Los Angeles Times - Scientists have found that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is capable of infecting two types of brain cells — neurons and astrocytes. Scientists have been trying to understand why and how it causes these issues in the brain, said study leader Diana Cruz-Topete, a molecular endocrinologist at LSU Health Shreveport.

Many research advancements have occurred at LSU Health Shreveport during the past year that set us on a strong trajectory for future growth. Read our latest edition of INSIDE Research to learn more about how LSU Health Shreveport is leading the way in research in Louisiana and around the country.

Associate Professor, Dr. Changwon Park is a new addition to the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. The major effort of his lab is to decipher the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms as to the successful generation of the cardiovascular constituents, namely endothelial, endocardium, cardiomyocytes, and hematopoietic cells that share the multipotent cardiovascular progenitors, FLK1 (also known as VEGFR2) expressing cells.

LSUHS Scientists and Researchers Develop Tidal Volume Monitor. The new device works to breathe life into emergency situations.

Newsweek - Virus samples showing up with multiple mutations is not uncommon, and two mutations is not a lot, according to Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport.

NBC CT - LSU Health Shreveport Virologist Jeremy Kamil told NBC Connecticut Investigates that halting their spread will require other measures. Kamil was among a team of researchers that discovered seven new COVID-19 strains, known as "variants," aside from the variants first identified in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil. 

Dr. Xiao-Hong Lu’s research team will use the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory to simulate cosmic radiation in space vehicles and on the Martian surface to determine if long-term exposure to radiation causes adverse consequences to the brain.

NBC News - "There are certain variants that are more transmissible, and we have strong data on that, but the thing people should take away from the variant story is just: Don't let your guard down," said Dr. Jeremy Kamil, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport.

KTBS3 -  A researcher at LSU Health Shreveport has co-authored a study about seven new variants of the COVID-19 virus that appear to have originated in the U.S. The variants appear to have originated in the U.S. But Jeremy Kamil, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at LSUHS, said it is not a cause for panic.

People who start using substances at a younger age have worse health outcomes over the long term, which requires “a nationwide education campaign on the potential long-term damage being done to the cardiovascular system in patients with substance use disorders,” writes Dr. Anthony Orr, Director of Center of Excellence for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences at LSUHS.

Combining his experience not only as a principal investigator on numerous clinical trials but also as a critical care physician for over thirty years, Dr. Scott will provide medical support and oversight for all clinical trials conducted at LSU Health Shreveport.

Fortune.com - Even the type of sequencing done in the U.S. has been lacking, some experts say, with much of the effort focused on finding cases of the U.K. variant, rather than casting a wider net for any variant, including ones not previously identified, said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport.

Bloomberg.com - Even the type of sequencing done in the U.S. has been lacking, some experts say, with much of the effort focused on finding cases of the U.K. variant, rather than casting a wider net for any variant, including ones not previously identified, said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at LSU Health Shreveport. “It’s the Wild West,” he said. “Every state, city, county is doing its own thing. It’s a bunch of random cats and no one is trying to herd them.”

Shreveport Times - LSU Health Shreveport's Dr. Jeremy Kamil talks about the importance of genome sequencing during COVID-19.

KSLA 12 - Dr. Robert Rhoads, professor and emeritus chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Shreveport, developed key components of the mRNA over years of work. The vaccine uses messenger RNA, or mRNA, which essentially provides instructions to the body on how to fight the novel coronavirus.

KSLA 12 - “It is gratifying to see LSU Health Shreveport’s contributions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through licensing of a LSUHS patent to BioNTech for mRNA-stabilizing cap analogs and in serving as the only north Louisiana vaccine trial site. Additionally our numerous COVID-19 clinical trials are providing access to novel therapies reflecting the benefit of having an academic medical center in our community,” shared Dr. G.E. Ghali, Chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport.

KSLA 12- “If the EVT Lab had not existed, quite frankly, I think we’d be in a much darker place here in the northern part of the state,” said Dr. Chris Kevil, vice chancellor of research and one of the leading minds behind creation of the lab. “The EVT Lab has been fundamental in our ability to monitor COVID infections in patients out in this community."

Dr. Quyen Chu, Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at LSU Health Shreveport, is the lead author of the study set for publication in an upcoming issue of Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society. 

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Cancer patients from across Northwest Louisiana — who are receiving treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston — could soon benefit from new trials closer to home.

