DEC. 2, 2004 | A researcher wrapping up a three-month visiting scholar appointment at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently was awarded a $1 million grant back in his native Australia to upgrade his research facilities.

David Findlay, Ph.D., is the inaugural recipient of the Webber Orthopaedic Research Scholarship at UAMS. He has spent the past three months at UAMS furthering his research into the cellular biomarkers of bone weakening diseases from osteoarthritis to cancer.

In Adelaide, Australia – capital city of the state of South Australia – Findlay is professor of Orthopaedic Research in the Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma at the University of Adelaide and a Member of the Hanson Institute.  

As he is preparing for his return home, he is already making plans for spending the grant to improve and refurbish his research facilities at the university. The funds came after the University of Adelaide’s Orthopaedic Research Department applied for a grant from money donated to the school, Findlay said.

As excited as he is about the grant, he also is excited about his three month stint at UAMS, which has allowed him to move his research forward and have access to tools, like the SELDI (surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization) device for protein biomarker identification. He said the experience offered him the chance to get away from his hectic lab at home to explore new areas of research in a different environment with tools he didn’t have in Australia.

“It has been fantastic and a very fruitful opportunity to do this kind of research and reading uninterrupted,” Findlay said. “When I return home, I’ll have new ideas and some new research possibilities, including projects that can be pursued jointly with UAMS.”

Findlay’s work at UAMS has focused on understanding the role of blood vessels in bone diseases. He brought with him samples to be tested using the SELDI for identifying diseased versus non-diseased biological fluid. He said he is looking for “fingerprints” in the biomarkers that will assist with the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

Ultimately, he said, the work could lead to alternatives to joint replacement surgery for treating problems like osteoarthritis.

Larry Suva, Ph.D., director of The Center for Orthopaedic Research at UAMS, joined fellow Australian Findlay in some of his research here. Suva is well-known internationally for his research work and has a broad scientific background gathered from years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry (Genentech Inc., Merck, GlaxoSmithKline ) as well as five years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, has been at UAMS since October 2000.

“The Webber Scholar program looks to combine the research resources and staff at UAMS with fresh perspectives and insight from top researchers, offering a win-win situation for both the researcher and UAMS,” Suva said.

The Webber Orthopaedic Research Scholarship was created in 2004 to honor Dr. Rich Webber, former Director of Orthopaedic Research at UAMS, and to promote excellence in orthopaedic research, education and scholarly activity in Arkansas.

Suva noted that the idea for the Webber program grew out of the experience of Carl Nelson, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UAMS, when as a young surgeon he was a visiting scholar at Oxford University in England.

Links on This Page
Webber Orthopaedic Research Scholarship: http://www.cor.uams.edu/webber.asp

The Center for Orthopaedic Research: http://www.cor.uams.edu/

University of Adelaide: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/