GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $10.2 MILLION IN TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer Commission Selects Case Western
Reserve University Project for 2002 Partnership Award
COLUMBUS (November 20, 2002) - Governor Bob Taft today announced a $10.2 million research grant to Case Western Reserve University to study the genetics of gastrointestinal cancer. This award, from the Third Frontier Project's Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer (BRTT) Commission's Partnership Award program, represents a portion of the State's investment in biomedical development and new job opportunities and is expected to attract $55 million to Ohio over the next five years.
"This award is further proof of how the Third Frontier Project is making a positive impact on the lives of Ohioans," Governor Taft said. "The funding will help scientists by giving them the tools they need to cure diseases-even cancer."
A distinctive feature of this project is the extensive collaboration between scientists in universities and the private sector. A total of 6 private and public research organizations will collaborate on the grant. Funding for the Partnership Awards comes from revenues Ohio receives from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. The Biomedical Research and Technology Research Trust Fund receives a portion of the state's revenues from the tobacco settlement.
According to the scientific review conducted by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), "the discoveries anticipated to arise from this project are likely to increase the arsenal of diagnostics and treatment related to colon cancer. In addition, as a result of this project, Ohio may become a major center of studies related to colon cancer and a major source of new commercial products (and jobs) related to its diagnosis and treatment."
The NAS reviewers concluded that the CWRU project was the strongest of the 13 proposals reviewed because it included "the relevance of gastrointestinal cancer as an important health issue for Ohioans, the soundness and quality of the scientific research plan, the scientific credentials of the principal investigators, the financial and in-kind contributions of the members of the proposed consortium, and the cogency of the business plan."
In addition, the reviewers wrote that "the likelihood of creating valuable commercial products - including unique mouse resources and models, a cancer biorepository resource, cancer-related genes and gene-products as targets for pharmaceutical development, and new diagnostic-imaging and research tools - is substantial. The potential creation of new jobs and the foundation of a critical mass of researchers and companies engaged in the use of novel technologies and resources for the study of GI and other cancers are compelling reasons to endorse this proposal."
The Third Frontier Project, a $1.6 billion, 10-year plan, will set Ohio's course for national leadership in the high-tech economy of the 21st Century.
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Contact: Marc Cloutier, Executive Director, BRTT Commission, 614-387-3116