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Mitochondrial Research & Innovation GroupDA-DPP Evolution of the MRIG (Mitochondrial Research & Innovation Group)The necessity of developing a combined basic and clinical science research program within the Department is critically important to establishing a national and international reputation of a complete academic department. Imposing financial constraints that limited the department's funding of research that could not evolve rapidly to significant extramural funding became a realistic necessity. A history of close cooperation between the Department of Anesthesiology and the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, facilitated by the collaboration of the Chairs and the basic scientists in each department, continues as one of the foundations of our strategic plan for research. The loss of two clinician-basic scientists to industry and Columbia University respectively allowed us to rethink the direction of our combined scientific interests that could benefit both departments with a focused theme for basic, translational, and clinical research projects. The Department made the strategic decision to establish a substantive NIH basic science group linked closely with DPP and move from that to a translational clinical component rather than beginning with clinical projects and moving them to basic science. A year long process of examination of possible directions resulted in our agreement to focus on mitochondrial function under acute stress conditions in normal and abnormal states that could be linked to all patients in the OR and ICU. Working closely with senior members of DPP in an integrated fashion, a recruitment process and focus on mitochondrial research was developed that has resulted in two new NIH scientists being recruited to work with Dr. Shey-Shing Sheu who has two NIH grants and a large New York State grant and in collaboration with Dr. MW Anders, the former chair of DPP, who also has an NIH grant. Both Drs. Anders and Sheu have joint appointments in the Department of Anesthesiology. Founding of the Mitochondrial Research & Innovation Group (MRIG) at the University of Rochester (http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/mrig/) Mitochondria are believed to be a product of Darwinian evolution representing a symbiotic relationship between a primordial eukaryotic cell line that existed on an earth with minimal or no oxygen and an ingested bacteria that could ameliorate the fatal toxic properties of oxygen for that cell by producing water from the oxygen. Millions of years later during the 1960's, scientists came to appreciate that mitochondria housed the most effective production site for producing ATP, the fundamental energy source in higher species using a complex system using oxygen to create ATP with water as a by-product. Mitochondria briefly became a focus of biological research, but then declined in interest. However, there has been a rapidly increasing appreciation during the past five years that mitochondria may be critically important in cell and organ function in a wide variety of pathologic processes. Mitochondrial research is now enjoying a renaissance. The University of Rochester's Mitochondrial Research Interest Group (MRIG) was created to address an increased demand for high quality mitochondrial research at both the clinical and basic levels. The Department of Anesthesiology, working in collaboration with the Department Pharmacology and Physiology, has supported the growth and development of this group within both Departments and across other Departments and Centers within the URMC and the UR River Campus. At present 14 NIH funded laboratories and over 20 investigators take part in MRIG activities along with graduate students and post-doctoral candidates. The breadth of interest in mitochondrial science and the expertise present within the MRIG is supported by a search on Google on July 19, 2005 for "mitochondrial research" the MRIG was #2 out of 1.5 million hits. Currently, the term "mitochondrial disease" is used mostly to describe diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA. One of the goals of the MRIG is to redefine mitochondrial disease to enhance the recognition that mitochondrial diseases are all those with a mitochondrial component, genetic or otherwise, that produces cell and organ dysfunction or failure under acute and chronic stress states. Our other goals include:
Current MRIG activities include journal club meetings, joint lab meetings, a mitochondrial biology post-graduate course, recruitment of several new faculty, and plans for an international mitochondrial workshop meeting in 2006. During the past two years significant progress has been made in advancing our science and reputation in this area of rapidly emerging interest. Significant reviews were published in 2004-5 in the American Journal of Physiology (Cell) by Dr. Brookes et al. and in Science Express by Dr. Yoon. Both have been frequently cited in the mitochondrial literature. A bibliography of recent MRIG publications is available on the MRIG website. The MRIG core research has focused on the following subjects:
The MRIG is actively seeking to recruit scientists and clinician-investigators to enhance our basic science and drug discovery program while planning to put in place a translational research program with the recruitment of a lead clinical investigator. During the past year, interest in our drug development program was elicited from three large pharmaceutical companies, one small start up pharmaceutical company, and 4 other university research groups. The Department of Anesthesiology is committed to seeing the advancement of this basic science via the MRIG from fundamental molecular and cell biology through translational research to the patient's bedside with the development of parallel academic and commercial drug discovery programs. |
