UAMS Cancer Institute Expands on Arkansas Medical News Inc.

UAMS Cancer Institute Expands

By: LYNNE JETER

NIH Grants Fund “Open Bench” Research Labs

LITTLE ROCK–A $10.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support construction of the 12-story expansion tower to the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

The grant will fund completion of two research laboratory floors—9 and 11, adding 33,660 square feet of research space—in the second tower of The Cancer Institute, the state’s only academic cancer research center. The building is slated to open its first phase this summer. Stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 funneled to the NIH for construction grants provided project financing.

UAMS Jones Eye Institute Receives $2 Million Gift

LITTLE ROCK– The UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute (JEI) recently received a nearly $2 million estate gift from a longtime supporter.

Martha Wood Bentley, a dedicated benefactor of the Jones Eye Institute who died Sept. 18, 2007, left her estate to the institution. She had served on the institution’s advisory board for more than a decade.

“She was a very loyal supporter and friend of the Jones Eye Institute,” said institute director John Shock. “Her support over the years has helped mold JEI into the state-of-the-art comprehensive eye treatment and research facility it is today.”

Bentley was a silent philanthropist known for her keen sense of humor, quick wit and great strength of character. A graduate of Briarcliff College and Stanford University, she presided over the Fort Smith Junior League, was a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, Association of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Van Buren Literary Club. She was a lifelong member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Smith.

“She shared a wonderful relationship with Dr. Shock and the Jones Eye Institute that’s ultimately benefited the quality of patient care, research and education that we deliver at UAMS,” said Debra H. Fiser, MD, dean of the UAMS College of Medicine. “We’re grateful for Mrs. Bentley’s contributions and strong support.”

The Martha Wood Bentley Chair in Ophthalmology was established last April to support research, education and patient care.

“A gift such as this speaks volumes about Dr. Shock and the quality of work that is done at the Jones Eye Institute,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, MD. “For patients like Mrs. Bentley to go on to serve and loyally support an institution like she’s done in this case is a rare find. We’re extremely grateful and honored.”

“The cornerstone of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is our research program,” said Peter Emanuel, MD, director of the institute. “Completion of these two research floors will be a huge step in expanding our research capabilities and our ability to search for the causes and future treatments of many types of cancer.”

UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, MD, said the importance of cancer research cannot be emphasized enough as a vital link in improving the health of Arkansans, both now and in future generations.

“The laboratories that this grant will fund will give our scientists the tools they need to develop new innovative therapies and discover the underlying causes of cancer,” said Rahn. “The grant also will stimulate the local economy by creating more jobs and allowing us to recruit more scientists.”

Emanuel pointed out that with these funds, the institute will have the money to finish about half of the floors, which was the stated goal at the groundbreaking ceremony in 2007.

“Completion of additional floors in the new tower and the upcoming renovation of our current Walker Tower will give us the ability to continue expanding our research and treatment programs, in addition to adding new ones in the future,” he said.

The project, which should create 123 construction-related jobs and 87 research-related positions, is scheduled for completion of the floors in mid-2011.

“The research floors will be the first and only on the UAMS campus to have what’s called an ‘open lab bench’ configuration,” explained Emanuel. “By using the open bench concept, our researchers won’t be housed in a traditional lab setting. Instead, they’ll share a large open space designed to encourage interaction and collaboration between scientists, in addition to promoting a more cost-efficient use of shared equipment.”

Last May, a $36 million matching funds program—approved by state lawmakers for construction of the institute’s new tower—was completed.