The Feist-Weiller Cancer Center is excited to be a part of the Cancer Focus Fund to bring the latest new cancer clinical trials to our community," said Dr. Chris Kevil, Vice-Chancellor for Research at LSU Health Shreveport. "We are confident our clinical trial facilities, coupled with expanded patient access to clinical trials across north and central Louisiana in partnership with Ochsner Health, will yield promising results for all citizens of Louisiana.

The Emerging Viral Threat (EVT) Lab at LSU Health Shreveport has now sequenced a total 651 Louisiana SARS-CoV-2 virus genomes making them the largest contributor to date of genetic data on SARS-CoV-2 in the state. SARS-CoV-2, which is short for ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2,’ is the virus that causes COVID-19, and viral genome sequencing is contributing to a worldwide effort to fight the ongoing pandemic.

The Emerging Viral Threat Lab at LSU Health Shreveport has processed over 110,000 COVID-19 test samples from multiple public health regions of the state and created over 170,000 test kits which were distributed throughout the state during its first six months of operation.

LSUHS is expanding enrollment in the Pfizer-sponsored COVID-19 vaccine study for the next two weeks to include individuals ages 16-18 and those older than 85 years of age.  Those interested in participating in this important vaccine trial should sign up as quickly as possible.  

Clinical research by Dr. Judy King, Professor of Pathology at LSUHS, is featured on the cover of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, regarding recent diagnosis and treatment of kidney ailment of a patient who tested positive for COVID-19.

Addiction touches the lives of nearly every family. Our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and spouses are all at risk of addiction, as are our friends and coworkers. The Louisiana Addiction Research Center is here to serve north Louisiana as well as the entire state, so you and your loved ones are not alone in facing addiction.

KTBS 3 - LSU Health Shreveport announced this week that it is participating in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine study and is currently enrolling people to participate.

LSU Health Shreveport announces the creation of three new endowed scholarships and two new endowed professorships. Private donations of $360,000 will be combined with $140,000 in matching funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund to create these endowments.

Dr. Rajib Gupta, shares "COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic which has affected over 12 million people across the globe. Manifestations in different organs systems are being reported regularly. Renal biopsy findings in hospitalized COVID-19 patients presenting solely with acute kidney injury have recently been described in published literature in few case reports. We describe the kidney biopsy findings of two patients who had recent diagnoses of COVID-19 and presented with new-onset nephrotic syndrome."

Dr. Patrick Massey, Director of Clinical Research of Orthopaedic Surgery, shares the technique created at LSUHS for repairing complex meniscus tears featured on the cover of a top journal.

The Daily Beast - "Louisiana is getting pummeled by the virus. But without a comprehensive early testing program in Shreveport, it would have been worse still."

ASBMB.org - Dr. Robert Rhoads, Professor Emeritus in LSUHS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology shares how work in his lab carried out in collaboration with researchers in Poland and Germany over 30 years is playing a part in the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Keith Scott, MD, MSc, FCCM, Professor and the clinical trial's Principal Investigator for the nitric oxide trials at LSU Health Shreveport says, "Teasing out the influence of naturally produced NO on this process is difficult. What I am very encouraged about is the demonstration of virus in the endothelial cells of the lung tissue."

Shreveport Times - From the formulation of an emerging viral threat lab to community testing, LSU Health Shreveport has actively fought COVID-19. Dr. Chris Kevil talks about testing, clinical trials and prevention.

Rick Rowe, KTBS-3 News, talks to EVT Lab scientists and researchers at LSUHS about the work they are doing that is saving lives.

“Our unique team of women made the vision for the EVT Lab a reality. They are the true beating heart of the lab,” said Andrew Yurochko, PhD “Without them, there is no way this would be possible. As a group, they have worked the longest and hardest hours. They are really the superheroes.”

The Lions Club District 8L received a grant from the Lions Club International Foundation that has resulted in a donation to the Emerging Viral Threat (EVT) Lab at LSU Health Shreveport.

One of the most important populations to genetic researchers is right here in Louisiana? It’s the Acadians. Dr. Xiao-hong Lu, a researcher at LSU Health Shreveport, talks about Gene Editing in this episode of "The Gene & The Acadians".

LSU Health Shreveport is now one of five sites in the world and the first in Louisiana involved in a clinical trial that assesses inhaled nitric oxide as a treatment for patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

WBRZ News - “We know a lot of these things work, we just don’t know when they work the best. And that’s what we’re trying to figure out really right now is when, how much and where. And that’s the confusing part of this whole disease. It’s nothing like we’ve ever seen, nothing like medicine has ever seen,” Dr. Keith Scott said.

As part of a national cooperative with the University of South Florida (USF) Health, Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, and Formlabs, LSU Health Shreveport has obtained the printing files for a patented swab design, becoming the first in Louisiana to produce these patented 3D-printed swabs.

LSU Health Shreveport is bringing testing online that will allow them to check a person’s blood for antibodies that may indicate they are immune to coronavirus.

MyArkLaMiss.com - Scientists at LSU Health Shreveport continue to have a significant impact on the fight against COVID-19 in Louisiana with their latest achievement being able to offer serology testing to support the Convalescent Plasma Therapy clinical trial and help identify ideal plasma donors.

Phase two in the fight against COVID-19 is ramping up. The fight began with testing, now it's the race to find a treatment and eventually a vaccine. Convalescent plasma is so far showing great promise.

LSU Health Shreveport has become one of the leaders in the fight against COVID-19, through its healthcare services, testing and innovative research.The work likely will earn the medical facility a place in the history books as 2020 will undoubtedly be known as the year of the coronavirus. 

“What we’re so excited about is this, it’s FDA approved. Almost any hospital of any size already has a ventilator, already has the gas and if this is something that does work it could start being applied immediately,” said LSUHS Professor, Keith Scott, MD.

For the majority of the first month of the outbreak in the State of Louisiana, Caddo Parish and Shreveport led the way in completed tests. That trend has now been joined by the way that LSU Health Shreveport is attacking the virus in the effort to defeat COVID-19.

Research from LSU Health Shreveport has shown that nitric oxide is a strong protector against tissue hypoxia. “It’s just really a raging phenomenon that occurs in the lung and if we can just calm that down a little bit and allow the body’s natural systems to come in an heal it, that’s the real goal,” said Scott.

The plasma transfusion is a clinical trial to see whether anitbodies that their immune systems created would help those who are battling a more advanced stage of the coronavirus. The trial is the first of its kind in Louisiana and the third of its kind in the U.S.

Research from LSU Health Shreveport has shown that nitric oxide is a strong protector against tissue hypoxia, which occurs during severe Covid-1 infection”, said Dr. Chris Kevil, Vice Chancellor for Research at LSU Health Shreveport.

Officials say a critically ill COVID-19 patient at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Academic Medical Center is being treated with the first convalescent plasma therapy in Louisiana, donated at LifeShare Blood Center just hours before the treatment began Saturday.

Dr. Martin Sapp, Chair of Microbiology at LSUHS, shares how the EVT Lab will help with current and future viral threats.

“Certainly we’ve ramped up our testing,” Dr. G.E. Ghali, LSUHS Chancellor, said. “We’ve increased our capacity by 60 percent right off the bat of number of ICU beds that we have.” The increased testing is thanks to the new Emerging Viral Threat Lab that can provide results in less than 48 hours, freeing resources.

The Shreveport Times reached out to Professor Andrew Yurochko, Carroll Feist endowed chair of viral oncology and department vice-chair of microbiology and immunology, LSUHS, with the Emerging Viral Threat lab which began processing COVID-19 samples last Wednesday.

LSU Health Shreveport has established the Emerging Viral Threat (EVT) Laboratory to address the need for faster detection and processing of COVID-19 tests.

Having an academic medical center is a “gem” touted frequently throughout north Louisiana and beyond. While many in the nation are fearful of having appropriate access to testing and quality care during the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to LSU Health Shreveport, north Louisiana is infinitely better positioned than most communities to face Covid-19.

Dr. G.E. Ghali, Chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport, anticipates the center will roll out rapid testing for the virus. “We’d be the only place in the state that has the ability of doing in-house testing with a 24 hour turnaround.” 

LSUHS leadership, faculty, staff, students and community supporters recently honored the continued growth of research initiatives and funding at the second annual Research Celebration event held on February 25, 2020.

Cherie-Ann O. Nathan, MD is the lead author of a study that found a targeted therapy drug used for breast and kidney cancers may also extend survival for patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

Internationally recognized for his research on inflammatory vascular pathology, specifically on and the relationship between inflammation and vascular growth and function, Dr. Kevil discovered detailed mechanistic relationships between angiogenesis and inflammation.

Three Fellows in the Department of Pathology and the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences have been awarded Fellowships funding their ongoing research into cardiovascular diseases.

