401(k) Specialist Issue 3 - 2022 - 17

In Their Own Words:
The Human Impact of Stowers' Research
W
(3), these people provide very important
publications, articles and discoveries that
others learn from to help make the world a
better place. It's research at a molecular level
to unlock the mysteries of life. Sometimes
they get so far down the path that some
things are immediately and quickly translatable
into medicine. Recently, they sold
a discovery to Amgen who developed an
osteoporosis drug that not only halted the
progression of the disease but also reversed
it, which is really cool. "
Jim Stowers was an exceptional businessman,
and the institute complements all the
kumbaya with a wholly owned, for-profit
subsidiary called BioMed Valley Discoveries
(BVD).
" If they are onto something and think it
could lead to commercialization-and by
commercialization, I mean something that
could actually help people-they will pass
that on to BVD. BVD will advance that
through collaborations with hospitals and
other labs around the world and eventually
try to bring it to the public. "
It also does a tremendous amount of what
he called " compassionate " use. Big pharma
might ignore many of the institute's focus
areas, either because it's early in the process
or the affected population is too niche for it
to be profitable.
" We will focus on something that doesn't
necessarily have to be profitable, and something
big pharma won't touch, in order to
help people. We'll then use it in compassionate
care cases. "
Ultimately, it appears to be the perfect
model for corporate philanthropy, with results
first and positive PR (a distant) second.
It's acting locally for the good of the greater
Kansas City metro area but thinking globally
in the discoveries it's making.
" What we do is unique, " Thomas concluded.
" I keep calling us a universe of one.
I wish there were more like us so we could
attach ourselves to a category. But it's a
huge part of why I left Wall Street for Main
Street, which is where we're located. I find
it very rewarding. "
e asked the Stowers' staff for examples of how their biomedical research is
specifically helping humans. They more than delivered.
Cancer
At Stowers, our foundational research identifies the genes, proteins, molecular
networks and mechanisms that underlie cell growth and other cell functions often
compromised in cancer.
Our researchers are looking at how disruptions in these processes are associated
with many types of cancer.
Stowers scientists have identified ways to expand human umbilical cord stem cells
in culture to generate therapeutic quantities for transplants to treat leukemia and
other cancers.
Other research areas include investigating cancer stem cells stubbornly resistant to
treatment and developing new approaches for overcoming cancer drug resistance and
stimulating immunity.
Diabetes and Metabolism
Understanding metabolism and how our body converts food into energy can help
us understand obesity and diseases like diabetes.
Our researchers study metabolism in novel research organisms like cavefish as a
powerful way to understand the genes and mechanisms underlying metabolic processes
in health and disease.
We have shown that cavefish, for example, exhibit characteristics like high body fat
and blood sugar levels associated with diabetes and metabolic syndrome in humans
but do not experience adverse health effects. We seek to understand why and how
that knowledge can help humans.
Brain and Memory
With more than 85 billion neurons, the brain is one of the most complex systems
in the world. Understanding the healthy brain can help us understand how memories
form and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Pioneering research on clustered proteins called amyloids, which are associated
with devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, has
revealed a normal and healthy role for amyloids in the brain, specifically in long-term
memory formation.
This paradigm shift challenges traditional approaches to developing potential treatments
for amyloid-associated brain diseases.
Aging and Regeneration
To humans, aging may seem like a natural part of existence, but many organisms
can be described as biologically immortal.
Our research has yielded findings with implications for addressing a broad scope
of age-related conditions such as inflammation, hearing loss, glaucoma, and the loss
of the sense of smell. Pioneering research on molecules that control the formation
and loss of bone helped lay the groundwork for a new type of osteoporosis treatment
called Romosozumab.
Our research also focuses on aspects of regeneration, the ability of adult stem
cells to reproduce many kinds of cells. We study flatworms, apple snails, killifish, and
zebrafish to understand better how these unusual cells and animals accomplish such
feats, providing possible blueprints for activating these abilities in new contexts and
other species.
ISSUE 3 2022 | 401kSpecialist.com
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401(k) Specialist Issue 3 - 2022

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