Page 11 - Shimadzu Journal vol.9 Issue1

“I truly felt like we aren’t just a customer, we are working together to advance science” | INSIGHT from CUSTOMER

Dr. Paul Eason How did the UNF & Shimadzu

partnership come to fruition?
What exactly is the new UNF
MedNexus center and how
was the MedNexus project
conceived/developed?

UNF is a relatively young university
with an emerging research enter­
prise. This provides us the opportu­
nity to create our research capabilities
and strengths on a relatively blank
canvas. Approximately 10 years ago
I saw the opportunity to create a
shared mutli­user research laboratory
that could serve the characteri zation
needs of faculty across almost every
STEM discipline on campus. My
background and research are in structural metals for detection of specific proteins and molecules associat ed
defense applications, but my broad materials science with the early onset of these diseases. As a metallurgist,
training gives me a deep appreciation for a breadth of my knowledge of proteomics is admittedly limited.
imaging and spectroscopic technologies. As such, we However, the elegance of the MALDI technique as a
created MSERF (the Materials Science and Engineering pure materials characterization tool became instantly
Research Facility) with key partners in the instrumenta­ apparent to me. At the summit I was fortunate to meet
tion community to provide the broadest set of research David Graham, Ph.D., Director of the Johns Hopkins
capabilities to UNF faculty and the region. Shimadzu Molecular Determinants & Core, with whom I explored
was one of our first, and remains our largest partner the idea of what this technology could bring to UNF
in supplying the equipment in MSERF. Our primary and our facilities. This was a networking opportunity in
Shimadzu contact, Paul Rementer, has done an amazing its purist form. Jacksonville is fortunate to be the home
job facilitating our knowledge of new, cutting edge in­ of major research hospitals, including a MAYO clinic
strumentation, and working with us to strategically and MD Anderson Cancer Center and UNF is uniquely
equip the center. As we acquired more Shimadzu instru­ poised to provide medical workforce training and
mentation, our ability to support biomaterials research research support to these regional partners. Dr. Graham’s
grew, as did my awareness of techniques like MALDI MS. center is located in St Petersburg Florida, creating more
regional opportunity for partnership. Coincidentally,
With Paul Rementer as my guide, I attended a Shimadzu several weeks after I returned from the summit, I
Global Innovation Summit in Kyoto back in was approached by our administration
2019, which provided about how MSERF could participate in
me the opportunity to a broad university medical research
learn about the appli­ and training initiative, which became
cation of MALDI in early the UNF MedNexus. I immediately knew
diagnostics for cancer and that creating a MALDI MS facility would allow
neurological disor­ us to support biomedical/biomaterials re­
ders through the search while greatly enhancing our own
research capabilities.

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