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Improving the health of NUTRITION future generations SPRINGSPRING 20082006 MATTERS * /" Ê " Ê, - , Ê Ê, , - - , Ê / ,Ê/ Ê"1 /" ÊUÊ-1Ê-9-/ INSIDE Our 20th Anniversary Issue ➢ Welcome New Dementia / ➢ 1988 - 2008 Timeline ➢ 20th Annual Gala Honors ➢ PBRC Hosts World Alzheimer's Team of Accomplishments Supporters - Photo album Scientists and PBRC's Top page three pages six and seven page eight Discoveries page nine EXPANSION OF PBRC: Message from the A TIMELY INVESTMENT Executive Director of the LEGISLATURE EARMARKS $50 MILLION Pennington Biomedical In a time of intense national competition in scientific health research, Governor Bobby Jindal Research Center and the Louisiana legislature have stepped up with one-time funding at a critical growth juncture of the Pennington Biomedical th hehe year 2008 marks thethe 20 year of the During our 20th Research Center. opopeningening ooff tthehe PenninPenningtongt Biomedical year, we have alreadyy ResearcResearchh CCenter.enter. Since the first day, convened a major Governor Bobby Jindal, in a special session focusing on economic development, recently Toourur overarching goal has been to conduct conference to highlighth theh 20 most significanti ifi supported new funding to develop expansion cuttingcutting-edge-edge research designed to “prevent achievements in obesity research around the opportunities at the Pennington Biomedical diseases” and “promote healthier lives.” We world; we are planning a public health Research Center. The Legislature approved the have planned several functions to share what conference on childhood obesity, during which measure during the March session. we’ve learned with others and to let our we will make public a “report card” on the community take a closer look at the Center health of Louisiana’s children; and we’ll One week before the session, Governor Jindal, it has generously supported. The Center was hold a public forum on the economic LSU President John V. Lombardi, Ph.D., several founded on the premise that it would be suc- development opportunities offered by the members of the Louisiana Legislature and PBRC cessful only if the state government, the federal research conducted at the Center and their Executive Director Dr. Claude Bouchard, science programs and the Greater Baton impact on the future of Baton Rouge and participated in a press conference in the PBRC Rouge community would contribute dollars to the state of Louisiana. These events are true Basic Science Building to announce the overall economic focus of the session and to spotlight its research enterprise. Our 20-year history has to our mission “to promote healthier lives the growth and expansion needs of the Center. proven that to be true. through research and education in nutrition and preventive medicine,” and we felt that our The new appropriation provides one-time During the last 20 years, about 20-percent of th funding of $50 million for construction, our revenues have come from state tax dollars. 20 anniversary was an appropriate time to undertake these special events. renovation, research instrumentation and The remaining dollars came from the ability infrastructure. Additionally, the Governor is of our scientists to compete for – and win We have approached the governor and the asking the Legislature to approve a $3 million – federal research dollars and corporate legislature with the most ambitious growth increase in annual operating funds during the contracts, as well as from personal and plan that we have ever undertaken, and secured regular session which commenced on March corporate donations. Nearly 20 years ago, an additional $50 million during a special 31st. According to Bouchard, “The appropria- community support helped open our doors, session, which will fund a good portion of our tion means new direct and indirect jobs, and and now that same support is helping us total plan (See right column story). Although with new facilities we will generate research grant grow. For the moment, I can say that every hard work has given us the advantage of potential, intellectual property development and building on our campus (totaling more than becoming a world class research institution, private-sector development and partnerships.” 500,000 sq. ft. of administrative, mechanical we see extreme competition on the horizon. The funding will increase PBRC research and and research space) was a gift to the state of Other states are currently building similar support space from 545,000 sq. ft. to 675,000 Louisiana, built with private donations. Soon, institutions with several times more funding sq. ft. of facilities with state-of-the-art research however, we will reach a milestone. Last year and endowment than we currently enjoy. Some instrumentation, and will increase research we made our first request to the legislature for are closely examining the operation of the story continues on page ten construction funds, and we were awarded most Pennington Biomedical Research Center to (but not all) of our request through the capital learn