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News Briefs Biomarker Generator Installed at OU College of Pharmacy
challenge this belief by testing the hypothesis that hypothermia may aid the infected host better when sepsis is most severe. In other words, hypothermia might actually offer benefits for severely septic patients similar to the way fever aids those with milder forms of sepsis.
The College of Pharmacy at The University of Oklahoma (OU) achieved a world first with the recent installation of a Biomarker Generator for facilitating molecular imaging of human “We are essentially exploring whether switching from fever to diseases. The generator will allow for, among other things, bethypothermia may be a strategy employed by the body of a seter detection of such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer’s. This verely septic patient in order to cope with circulatory failure. specific machine is the first to be installed anywhere in the Based on the initial research, there is reason to believe that hyworld, said Dr. Vibhudutta Awasthi, associate professor in the pothermia could offer benefits that preserve body tissues and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. slow down bacterial growth,” said Steiner. The generator produces “on-demand” PET biomarkers, a critical tool for drug discovery and the clinical detection of diseases. The smaller size of the generator includes a low-energy accelerator coupled to a “kit based” micro-chemistry system with integrated quality control. This allows researchers a lower barrier to entry to have access to radioisotopes on demand or integrating PET into their drug development programs. The OU College of Pharmacy Research Imaging Facility currently provides imaging services to researchers within the Oklahoma Health Center corridor. The college also boasts the only operating nuclear pharmacy in the United States within a college of pharmacy.
ACPHS Professor Receives Grant to Study the Effects of Hypothermia in Patients Suffering from Sepsis Dr. Alex Steiner, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS), has received a four-year grant from the American Heart Association in the amount of $308,000. He will be researching the effects of naturally occurring hypothermia in patients suffering from severe sepsis.
Two AACP Staff Members Honored by UCSF and National Patient Education Organization Dr. Lynette B. Bradley-Baker, AACP director of professional alliance development, has been elected to serve a 3-year term (January 2011–December 2013) in the Healthcare Professional Organizations category on the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) Board of Directors, a non-profit coalition of more than 125 organizations. NCPIE’s mission is to stimulate and improve communication of information on the appropriate use of medicines to consumers and healthcare professionals. NCPIE develops programs, provides educational resources and offers services to advance the common mission of its members. Receiving the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Pharmacy Alumni Association 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award is Dr. Robert A. “Buzz” Kerr, AACP vice president of academic affairs. The award honors an alumnus who has, among many criteria, made significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy, healthcare delivery, pharmacy education or the public health of our nation, and has demonstrated continuous and sustaining service that has contributed to the growth, development and stature of the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
Sepsis is a dangerous bodily response to infection that has a 40 percent mortality rate, affects 5 to 10 percent of intensive care unit patients, and causes more than 200,000 deaths each “Buzz has been an outstanding alumnus in all regards,” said Dr. year. Yet despite its severity and prevalence, most Americans Robert L. Day, associate dean at the UCSF School of Pharmacy. know little about it. Sepsis can often develop in patients suf- “Throughout his career, he has devoted his life to advancing the fering from conditions such as pneumonia, appendicitis and profession through his contributions as a pioneering clinical pharmacist, a skilled clinician, an exceptional educator and a meningitis. truly dedicated leader.” When a septic patient develops hypothermia, the standard practice today is to immediately “warm” the patient due to the Kerr received the award at the annual UCSF Pharmacy Alumni prevailing belief that hypothermia represents an even greater Reunion and acted as the Grand Marshall at the graduation of threat to the patient’s health than sepsis. Steiner’s research will the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
academic Pharmacy now Apr/May/June 2011
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