ANN ARBOR—
The University of Michigan took a key step today in positioning itself to be a national leader in research and education in the life sciences when its Board of Regents approved the creation of an Institute for the Study of Biological Complexity and Human Values.
Creation of the Institute and an accompanying cross-disciplinary and collaborative Life Sciences Initiative follow recommendations made in In moving ahead with the project, estimated to cost $200 million over the next several years, the U-M joins a number of other research universities and institutes nationwide that have recognized the importance of this emerging area of research and scholarship.
U-M President Lee C. Bollinger plans within a year to recruit and appoint an Institute director, define the organizational structure of the Institute, develop plans for new physical facilities on the U-M campus, and launch some Institute-related activities.
“We appear to be in the midst of a sea change in our knowledge and understanding of the origins and development of life,” Bollinger said. “The life sciences are undergoing an intellectual revolution that will potentially transform our understanding of biological life—its structures and functions, its care and well-being. This potential revolution promises to enhance our ability to promote human health and to care for our environment, and has tremendous economic development implications.”
Work at the Institute will have a strong educational component and draw on a number of strengths at the University identified by the Commission—in genomics and complex genetics, structural and chemical biology, cognitive neuroscience and complex biological systems (biocomplexity)—as well as present the opportunity for work in areas only imagined today.
U-M nursing Prof. Nancy E. Reame said the biocomplexity initiative and activities designed to speed the practical application of research findings “will maximize and accelerate research and knowledge.”
“In terms of women’s health, there are pressing areas of research regarding the impact of the environment on women’s health, particularly maternal-child health,” said Reame, who also is a research scientist with the U-M’s Reproductive Sciences Program. “The biocomplexity initiative will help us look at the whole picture. To understand cancer, birth defects and why we behave the way we do requires a much more sophisticated look at the human condition—the way humans operate within the context of their world, not just the way cells behave in a petri dish.”
“Life scientists are excited about the future and for good reason,” noted Michael A. Marletta, the John Gideon Searle Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and professor of biological chemistry. “Technological advances place us at the brink of a new level of understanding of the complexities of living systems. Molecular approaches will continue to broaden our perspective on the fascinating machinery of life at the atomic level, and there is hope that these approaches now can be extended to more complex systems. The application of this new knowledge to human health and disease is equally exciting.”
Joseph P. Marino, professor and chair of the U-M Department of Chemistry, said that the Initiative “is the first mega-scale endeavor that will integrate the basic sciences with the biomedical sciences, as well as engineering and pharmacy. The success of this Initiative also promises to have far-reaching impact on the social sciences and other disciplines.” Marino also is professor of medicinal chemistry.
Much of the work in genomics and complex genetics at the U-M will draw from the Human Genome Project, headed by former U-M faculty member Francis Collins, which is slated to map all human genes by 2002.
“There are wonderful scientific opportunities that will result from the genome project,” said Max S. Wicha, the Geneva M. Kellman Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The great challenge will be to develop fresh approaches to understanding the tremendous complexity in biological systems that are able to integrate this information.”
The University will commit an estimated $200 million to the Institute, allocating funds from existing non-tuition income sources within its central administration and the Health System. Of the $200 million, approximately $90 million would be targeted for construction of a new laboratory facility and related costs. The remaining $110 million would support programs and staffing, probably taking the form of an endowment.
A location for the Institute facilities has been identified by the University with the assistance of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, who are developing a master plan for the University. The site, at the northeast corner of the University’s Central Campus and adjacent to its Medical Campus at the intersection of Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Street, will provide a physical and intellectual link between many of the health science schools and the Central Campus.
Web: http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/
EDITORS—Following is life sciences initiatives at other universities.
Throughout the country, a number of other research universities and private institutes are pursuing life sciences initiatives, some extensions of existing activities, others pushing traditional boundaries. Among those initiatives are: