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OCAST Awards Research Grants

Posted on: Thursday, 15 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By The Daily Oklahoman, The Daily Oklahoman

Dec. 15--The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology has awarded $2.2 million in applied research grants to 10 state projects over the next three years, agency officials said Wednesday.

The long-standing Oklahoma Applied Research Support Program is credited with attracting nearly $2 billion in private and federal research and development funding, said Michael Carolina, OCAST executive director.

The selected projects were chosen from a field of 46 applications, 30 of which qualified for funding. However, agency funding levels allowed it to award only 10 grants, Carolina said.

Funded projects support Oklahoma's petroleum exploration industry, biotechnology, photonics, homeland security, computer software, laser technology and the livestock industry.

OCAST applied research funds target accelerated technology that has significant potential for producing a commercially successful product, process or service with high potential to benefit the state's economy.

The 10 applied research award winners:

Arthur Brix of Brine Electric Inc. will use ion exchange chemistry to isolate iodide-rich brine in concert with the IOCHEM company in Vici.

Dr. Lyle Burns of RTA Systems Inc. will research the use of additives for the cleanup and remediation of spills of common hydrocarbons and hazardous wastes and to detoxify chemical and biological warfare agents.

Dr. Ram Mohan, Dr. Ovadia Shoham and Kenneth Oglesby, representing the University of Tulsa and Impact Technologies LLC, will develop a gas-liquid-solid three-phase compact separator for oil and gas drilling and production applications.

Drs. Anthony Confer, Sahlu Ayalew and Richard Hansen will work together in a collaboration between Oklahoma State University and the Noble Foundation in Ardmore to develop a state-of-the art vaccine against the major bacterium that causes the most severe pneumonia found in cattle with shipping fever.

Dr. Kristen Sorocco and Kenneth Nixon will represent the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Caregiver Technologies Inc. of Norman in a project to develop an Internet-based caregiver support system that enables the caregiver to remotely assist older individuals in managing their chronic disease.

Dr. Florea Lupu of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation will study the development of a new therapy for sepsis, a severe illness caused by overwhelming infection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria.

Drs. H. Anne Pereira and Gary T. Kinasewitz will oversee a project of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation to conduct a series of preclinical experiments that will be required to advance a novel antibiotic peptide into clinical trials.

Dr. John Quinn and Tom Jobe representing Nomadics Inc. of Stillwater will research development and commercialization of a system for comprehensive protein interaction analysis from early research to drug discovery.

Dr. Michael Centola of Riley Genomics will conduct research that focuses on the development of profiles that will provide an evidence-based treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

Drs. Zhisheng Shi and Simon Hsu will attempt to develop novel midinfrared diode lasers and a laser absorption spectroscopy system.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Daily Oklahoman

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Source: The Daily Oklahoman

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