Area Scientists & Researchers Drive
the Life Sciences Movement

Kansas City's leaders in biological and medical research have
high hopes about transforming Kansas City into a national
center for biomedical sciences. But the question remains -
can Kansas City pull it off?

by paula murray
photography by Craig sands

This month the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute presents the business plan for doing just that - creating a biomedical sciences capitol that can compete with cities like Boston and San Diego for government and commercial research funding. This plan has area researchers, educators and civic leaders fired up about its possibilities.

"We are elated to see that the original spark of interest has now ignited into a flame," said Marino Martinez-Carrion, Ph.D., dean of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC). "It has the potential to place our city among the very best metropolitan areas in the U.S. in terms of intellectual activity and academic development."

While many of the elements were already in place to make Kansas City a life sciences "hub," the community-wide effort, which led to the establishment of the Life Sciences Institute, began in earnest in February, 1999. That's when the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADA) and the Civic Council established a 25-person task force to evaluate area resources and to see if Kansas City could become the life sciences Mecca it hoped to be.

Stowers Institute's Scientific Director, Dr. Robb Krumlauf and his wife, Dr. Leanne Wiedemann joins Virginia and Jim stowers, Jr. at the opening of the Institute. Krumlauf returns from London to begin his work in Kansas City this autumn.

"We enlisted the aid of another 100 other individuals, organized into work groups focusing on education, research and development, and commercialization," said John M. Edgar, lead resident partner, Bryan Cave, LLP, who co-chaired the task force with Mike Morrissey, retired
managing partner, Ernst and Young, LLP.

"We concluded that, 'yes, Kansas City does have the assets here to support a life sciences center, provided we can achieve collaboration among the key players,'" Edgar explained.

It's not inconceivable that in years to come Kansas City will become known as 'Biomed Valley' for its commitment to biomedical research. Supporters of the movement say a Kansas City "Biomed Valley" would impart a host of benefits for the institutions and professionals involved.

Foremost among those key players are Jim and Virginia Stowers who have already endowed the Stowers Institute for Medical Research with $515 million and pledged their $1.3 billion estate. The institute's $200 million, 600,000 square foot facility at 50th and Rockhill Road has been designed to create an environment in which the best and the brightest scientists could come together to conduct basic genetic research

Indeed, the Stowers Institute has begun to do just that, assembling an impressive scientific advisory board. The board has already recruited several top-notch researchers to lead the organization, including William B. Neaves as president and CEO and Robert E. Krumlauf as scientific director.
"The vision (of a biomedical sciences center) has crystallized around the Stowers Institute," said David Morrison, M.D., director of medical research at St. Luke's Hospital and professor of basic medical sciences at the UMKC School of Medicine. "It is a quality facility, and I think it will be outstanding in recruiting some first-rate people."

If Stowers has been the catalyst, then certainly the area's universities, hospitals and research organizations provide the necessary energy.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Biological Sciences, which offers the only Life Sciences doctoral degrees and postdoctoral research training in Missouri, specializes in structural biology and molecular genetics. On the other side of the state line, the University of Kansas operates the Higuchi Biosciences Center for biomedical research. There, scientists not only make discoveries but also engage in scientific entrepreneurship.

Another key player, Midwest Research Institute (MRI), conducts applied research and development in a number of diverse areas. MRI will contribute expertise in bioanalytical chemistry, automated systems and microelectronics, as well as its experience in spinning off small research companies and commercializing technologies.

And, of course, several well-respected hospitals - Children's Mercy Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital and The University of Kansas Medical Center - conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and other therapies.

Together, with the support of private industry including organizations like Quintiles, Bayer Corp. and Aventis, and several area foundations, these entities constitute the core group that must manage the amorphous entity known as the Life Sciences Institute. The Institute crosses city, county and state lines and involves funding from a number of public and private sources. And, finally, it requires a substantial infusion of public and private dollars to lay the groundwork. All of this represents a formidable undertaking. But William Neaves of the Stowers Institute says Kansas City can do it.
"I've seen it happen before - at the University of Texas, and, with the great spirit of collaboration I've seen since I arrived in Kansas City, it can happen again here," said Neaves, a veteran researcher who launched a similar biomedical sciences center at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas in the early 70s.

"It's not inconceivable that in years to come Kansas City will become known as 'Biomed Valley' for its commitment to biomedical research," Neaves added.
Supporters of the movement say a Kansas City "Biomed Valley" would impart a host of benefits for the institutions and professionals involved.

"Kansas City will become an even more exciting place to work for people in the sciences and medicine," notes Ralph E. Kauffman, M.D. director of medical research at Children's Mercy Hospital and professor of pediatrics and pharmacology at UMKC. Kauffman believes that the life sciences initiative will facilitate research in such areas as genetics, molecular medicine, genomics, human pharmacology, infectious diseases, cancer and neurosciences.

In vying for grants, the life blood of research organizations, Kansas City competes with established biosciences centers and often comes up short. Kansas is one of 23 states which, when combined, receive just 7 percent of NIH (National Institute of Health) monies, according to Michael A. Welch M.D., Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He notes that Missouri would also be in that group if it weren't for Washington University in St. Louis.
On the commercialization side, funding is also a challenge, according to Elias Michaelis, M.D., Ph.D. director of the Higuchi Biosciences Center and chairman of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Kansas.

