information collected will help in the design of a graduate-level biomedical research laboratory that will serve as a model for training people with disabilities to perform laboratory techniques with as little assistance as possible. The Accessible Biomedical Immersion Laboratory will utilize flexible laboratory space in the Discovery Learning Research Center, which is housed in the Hall for Discovery Learning and Research at Purdue's Discovery Park.

Six students will be invited to participate in a research program during the summer of 2012. The students, who will have mobility or visual impairments, will test the space's ergonomics and technologies. They also will have the opportunity to partner with Purdue researchers to work on projects in the biomedical field.

One of the features these students may be testing is a remote network control feature for scientific instruments in the laboratory. For example, a user could control a microscope in the lab or remotely through a Web browser connected to the Internet. A PC user interface can accommodate many different types of physical impairments, such as using a large computer screen as an alternative to looking through eyepieces for individuals with visual impairments and a keyboard to replace needing to manually turn microscope knobs to aid those with upper limb mobility impairments.

Duerstock and Mendrysa also will be collaborating with interior design faculty in the College of Liberal Arts regarding design aspects. The research team also will be working with faculty from the College of Engineering, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Communication, School of Health and Human Sciences, and the Envision Center for Data Perceptualization.
"Purdue is at an advantage with our access to technology and individuals' expertise on campus," Duerstock said. "This positions Purdue to become a leading institution in this area. We can be a model institution for students and scientists with disabilities."
Efforts also will be focused on encouraging high school, undergraduate and graduate students  with disabilities to pursue biomedical science, as well as reaching scientists who have acquired disabilities during their lifetime.
The Purdue grant is one of six recently awarded, and it is part of the NIH Director's ARRA Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce. The National Institutes of Health includes 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

"Pets Over Paralysis Photo Fund Raiser to benefit the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and the Center for Paralysis Research at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine on Sunday, October 4, 2009. Pet photo sittings by appointment starting at 10 AM. Photo packages offered for a donation of $90.00. Great photos for a great cause! Make great birthday and holiday gifts! Paumanok Veterinary Hospital, 639 RT 112, Patchogue. For questions and to make an appointment please call 631-475-1312"

The above paragraph comes directly from our friends at Pets over Paralysis. Pictures of many of their clients are included in this story.

For many years Pets over Paralysis has supported the work of the Center for Paralysis Research. We greatly value partners like this. Naturally Injured Paraplegic dogs have been test vehicles for dog and human treatments for over 20 years at the CPR, thus helping both dogs and their owners and the advancement of human and veterinary medicine. Dr. Borgens, the Director of the CPR and Mari Hulman George Professor of Neurology, holds professional appointments in both the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. The combined use of both of these areas of scholarship has been instrumental in developing three therapies for Spinal Cord injury. Pets Over Paralysis, which is organized by Veterinarian Dr. Deirdre Henson and the Paumanok Veterinary Hospital, is an example of veterinary medical specialism understanding this relationship and supporting it.

In a very recent article in the prestigious British medical journal “Lancet”, the use of Fampridine (time release 4 – aminopyridine or 4 AP) was heralded as a breakthrough producing a “new era” in the treatment of MS ( citation ) This is because in addition to slowing the progression of the disease, Fampridine also recovers some important functions for afflicted patients such as better walking. The history of this new therapy began with former CPR faculty member Andrew Blight who knew the potassium channel blocker 4 AP could induce some behavioral changes in rats with spinal cord injuries. Dr. B and veterinary surgeon James Toombs understood the fundamental importance of this view and the three colleagues organized a direct test of 4 AP on paraplegic dogs brought to the clinic by their owners. The very first dog treated by injection of 4 AP reversed some behavioral loss within 15 minutes of the injection  – and then lost these gains within 2 hours as the effect of the drug wore off.

At that time, Dr. B served on the Executive Council of the American Spinal Cord Society and arranged with the help of President Charles Carson, the first human trials in Canada with another council member, Robert Hansebout, then Chairman of Neurosurgery at McMaster University Medical School, Hamilton, Ontario.  Dr Blight simultaneously arranged human testing with Dr. Keith Hayes at Western Ontario University Medical School in London, Ontario.  The rest is history. Dr. B predicted publically that this new approach towards therapy would lead to “taking a pill for paraplegia” – sometimes ridiculed by the so called “experts”. He turned out to be spot–on in the end. 

The US and world-wide Patent for 4 AP’s use in CNS injury and Disease is owned by Purdue University which licensed it out to companies for commercialization. The inventor’s were Blight and company at the Center for Paralysis Research. More discussion of this can be found throughout this Website.
We consider Fampridine the first “penicillin” which has great promise – but also great drawbacks. The chemical derivatives of 4 AP have been developed by CPR scientist Steven Byrn, Dan Smith, Riyi Shi, and Dr. B. All are the “inventors” of a new generation of drugs that will have less side effects and more extended use in patients than the parent compound. Purdue University licensed the US Patent on the derivatives to Neurometrix Corporation in Waltham Massachutes for Commercialization. As a group we are very proud of these achievements.

