Translational Sciences:Notre Dame Resources

Robert J. BernhardVice President for Research

Translational Resources

Focus will be on resources available for translation to Notre Dame faculty and students with suggestions how the ICTSI might participate/benefit

•Internal Resources: research resources, educational programs and outreach

•External Resources: regional health organizations and programs

Internal Resources

Notre Dame PDT

Freiman Life Sciences Center

• More than 30,000 SF on 3 sites. 7 certified staff members.

• Primarily rats and mice but also hamsters, gerbils, fish (including a large zebrafish population), rabbits and frogs with a histology lab.

• Capabilities to house a variety of laboratory animals such as mini pigs, guinea pigs, dogs and cats, as well as a variety of wild animals. 

• A transgenic mouse colony housing over 90 different strains is maintained at FLSC.

Office of Technology Transfer and Proof of Technology Center

• Purpose: identify and effectively commercialize promising new technologies

• OTT is a traditional office. It has processed over 200 disclosures over the last five years and brings in licensing income greater than $500,000/year.

• The Proof of Technology Demonstration Center is a new idea intended to advance technology within the University prior to licensing. Small funding and staff already available.

Clinical Psychology

• 18 Faculty – “World-Renowned Watson and Clark Among Psychology's Nine Faculty Hires”

• Facilities at the Center for Children and Families and the former Madison Center

• Currently seeking Clinical Psychology accreditation from APS

Center for Children and Families

The center encourages basic and translational research that can have a broad impact in three key areas: income and health disparities; developmental disabilities and psychopathology; and optimization of development, education, and learning.

Joshua Diehl’s ND-PDT project on using robots to treat autism

ESTEEM Program

Engineering, Science, Technology EntrepreneurshipMasters Program – one yearprofessional Master’s degree

(1) Science/Engineering Students

(2) Quantitative Curriculum;

(3) Science-based Case Studies;

(4) Thesis, based on ND IP

(5) Students at Innovation Park (IP)

Innovation Postdocs

basic funding(NSF/NIH/DoD)

(university) gap (seed) Innovation Park Investment Ignition Park Bedside

timestart-up company

• Funded by Edison Foundation• Postdoctoral trainees taking ND intellectual property

across the development gap between idea and company formation

Patent Agents Program

• New, one-year Master’s program to teach scientists and engineers

(1)the patent law necessary to pass the patent bar;

(2)practical legal skills critical to successful patent legal practice, even though these skills are not tested by the patent bar; and

(3)provide students with a hands-on, practical capstone experience in patent research and drafting.

• First of its kind in the United States.

• First class in Fall 2012, pending University approval.

• Contact: Karen Imgrund Deak or Greg Crawford

Center for Social Concern

• The CSC is the service and community-based learning center of the University of Notre Dame

• 80% of undergraduate and graduate students are active in service learning and community volunteer activities – a significant source of voluntary translational manpower.

• ICTSI CHEP partner

Other Resources

• Our Strategic Research Initiatives (Nanotechnology, Micro-sensing, Energy, Environment, Global Health, Imaging, Cancer) with translational staffing and facilities

• College of Engineering – new hiring emphasis on biomedical engineering

• Research cores

Regional External Resources

IUSM South Bend• 4 year medical education program with linkages to local health providers for 3 rd and 4th year rotations• Clinical faculty with local practices• Shared facilities

in Raclin-Carmichael and Harper Halls

Michiana Hospitals and Clinics

There is great enthusiasm for research collaboration Notre Dame and others (e.g., ICTSI). Specifically we have discussed

•Psychiatric clinical relationships with Memorial Epworth and Oaklawn

•Healthcare informatics with Memorial Hospital, St. Joe’s Hospital (and Trinity Health System) and MHIN

•Obtaining cancer tissue samples South Bend Medical Foundation and several clinics

•Orthopedics clinical studies with SB Orthopedics

Former Madison Center Facility

• Large regional mental health facility near downtown

• In patient services now run by Memorial Epworth Center 

• Outpatient services run by Oaklawn Psychiatric Services

• Notre Dame leases a building on the Madison Center campus for our clinical Psychology program and have excellent relationships with both Memorial and Oaklawn

South Bend Medical Foundation

• 800 employees • Provide a wide range of top-quality,

cost-effective health care services, particularly laboratory services

• Preserves the critical relationship between laboratory, physician and patient.

• Have offered to discuss availability of both pathology services and tissue samples to Notre Dame and IUSM-SB faculty

Michiana Health Information Network

MHIN is a health information exchange committed to improving care in the Michiana health community. MHIN is organized to coordinate health care information by providing a community-wide clinical data and information exchange to the health care community.

•Lists 82 participants

•Member of Indiana Health Information Technology, Inc.

•Notre Dame has discussed access for research

Innovation Park• Innovation Park at Notre Dame builds commercialization

bridges between the University of Notre Dame and businesses at all stages of development.

• Assists with talent, funding and services assistance.

• > 70% occupied in first year

• 2 graduate companies in the first 18 months

Orthopedics

• BioCrossroads has funded Notre Dame to do a planning grant study of the innovation pipeline for orthopedics industry in Indiana.

• Participants in the study include– Research universities

– Big 3 orthopedics companies in Warsaw

– Clinics statewide

– Entrepreneurs

– Government entities and non-profits

• Final report complete mid-summer

Summary

• At Notre Dame, we have a different ecosystem for translational research than Indianapolis

• The ICTSI resources are highly complementary to our resources and a large benefit to Notre Dame

• We believe Notre Dame offers some interesting complementary capabilities for the ICTSI