UMaine Students, Researchers Tackle Tough Questions in Biomedical Research
Contact: Carol Kim, (207) 581-2803
ORONO — Understanding how cancerous tumors grow. Learning why some people feel pain more acutely than others. Searching for ways to cure vascular diseases.
In biomedicine, the focus is on the basic underlying processes — how our bodies work. Greater understanding of disease through biomedical sciences research holds the promise of better treatment tools and improved approaches to prevention, as well as the potential for the ultimate outcome: a cure.
That biological approach to tackling some of today’s toughest medical questions is occurring at seven of Maine’s leading research institutions. That’s also where the state is training its next generation of biomedical scientists.
The University of Maine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) grew out of a commitment to improve the state’s public health, and create research and development capacity for Maine. It currently has five tracks — molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, toxicology and functional genomics — with others in development.
Students collaborate with world-class researchers from UMaine and six partners — The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor; Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove; Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Scarborough; University of New England, Biddeford and Portland; Maine Institute of Human Genetics & Health, Brewer and Bangor; and University of Southern Maine, Portland.
“What we’re hoping is that this pool of Ph.D. scientists can stay in the state, have jobs in the state, and develop new companies, contributing to the economy in Maine,” says GSBS Director Carol Kim, a microbiologist whose research focuses on molecular virology and host response to infectious disease. “We want to increase the visibility of biomedical research throughout the state.”
With GSBS in place, students are conduits for researchers to work together, start new projects and generate new ideas, according to Kim.
“As a scientist, I’m excited about the new opportunities for collaboration that this graduate program is creating,” says Kim.
A UMaine Today magazine article has additional information about the GSBS and its research.