"Frequently when venture capitalists look at us, they say, 'if you were to start this activity in San Diego, we could get you $20 million tomorrow. But here, well, we don't know if we want to invest that kind of money,'" Michaelis explained. "It's a perception, and the way you overcome that perception is to show that you have the expertise - scientific expertise, as well as entrepreneurial expertise."

In terms of the local economy, figures from the Life Sciences Institute indicate that for every $1 spent on basic research, $14 would come back to the local economy in the form of new jobs and tax revenues. The Stowers Institute alone will create 300-500 new professional jobs. In that Stowers and the other key institutions are located in the central city much of this growth will benefit Kansas City's urban core.

New business and jobs aren't the only advantages the city will enjoy. Supporters of the life science initiative are convinced that residents will see an improvement in medical care and an elevation of civic pride.

"As biomedical science activity increases and becomes better known, it will make people feel better about their own community," said Michaelis. "Maybe there will come a day when they say, 'Kansas City offers the best. I don't need to run to Mayo or Chicago or somewhere else.'"
Michaelis offers several other pluses: the new biotechnology companies not only offer high-paying jobs, but they also produce socially useful products with minimal negative impact on the environment. The life sciences movement will accomplish this by bringing clinicians and researchers together to streamline research, speed breakthroughs and improve patient outcomes.

"For example, it will give us the ability to translate the wonderful things that happen at Stowers in the field of genetics to the bedside," explained Ben D. McCallister, M.D. director of research, Mid-America Heart Institute. "And, it will allow us to work with colleagues in basic science and help them develop meaningful research that is solving real problems that the clinicians and physicians taking care of patients see every day."

For all the virtues of the Life Sciences, some have expressed doubts about Kansas City's ability to attract the high level scientists essential to success. After all, there are no beaches or mountains here, and the Chiefs haven't won a Superbowl in three decades.

But researchers who have relocated to the area believe that "if we build it, they will come." The coming will take time, they admit, maybe 10 to 15 years, but come they will.

"Without a doubt we will attract the best research professionals to Kansas City," said Andrea Hall, senior vice president and director of research operations at MRI. "We already boast nationally recognized experts and institutions in health care and biomedical research. We shouldn't sell Kansas City short."

So, what must civic leaders do to make Kansas City prepared to attract these world class scientists?
"We have to be very competitive in recruiting," says Dr. Kauffman of Children's Mercy. "This requires that we provide the best facilities, resources and collegial research environment anywhere. We must make it possible for the scientists we wish to attract to be successful and do here what they wouldn't be able to do anywhere else."

Kansas City, as a community, must be prepared to devote financial resources to stimulate this projects' development. Edgar, who co-chairs the Life Sciences Institute believes we must raise approximately $300 million in the coming business cycle to develop technologies such as proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics, as well further support certain underfunded research projects that will collectively provide the chemistry to elevate Kansas City as a viable center for biomedical sciences.
Already charitable organizations have stepped forward with seed money for a variety of projects. In addition to the $1.8 billion commitment from Jim and Virginia Stowers for the Stowers Institute, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Hall Family Foundation have pledged $150 million toward Kansas City's "10 Giant Steps," one of which is the life sciences initiative. In addition, the Hall Family Foundation has committed up to $5 million for collaborative efforts in pediatric research, education and patient care. The interest is there, but there's obviously a long way to go.
One unanswered question is whether a group of proud, high-achieving, competitive organizations can put aside their parochial interests to work toward a common goal.

"The unknown is whether or not we can clear the psychological hurdles of having people really work together," said David Morrison, M.D. director of medical research at St. Luke's Hospital and professor of basic medical sciences at UMKC School of Medicine. "But, there is evidence that barriers are being broken down, or we would not have come this far."

Indeed a number of alliances have been announced just in the past 18 months. KU Medical Center & Children's Mercy Hospital have announced a joint effort in pediatric research, education and patient care. Childrens Mercy and Midwest Research Institute have also formed an alliance called R.E.A.C.H., the Research Alliance For Children's Health. MRI has also formed an alliance with KU for joint research and other collaborative efforts. And Health Midwest and St. Luke's/ Shawnee Mission Health System have reached an agreement to merge their cancer programs.

"It is very difficult to get over egos, but that is necessary to achieve our goals," Morrison said. The immediate goal is to break down institutional boundaries and personal barriers to create an integrated team, all of whose members work toward the same goal.

"It's important not just to collaborate but to actually integrate, deciding who will focus on what areas," KU Med's Welch explained. "In modern science you have to work in teams. New discoveries today are made by whole teams working together. The human genome project - a huge task - had different groups working on different areas and putting their information into one big computer. We should do much the same thing here. That will deliver the best results and give us more stability and more long-term benefit to the community."

And once that investment is made, and an integrated life sciences system is created, officials say Kansas City will have something "no one can take away from us."

After all, as Welch puts it, "What better industry in which to invest than the health care of the nation?"

Paula Murray is the President of Prairie Village-based Murray & Associates who provide consulting and communications services for the health care industry.