Brain research boost
June 20, 2008
NEWS RELEASE
Boone Pickens Centre for Neurological Science and Advanced Technologies opens
Living brain cells on a silicon chip allow researchers at the new centre
to find treatments for epilepsy and other neurological disorders
American philanthropist and billionaire businessman Boone Pickens is in Calgary to officially open the Boone Pickens Centre for Neurological Science and Advanced Technologies. Pickens’ gift of $2.25 million has provided a dedicated floor for the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, which brings together Canada’s top brain researchers to conduct neurological and biomedical engineering research.
American philanthropist and billionaire businessman Boone Pickens was in Calgary today to officially open the Boone Pickens Centre for Neurological Science and Advanced Technologies. Two years ago, Pickens' gift of $2.25 million provided a dedicated floor for the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, which brings together Canada's top brain researchers to conduct neurological and biomedical engineering research. He surprised guests at the official opening of the centre with an unexpected bequest of an additional $25 million made to through the Reach!, the joint fundraising initiative of the Calgary Health Region and the University of Calgary.
“This generous donation is a prime example of the synergies that result from private and government investment in science and technology,” says University of Calgary President Harvey Weingarten. “The Boone Pickens Centre for Neurological Science and Advanced Technologies houses researchers who are committed to finding solutions and creating new technologies for people living with neurological disorders. By investing in these types of pure research and product development we will jointly advance and promote new biomedical discoveries.”
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute, in the Faculty of Medicine, which houses the Boone Pickens Centre for Neurological Science and Advanced Technologies, was established in 2004 when Harley Hotchkiss and his family made the lead gift of $15 million. “Our brain institute is making great progress and Boone’s generous support is an important part of that. It is particularly fitting to have our names associated because it recognizes our lifetime friendship.” says Hotchkiss.
One of the researchers at the Boone Pickens Centre is Michael Colicos, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine. Along with his colleagues at UCSD (University of California San Diego), Colicos developed a new technology to interface living brain cells with computers. This technology, called photoconductive stimulation, causes specific brain cells grown on silicon wafers to fire by targeting them with light and a short electrical pulse.
In his lab at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Colicos uses the technology to study a range of conditions such as epilepsy, and is working on ways to enhance functional recovery from stroke and spinal cord injury. “The ability to non-invasively interface with living neurons allows us to see and manipulate them in action. This is an excellent way to determine what goes wrong in these neurological disorders, and figure out how to fix it,” he says.
Through a company called Neurosilicon, formed by Colicos and several of his University of Calgary colleagues, a device based on this technology is currently under testing for sale to other researchers, enabling them to pursue equally exciting research. Commercializing this invention brings business to Alberta while also benefiting scientists looking for therapies for treating brain disorders.
“The work of Dr. Colicos and others on this floor at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute really demonstrates how a generous gift from Boone Pickens and the support of our funding partners allows us to achieve a new level of expertise in biomedical engineering science," says Dr. Tom Feasby, dean, University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine. "The bottom line is -- it promotes health care discoveries that will help all Canadians."
The University of Calgary has built one of the strongest and most comprehensive biomedical engineering programs in Canada. The university has more than 100 biomedical engineering researchers across six faculties, and ranks in the top ten among Canadian universities.
Advances in biomedical engineering will improve quality of life through the development of new devices that will facilitate early diagnosis and novel therapies. The research also offers significant potential for commercialization and economic development.
Art Hanger, Federal Minister of Parliament for Calgary Northeast says, “Like any great part of the knowledge economy, people are at the heart of the Hotchkiss Institute's success. Thanks to the dedication and high calibre of researchers affiliated with it, the Institute has become a source of ground-breaking research over the past 30 years.”
The investment provided by Boone Pickens and other donors combined with the contribution provided by the Alberta Government has enhanced the University of Calgary’s capacity to produce viable commercial products within the field of biomedical technology.
“The Alberta government is proud to invest in innovative research that will help the health and prosperity of Albertans,” says Manmeet Bhullar, Parliamentary Assistant for Advanced Education and Technology. “The laboratories of our universities are where we are seeing new tools, technologies, and therapies emerging – innovations that form an essential part of good health and a diverse economy.”
The significant contributions made by Harley Hotchkiss and Boone Pickens are part of $44 million raised for the Hotchkiss Brain Institute through Reach! the joint fundraising initiative of the University of Calgary and the Calgary Health Region.
“Two years ago we recognized Boone and his gift to Reach!,” says Brenda Mackie, Reach! co-chair, “It is rewarding to be here with him today to demonstrate the remarkable impact of his gift. An entire research enterprise has benefited from the new centre, and already we are seeing groundbreaking research come out of that centre. This is the kind of legacy that will impact not just Calgarians, but all Albertans, and even beyond.”
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