$6 Million Gift Funds Research Chairs at Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Note to Editors: Architectural renderings of the Orthopaedic Research Center and the Animal Cancer Center are available electronically. Please contact Karen Wheeler at 970-491-6435.

Two gifts totaling $6 million will establish endowed chairs at two internationally recognized centers of medical research at Colorado State University.

A private gift of $3 million from Mrs. Barbara Cox Anthony will endow a chair within the Orthopaedic Research Center, and another $3 million from The James M. Cox, Jr. Foundation of Atlanta, Ga., will establish a chair within the Animal Cancer Center. The two chairs will provide a secure source of funding to attract and retain the best scientific minds and to increase applied research into the areas of veterinary and human health issues.

"This is an easy investment to make. The veterinary scientists who are engaged in the kind of research that will ultimately benefit both animal and human health are deserving of our support," said Mrs. Barbara Cox Anthony, president of The James. M. Cox, Jr. Foundation. "These are marvelous facilities conducting important and extraordinary work. The Orthopaedic Research Center and the Animal Cancer Center are engaged in scientific pursuits that are making a significant impact on the world of medicine."

The gift is part of Colorado State’s initiative aimed at adding new endowed chairs. With this donation, the university has added six new chairs and professorships totaling $12 million since the initiative began in April of last year.

"This generous gift highlights the dramatic ways our donors help shape the future of research, teaching and service at Colorado State," said President Albert C. Yates. "The gifts will propel groundbreaking advances in the medical treatment of animals and humans, and will give students opportunities to learn from the brightest professionals in the field."

Private funding is vitally important to the university since fully 90 percent of the innovative research done at Colorado State University is funded through private individuals, companies and competitive research grants. Public resources are dedicated to undergraduate and graduate education.

The Colorado State University Foundation permanently invests funds that are given to establish endowed chairs, and the interest generated is used to support the chair. The principle amount is never drawn upon, so endowments allow continuous funding to supplement the chairholder’s salary, graduate student work, research and activities tied to the industry.

"The success and vitality of both our programs, Dr. Stephen Withrow’s Animal Cancer Center and the orthopaedic research program, revolve around our people," said Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, Director of the Orthopaedic Research Center. "In order to support these key individuals, we need permanent funding. This is a tremendous boost for us."

Over the past 17 years, research done by the orthopaedic research team at Colorado State University has not only benefited horses but also has advanced human orthopaedic treatments. The Orthopaedic Research Center is dedicated to conducting research into the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal problems occurring in equines and humans. Current projects include using gene therapy to treat arthritis, defining fluid markers that predict orthopaedic disease and the use of computer joint modeling to research fractures and methods of preventing them.

The new building for the The Gail Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, presently under construction, will house state-of-the-art surgery facilities, a visitor/reception center, a conference room with a view into surgery, administrative offices and a high-speed treadmill. An attached equine care facility will house up to 32 horses in deluxe stalls and will include paddocks and pastures for turnout. (See attached Orthopaedic Research Center fact sheet)

The Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, adjacent to the center, is now being renovated. Formerly the Orthopaedics Research Laboratory, the new laboratory facility will be comprised of the Orthopaedics Research Laboratory and the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory and include a biomechanics laboratory, a histology and biomaterials laboratory, a molecular biology/radiobiology room and an image analysis room. (See attached laboratory fact sheet)

Since the 1960s, Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and

Biomedical Sciences has conducted innovative cancer research and provided state-of-the-art treatment for companion animals, moving from research that identified the types of cancers affecting pets to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in animals.

The pioneering work done by the staff of The Robert H. and Mary G. Flint

Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State has led to important advances in the treatment of human cancers, including the use of dietary supplements that support cancer treatments and the improved and refined use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy for pets.

Soon to be housed in a new wing of the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Flint Animal Cancer Center will include examination rooms, state-of-the-art research laboratories, a special multipurpose training and lecture room, tumor tissue processing and archiving, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine capabilities not available elsewhere in the world. (See attached Flint Animal Cancer Center fact sheet)

The mission of Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is to educate veterinary and biomedical professionals, sustain excellence in research, provide total animal health care and protect public health.

ROBERT H. AND MARY G. FLINT ANIMAL CANCER CENTER – COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

  • 34,700 square feet in two floors
  • 12 new, fully equipped exam rooms, with adjacent observation rooms for training and teaching.
  • New office and administrative space on the second floor
  • Ten new laboratories including:
    • Tissue archiving laboratory
    • Bone research laboratory
    • Bioengineering laboratory
    • Cancer research laboratories
  • Nuclear Medicine Suite
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suite.
  • GE Millennium VG" SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) camera Suite
  • Special multipurpose classroom and training room equipped with video presentation capabilities and moveable walls to tailor space for each event.
  • Dark room for image analysis
  • Separate entrances for the Argus Institute and the Flint Animal Cancer Center
  • Special Pet Tribute Garden: landscaped garden area with a brick walkway located in the front of the new wing.

MUSCULOSKELETAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES – COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

  • Comprised of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory and the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory.
  • Biomechanics laboratory: includes equipment for the processing and biomechanical testing of tissue, including a mechanical testing system that applies forces to tissue in order to determine its strength. The system can test anything from cadaver limbs to small pieces of tissue, as well as implants and prostheses.
  • Histology and biomaterials laboratory for the preparation and staining of tissue sections, as well as the preparation of material for muscuoloskeletal applications (e.g., surgical implants, prostheses, etc.) including a cryostat for sectioning frozen tissue as well as equipment for preparing and processing paraffin tissues.
  • Image analysis room. Equipment for the analysis of tissues with special imaging techniques includes a fluorescent microscope and two histomorphometry systems: the Bioquant System® and the Image Pro-Plus System?, for quantitating microscopic changes.
  • Conference room and graduate student work spaces.
  • Molecular biology/Radiobiology room with a Taqman® instrument for measuring the DNA expression in tissue or fluid samples and scintillation and gamma counters for radioimmunoassays (measuring radioactive levels in experiments conducted in the laboratory).
  • Orthopaedics laboratory with benches and workspaces for seven researchers and a separate isolated work area for tissue culture.
  • Freezer room to hold multiple -80?C freezers for storage of specimens and a walk-in cold room for working under refrigerated conditions.
  • Darkroom with workbenches for in situ hybridization (molecular signaling of DNA) and with an automated processor for the development of radiographs.
  • Lobby space will house an ultracentrifuge, an icemaker and an autoclave.
  • Staff will include six faculty researchers, 10-18 graduate students and three technicians.

THE GAIL HOLMES EQUINE ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH CENTER – COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

  • 15,200 square feet for the building
  • 41,000 square feet for turnout paddocks and pastures
  • Visitor/reception center offering special displays, information and tours.
  • Administrative offices for surgical and research staff
  • Conference room with multimedia presentation capabilities and observation windows into the surgical suite.
  • State-of-the-art equine surgical suite with induction and recovery room facilities
  • Treatment room with a high-speed treadmill for horses.
  • 32 deluxe horse stalls with automatic temperature control, pest management systems and a card controlled security system.
  • Three faculty surgical specialists, 15 surgeons in training and graduate assistants, two nurses and eight student assistants.
  • Visiting and affiliate faculty from prestigious veterinary and human medical organizations nationwide.