Over the years, there have been some reports of the deaths of patients due to tumor formation undergoing stem cell therapies. In the past, it was unknown if the tumors arose spontaneously (likely due to the weak immune system of the patient), or due to uncontrolled development of the implanted or injected stem cells. Associated Press Medical Writer Lauren Neergaard reported on Feb. 17, 2009, the first documented case of
the death of an Israeli child associated with a slow growing brain and spinal cord tumors after fetal stem cell “therapy” in Moscow. In this case, extensive genetic testing at Tel Aviv University showed the tumors to be derived from the fetal human neural stem cells injected into the boy. The child had a rare and fatal genetic disease, and like the families of spinal cord and brain injured patients, the parents were desperate for a “cure” traveling to Russia for this unproven treatment.  

Increasingly, desperate spinal trauma patients are going out of the US for stem cell therapies offered in China and Portugal in particular. Another related therapy, injections of a type of the patients own blood cells – but experimentally altered in the laboratory before reinjection into the spinal cord ( called “Procord”) has been abandoned in Israel.
The CPR’s position on this issue is that it is far too soon to be experimenting with humans using these largely unproven and unstable therapies. As quoted by Ms Neergaard, Professor John Gearhart, a stem cell specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, says “Patients, Please Beware …..  cells are not drugs. They can misbehave in so many different ways it just is going to take a good deal of time”  …. to prove they are worthwhile and safe. Dr. B, as a trained Developmental Biologist, concurs.

He feels that Human stem cell therapy is more driven by fad, popularity, and desperation for a “regenerative” therapy for disease and trauma to the Central Nervous System…. than by sound basic science.  While these notions hold great promises, we are not at a justified place in Human Medicine to warrant human use. For the “non-scientist” reading this essay, they should look into an Obstetrics and Gynecology Textbook or website detailing “Ovarian Cysts”. There are sources in even the adult human where cells can be found that have the capability to grown and mature into many different kinds of cells and tissues of the body…. one of these are cells of the Ovary. In women that produce an ovarian cyst (some as large as grapefruits), surgical removal of the cyst is sometimes enlightening to this discussion. Inside the cyst, it is not rare to find well developed parts of the body, including skin complete with hair and hair follicles, teeth, and eyes. The lesson is clear, when the normal controls of cell and tissue development fail – many unforeseen things can happen. Tumors are only one possibility for unwanted and dangerous consequences of a therapy that counts on implanted or injected cells to behave themselves, and to form only one necessary and desired type of cell. The same can be said for “genetically engineered” cells for implantation. This is another very promising area of research – but many years away from safe use in human patients.  

Dr. B’s former Doctoral Student, Dr. Andrew Koob, Has just published a fine new book on the biology of Glia. Andy’s Ph.D work was on Brain Injury, he pursued this as a postdoc at Dartmouth Medical school, and later at UCSD. He is now doing research in Munich Germany. All this while his interest in the role of Glia cells in disease and injury has grown by “leaps and bounds”....... So……….he has put some of his thinking to paper. Go to Amazon.com, and check out “The Root of Thought” by Andrew Koob.

Dr. Andrew Blight, Dr. Jim Tooms, and Dr. B began a journy together in the early 1990’s to produce a therepy for chronic spinal cord injury where an injured person could “take a pill” for paraplegia. Dr. Blight devoted most of his career to the development of the drug 4-AP (time released for called frampradine) He and his company (Acorda Therapeutics) have succeeded in moving the work of the CPR to a commercially available treatment for multiple sclirosis, and chronic spinal cord injury.

Functional Recovery of movement and sensation, is based on 4-AP’s ability to restore nerve inpulse conduction in damaged nerve fibers that do not work but are still intact. In particular, the drug can counter the functional loss assosiated with the loss of nerve fiber’s insulation. (Myelin) This is why Multiple Sclirosis and spinal cord injury are both able to be treated with frampadine.
The idea that one could take an oral medication and recover some function after CNS damage or disease was very controversial. Now it is established fact. Medications for multple sclirosis may slow down the progression of the disease – but not restore walking or other useful functions. 4-AP can do both.

The original invention of 4-AP by Purdue University and you can learn more about this by clicking ****. Dr. Steven Byne, Dr. B, Dr. Dan Smith, Dr. Riyi Shi, have developed the next generation of this drug which will active at lower concentrations and have less side effects. Clinical testing in dogs is being conducted by Natasha Olby at the North Carolina State University at Raligh.
Indeed we are proud of this accmplishment and indeed 4-AP indicative of a “New Era” of treatment.