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.

“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.

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.