how we did it. If we are not careful, they outlay process – enough to begin construction will open their doors and instantly be ahead in the summer of 2008 of a new 88,000 sq. ft. of us. The harsh reality is that in the extremely clinical research facility. competitive field of biomedical research, if We hope our community will enjoy as much an institution does not grow and improve, it as we will watching this building take shape. can rapidly become stale and less respected. It will not only dramatically change the face We look forward to our elected officials to of our campus, it will change lives. Clinical once again voice their strong support for the science is where people come face-to-face with Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Our research, as Baton Rouge citizens volunteer vision is to be the best at what we do and for the dozens of clinical research trials we continue our work to promote healthier lives. With your help, we will achieve those goals. ▲ Governor Bobby Jindal announces state undertake each year. This facility will allow support for PBRC at a recent press conference more citizens to take part, and will allow our held in the PBRC Basic Sciences Building. researchers to undertake many new projects Louisiana Representative James Fannin, aimed at preventing the harmful effects of Claude Bouchard, Ph.D. PBRC Associate Executive Director of Finance diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other PBRC Executive Director, and Administration Ralph Underwood, nutrition and lifestyle related maladies. George A. Bray, Jr. Endowed LSU System President Dr. John V. Lombardi, and Super Chair in Nutrition PBRC Executive Director Dr. Claude Bouchard attended the press conference. two BRAIN FOOD WELCOME NEW DEMENTIA PREVENTION RESEARCH TEAM ou’ve probably heard the Y “We““W know humans have expression “brain food,” a a hard time with these description of a food item extremeeex calorie restric- that contains compounds that tions,”ttio Keller said, “so the are thought to improve brain ideaiid is to develop a means function. In reality, our entire tot mimic calorie restriction, diet is “brain food;” the key is throughtth activity or diet or to understand exactly how diet drug,ddr to get the same effect helps the brain or harms the inin humans: the cell cleaning brain, especially as we get older. enzymeeen continues to work “We’re all about successful wellwwe with age.” aging,” said Jeff Keller, Ph.D., KellerKKe will also lead the Pennington Biomedical CenterCCe into its first compre- Center’s new Associate hensivehhe research into a fatal Executive Director for Basic brainbbr ailment, Alzheimer’s Research. “By successful aging, ▲ Dr. Jeffrey Keller in his lab disease. “We know that certain diets plus I don’t mean living 200 years, calorie restriction reduce pathology in I mean living healthier and with fewer models of Alzheimer’s and that diabetes, ailments or diseases related to age.” "...the key is to understand other diets and obesity seem to accelerate Dr. Jeffrey Keller joins PBRC as Associate exactly how diet helps the brain or amplify the disease,” Keller said. “If you Executive Director for Basic Research in place mice on a high fat diet for just five addition to holding the Hibernia National or harms the brain, especially as weeks, you will see accelerated pathology Bank/Edward G. Schlieder Endowed Chair. we get older." relevant to Alzheimer’s disease.” Previously, he was associate professor and Additionally, Dr. Jeff Keller and his holder of the R.C. Durr Endowed Chair colleagues would like to develop a for Alzheimer’s Disease at the University of “We know that long-term diabetes, for world-class research program focused on: Kentucky as well as assistant director of the example, affects a wide range of organs identifying the basis for dementia in the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Dr. Keller in the body and over time creates a wide elderly by establishing the first brain bank will also become a member of the Executive range of problems, but we have no data in Louisiana, providing a platform for Committee and the Management Committee of the affects of long-term diabetes on the identifying potential pharmaceutical and of the Center. brain,” Keller said. nutritional therapeutics for the prevention “Most of us will face a fairly long decline and treatment of dementia, and ultimately Keller is already underway with several in function and face a period of months or improving the quality of life for elderly projects that come under the umbrella years of less-than-healthy living,” Keller said, in Louisiana suffering from the effects of “how diet helps the brain or how diet “Seventy percent of health costs are in the of dementia. hurts the brain.” For example, researchers last six months of life. Our goal would be to know about an enzyme in the body that Accompanying Keller to the Center is his find a means – through nutrition and other removes toxic substances from our body’s wife, Annadora Bruce-Keller, Ph.D., who interventions – to stave off or prevent that cells.