Aphios Granted U.S. Patent for Oral Administration of Bryostatin-1 Nanoparticles for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, which was co-invented by LSU Health Shreveport professor, Dr. J. Steven Alexander.

JanOne Acquires Worldwide, Exclusive License for Promising Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), TV1001SR, which was invented by LSU Health Shreveport professor and vice chancellor for research, Dr. Chris Kevil.

The Medical Student Research Program provides medical students with the opportunity to gain additional experience in research.

Praveen K. Jaiswal, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has received a prestigious Research Scholar Award for Mentored Prostate Cancer Research from the AUA Urology Care Foundation.

Life Savers 2019 is held in honor of Anne Higdon, and proceeds will support cancer education and research grants in Shreveport.

Research and Industry Day (RAID) was hosted at LSU Health Shreveport on October 11.

Scientists have identified a key gene - eIF4G1 - that shows grade and stage specific upregulation in prostate cancer and is overexpressed and/or amplified in the majority of cases of CRPC.

Dr. Samant’s award will support his work on developing esophageal stents and advancing them for future use in a clinical setting.

The CURIOUS summer research program is designed to provide an educational and hands-on research opportunity for underrepresented undergraduate students interested in pursuing research as part of their career goals.

Drs. Kevil and Orr interviewed by American Heart Association News and featured in Washington Post article.

Although frequently overshadowed by the opioid epidemic, surging methamphetamine use nationally and around the world has fueled a chilling crisis of its own, according to a new report;

Rodney Shackelford, DO, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the A-T Children’s Project for his research project titled, “Pharmacologic Correction of the Cellular Sulfide Pool as a Treatment for Ataxia-Telangiectasia.”

A study performed by LSUHS Orthopaedic Surgery faculty, residents and medical students was recently published in and featured on the cover of the Orthopaedic Research Society's Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

LSU Health Shreveport researchers recently presented preliminary findings at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2019 Scientific Sessions that use of the illegal stimulant methamphetamine causes build-up of tough protein fibers in heart muscle, which may help explain the development of enlarged hearts and heart failure in users.

40 high school and undergraduate students recently shared the research projects they have spent eight weeks working on in summer programs held at LSU Health Shreveport.

Christopher Pattillo, PhD, Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, has received a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH for his five-year project, “Cellular Reductive State Regulates Arteriogenesis.”

A paper authored by many researchers at LSU Health Shreveport on the prevention and treatment of stroke was recently published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Landmark trial looking for potential candidates

LSU Health Shreveport professor Dr. Yuping Wang trained lab staff and her patented research techniques will be utilized in their work.

The goal by Md. Shenuarin Bhuiyan, PhD, is to discover a novel lipid metabolism pathway regulated by Sigmar1 and identify a therapeutic target to prevent lipid abnormalities in obesity, expected to help reverse the impact of obesity on cardiovascular disease risk.

The Louisiana Board of Regents unanimously approved the continuation of the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS) as a Center of Excellence of research and innovation.

Since July 1, 2018, 17 new research grants have been awarded to LSU Health Shreveport researchers, totaling more than $14 million dollars in funding.

Four trainees in the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences at LSU Health Shreveport recently received American Heart Association Fellowships to fund their Pre-doctoral and Post-doctoral Training. 

Yufeng Dong, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, has received an R01 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the NIH for his five-year project studying the treatment of bone loss and bone injuries with modified tissue stem cells.

The grant entitled, “The role of alpha-synuclein in Snx3-retromer mediated recycling of membrane proteins.” provides Dr. Witt with $100,000 per year each year for three years.

Kenneth E. McMartin, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, received the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Distinguished Service Award at the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology.

The LSU Health Shreveport Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology and Aphios Corporation have obtained United States Patent No. 9,994,585 entitled “Transplantation Therapies,” for marine pharmaceutical ‘Bryostatin-1,’ which will be used as an additive to organ transport and storage solutions.

Congratulations to Principal Investigator Dr. David Gross for being awarded an R15 AREA grant entitled, “Chromosomal Conformation and Nuclear Organization of Heat Shock Protein Genes.” The grant provides Dr. Gross with $100,000 per year each year for three years.

Almost all deaths from prostate cancer are a result of emergence of CRPC. Scientists from our Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Feist Weiller Cancer Center have identified a key gene - eIF4G1- that is overexpressed in the majority of cases of CRPC, allowing these cancer cells to rapidly respond to androgen deprivation therapies.