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Christian Messa Dunn Foundation contributes $500,000 to
establish distinguished chair in neurological recovery GALVESTON, Texas — The John S. Dunn Research Foundation has contributed $500,000 to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to establish an endowed faculty position for central nervous system research, the results of which may one day restore function and mobility to those who have sustained traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Dr. Ping Wu, a UTMB associate professor of neuroscience and cell biology and member of the university’s Marine Biomedical Institute, was recently appointed to the John S. Dunn Distinguished Chair in Neurological Recovery. The endowed position will allow Wu to explore new research in brain and spinal cord injuries and degenerative neurological conditions, like Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s and Parkinson’s diseases. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, approximately 11,000 new spinal cord injuries are reported in the United States each year, and some 230,000 people live with the effects of damaged spinal cords nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that traumatic brain injury results in 80,000 to 90,000 U.S. citizens living with long-term or lifelong disabilities each year. Wu and her colleagues have learned how to coax human stem cells implanted in the brains and spinal cords of rats to become nerve cells, or neurons. Stem cells are early cells that divide and form different kinds of cells. While researchers and physicians once believed that the nervous system could not regenerate and that lost motor and cognitive skills were irreplaceable, stem cell technology is challenging those viewpoints. Researchers have been working to transform human stem cells into certain cells that can be transplanted to replace the cells damaged by injury or illness. Wu’s ongoing research will seek to improve the survival rate of transplanted stem cells and to ensure that they will connect with surrounding neurons. The results of such studies may help lead to clinical stem cell trials in humans. Wu’s research is part of Mission Connect, the neurological research collaborative that includes UTMB, Texas A&M University, Baylor College of Medicine, The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. UTMB President John D. Stobo said the Dunn Foundation’s contribution will significantly boost the academic health center’s stem cell research efforts. “The John S. Dunn Research Foundation has been a valued supporter of our biodefense and neuroscience research programs,” Stobo said. “This latest example of the foundation’s generosity will allow our stem cell studies to have even more opportunity to give life and hope to millions around the world who sustain life-altering brain or spinal cord injuries.” The Dunn Foundation’s contribution supports UTMB’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions Campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. Dedicated to supporting programs and organizations involved in biomedical research and educational endeavors that benefit Texans, the Dunn Foundation has been a longtime benefactor of UTMB. Most recently, the foundation contributed to promising spinal cord injury research by Dr. Claire E. Hulsebosch, a professor of neuroscience and cell biology. The foundation has also endowed the John S. Dunn Distinguished Chair in Biodefense and the E. Burke Evans Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery, named in honor of the longtime UTMB orthopaedics faculty member and Ashbel Smith Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. Prominent Houston businessman John S. Dunn Sr. created his foundation in 1977. Dunn managed his insurance agency and mortgage banking firm until his death in 1982 and was a founding board member of First State Bank of Bellaire, University State Bank and University Savings Association. He also served on the boards of Hermann Hospital and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital. UTMB |
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