$2.3 million McCord Research gift supports UI biomedical research, graduate students and young scientists in UI biosciences program.

Program furthers UI and Iowa goal of attracting, retaining young scholars. Posted October 31, 2008

IOWA CITY --The McCord Research Foundation of Iowa City has made a gift commitment of $2.3 million to the University of Iowa Foundation to support UI biomedical research into the role of free radicals in the mechanisms of aging and wound healing, and to provide fellowship support for students in the Biosciences Program of the UI Graduate College.

In addition to funding fellowships for graduate students, McCord Research's gift is helping to advance three continuing research projects in the UI Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program with a focus on wound care and quiescent cells.

"This generous and visionary support from McCord Research is key to the University of Iowa's ability to seriously pursue a most promising avenue of biomedical research in free radicals, anatomy and cell biology," said Paul Rothman, M.D., dean of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. "The McCord Research gift also is in accord with a goal shared jointly by the UI and the State of Iowa -- attracting young scientists and keeping them here in Iowa. This not only gives them the opportunity to explore and promote pioneering science 'at home,' but the fruit of these very promising researchers' efforts may help attract more science-based business to the state."

The first research scholar benefiting from the McCord Research Foundation Scholarships is UI graduate student Eric Van Otterloo of Sheldon, Iowa. UI researchers whose projects are supported by the McCord Research Foundation Fellowships include Nukhet Aykin-Burns, Ph.D., assistant research scientist; Josh Madsen, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow; and Ehab Sarsour, Ph.D., assistant research scientist.

"We are honored to support outstanding new scientists in the fields of free radical, anatomy and cell biology," said Darlene McCord, Ph.D., FAPWCA, who established the McCord Research Foundation with her husband, James McCord, Ph.D. "Our hope is that these prestigious fellowships will allow the recipients, who are selected by a faculty committee, to pursue promising investigations that advance scientific thought and lead to groundbreaking discoveries in this exciting and important field of research."

In July 2008, McCord Research sponsored a scientific symposium in Iowa City showcasing research projects and findings by UI investigators supported by the McCord Research Fund. In addition to the presentations by the McCord-funded scientists, symposium attendees heard remarks from Dean Rothman of the UI Carver College of Medicine, and from Lauren M.G. Burt, representing Iowa Gov. Chet Culver. Burt spoke about the synergy between the McCord Research gift and the state's "Generation Iowa" initiative, a program that works to keep young Iowans in Iowa, and attract other young adults to move to or return to Iowa for the long term.

Founded in 1998, McCord Research (www.mccordresearch.com) is committed to healing through scientific discovery. Its research and development of high-quality wound and skin care products, as well as its Daily Ritual brand of balanced nutritional supplements, embody the company's commitment to creating scientifically pure products with holistic value. McCord Research utilizes the latest discoveries in biochemistry, free radical biology, molecular analysis, epigenetics, pharmacy, cell biology and electron microscopy to deliver an improved quality of life for all.

The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the UI Foundation, visit its web site at www.uiowafoundation.org.

Contact Information

Susan Shullaw
Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications
The University of Iowa Foundation
(319) 335-3305 or (800) 648-6973 | susan-shullaw@uiowa.edu

Writer: Forrest Meyer

Additional information about supporting The University of Iowa Department of Biological Sciences is available on this site.