For Immediate Release
July 6, 2005

Contact: Lindsay Hodges
850-245-4111

DOH AWARDS MORE THAN $8 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR FLORIDA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
-- Grants Fund Research to Fight Tobacco-related Diseases--

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Department of Health (DOH) Secretary John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., announced the 2005 recipients of the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program grants. Sixteen grants, totaling $8.043 million, were awarded to biomedical research scientists from Florida-based universities, small biomedical businesses and clinical research institutions. These grant-funded projects will expand the foundation of knowledge for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of tobacco-related diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and pulmonary disease.

“This support for Florida’s research community extends our commitment in Florida to be a national leader in biotechnology and biomedical research,” said Governor Bush. “These grants help to launch research careers, build the infrastructure of our research institutes, encourage collaboration among researchers, and translate research findings today into treatments for tomorrow.”

The James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program’s mission is to improve and expand biomedical knowledge in Florida by encouraging research relating to the health effects of tobacco use. For the second year, Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature appropriated $6 million in general revenue for the Biomedical Research Program. Additional funding comes from the interest earned on a $150 million reserve within the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, a fund established with monies received from the tobacco industry through Florida’s tobacco lawsuit settlement agreement.

“Our support for these biomedical research scientists is critical,” said Agwunobi. “Their research offers Floridians a bright future in disease prevention, diagnosis and cure.”

Grant recipients are competitively selected by a process overseen by the DOH Biomedical Research Advisory Council (BRAC). BRAC, a nine-member advisory council, uses a multi-step process to peer review and rank all projects. All funded research projects are monitored throughout the life of the grant by program staff in the DOH Office of Statewide Research and the Lytmos Group, a grant management contractor. The grants are awarded in three main categories:
- New Investigator Research (NIR) grants, which fund research by scientists embarking upon independent research careers in Florida;

- Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) grants, which are designed to stimulate the commercialization of biomedical research in Florida. These grants fund joint projects between investigators at research institutions and small business enterprises in order to facilitate the translation of biomedical research into commercially viable drugs and products;

- Team Science Program (TSP) grants, which are awarded to multidisciplinary, multi-investigator and multi-project programs at larger research institutions in order to assist them in building a research infrastructure at its institution. These grants require a matching fund commitment from the institution.

2005 James and Esther King Biomedical Research Grantees:

NIR Grants:
- Karoline Briegel Ph.D., University of Miami Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, $450,000 over three years

- Christopher Cogle M.D., University of Florida Shands Bone Marrow Transplant Program, $450,000 over three years

- Noella Dietz Ph.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, $380,067 over three years

- Gregory Dudley Ph.D., Florida State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, $450,000 over three years

- Jeffrey Goldberg M.D., Ph.D., University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, $450,000 over three years

- Ceylan Isgor Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University Department of Biomedical Sciences, $450,000 over three years

- Alexander Ishov Ph.D., University of Florida Shands Cancer Center, $450,000 over three years

- Luis Raez M.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, $450,000 over three years

- Charles Rosser M.D., University of Florida Division of Urology Department of Surgery/Jacksonville, $446,719 over three years

- William Self Ph.D., University of Central Florida Biomolecular Science Center, $429,175 over three years

- Erin Siegel Ph.D., H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Cancer Prevention and Control, $450,000 over three years

SBTT Grants:
- Ching-Jen Chen Ph.D., Florida State University Center for Nanomagnetics and Biotechnology, $99,942 for one year

- Awtar Ganju-Krishan Ph.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, $100,000 for one year

TSP Grants:
- John Copland Ph.D., College of Medicine Jacksonville Mayo Clinic, $1,000,000 over two years, with matching university funds

- Richard Johnson Ph.D., University of Florida Division of Nephrology, Hypertension, and Transplantation, $997,286 over two years, with matching university funds

- Matthias Salathe M.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, $989,524 over two years, with matching university funds

For more information visit the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program Web site at http://www.floridabiomed.com or the Florida Department of Health Web site at http://www.doh.state.fl.us