RESEARCH
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A Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute autonomous research sailboat
is placed on Lake Okeechobee to monitor the water for algae blooms. The
750-square-mile lake is the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained
entirely in the contiguous United States.
sities such as Florida Atlantic
University have master’s and
doctoral students working at
Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute.
IRSC is working with many
of the research organizations,
says college President Edwin
Massey. “We partner with
agencies to do internships so
students get real life experience
to go with classroom
experience.” In some cases,
students become employees of
the agencies with which they
interned.
“We have people working
in research from beach erosion
to the reefs in our area to
biotechnology to research on
fish in the river,” he says. “It’s
important to our economy and
to the health and well-being
of the area.” IRSC students are
engaged in research at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
horticultural lab in Fort Pierce,
at the Florida Medical Entomology
Lab in Vero Beach on mosquitoes,
TORREY PINES INSTITUTE
FOR MOLECULAR STUDIES
TO MERGE WITH FLORIDA
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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at the Smithsonian
Marine Ecosystems Exhibit in
Fort Pierce on phytoplankton,
and at many other places.
To provide the appropriate
education for potential
employees, the college creates
programs that meet the needs
of research organizations
and other businesses already
here, as well as those that
might consider moving to the
Treasure Coast in the future, he
HARBOR BRANCH
says. One of those programs is
in biotechnology.
RESEARCH INSTITUTES
FIU is not the only major university
to take over a research
institution on the Treasure
Coast. Florida Atlantic University
took over Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institute, then
struggling financially, in 2007.
Among the many studies at
Harbor Branch, the search for
marine compounds that kill
cancer cells is one of the most
intriguing. Esther Guzmán,
associate research professor,
works on pancreatic cancer
compounds. Her work has
resulted in three patents.
An $801,000 grant from the
Florida Department of Health
is allowing Guzmán and research
professor Amy Wright to
search out active compounds
against triple negative breast
cancer.
Harbor Branch is also working
on a project that may be
a key to underwater national
security. The goliath grouper,
which weighs in at about 700
pounds, makes a characteristic
low-frequency “boom” sound
when approached by divers.
With a grant of up to $5
million from the Defense
Advanced Research Projects
Agency, researchers are
working on a system that will
“remotely alert authorities of
incoming manned and un-
>>
BY SUSAN BURGESS
With a quick vote, Port St. Lucie’s crushed dreams of a
thriving biotech labs corridor in Tradition exploded
into vibrant new life.
The city council on May 13 voted to support the acquisition
of Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies by Florida International
University. FIU is on its way to becoming one of the
top public research universities in the state and nation. The deal
is expected to be approved by the university’s Board of Trustees
and Florida Board of Governors by the end of this year.
“This will open a big door to future research in the Tradition
Center for Innovation,” said Councilman John Carvelli. “It
revives the old dreams of a biotech corridor. It’s an alignment
of research and economic resources, education and bioresearch
which will be exploding in the near future.”
Torrey Pines, in the Center for Innovation next to Cleveland
Clinic Tradition Hospital, is an excellent fit for FIU, the
university’s Chief Operating Officer Ken Furton told the city
council. The university has already leased space in the research
company’s building and collaborated with it for more
than five years.
FIU’s research in cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, addictions
and infectious diseases aligns with Torrey Pines’ work, he said.
Research in two of FIU’s most important programs, the
interaction of the environment with the brain and behavior,
and in molecular discoveries, also align well with Torrey Pines,
he said. The molecular studies program focuses on the need
to find new drugs for cancer, antibiotic-resistant superbugs,
neurodegenerative diseases, personalized medicine and a
molecular approach to fighting mosquito-borne diseases.
SHARING BENEFITS
Torrey Pines has an enormous library of tens of millions of
compounds that can be used to test whether a compound
works on a particular disease. FIU and Torrey Pines will make
use of this library as they conduct research.
“We will be recruiting 18 researchers over the next three
years, and they will bring funding and expertise with them,”
said Dr. Richard Houghten, the founder and CEO of Torrey
Pines. “We will all benefit from this.”
The Port St. Lucie facility would be called the Torrey Pines
Institute for Molecular Studies FIU. Houghten and most of
the scientists would continue at Torrey Pines, which will be
named a specialized research center.
The Torrey Pines building will be transferred to FIU under
this arrangement, and when the city’s lease for the land ends
in 2026, the land is expected to become theirs, said Mayor
Gregory Oravec. “It’s very exciting to have an institution like
FIU investing in our research corridor. We’re seeing all the
pieces come together.” v
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