Highlighting life science research from our
strategic partners and stakeholders.
Expert Exchange: UMKC Humanitarian Changes the World of HIV Research
Making the world a better place requires compassion, the ability to react to unique and challenging situations, and the courage to face what others fear. University of Miss...
‘It Matters’: TMC Nurse Asks to Work 60-Hour Weeks to Help COVID-19 Patients
The middle-aged man lay dying of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit, only moments from his last, shallow breath. The ventilator was removed. His brain had already been hit...
KU, KDHE Partner to Trace COVID-19 in Wastewater Treatment Plants
The University of Kansas School of Engineering and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are teaming up on an experiment to determine if the COVID-19 virus can be...
Children’s Mercy Conducts Year Round Viral Disease Surveillance and Vaccine Studies in Children to Promote Public Health
Children’s Mercy Kansas City (CM-KC) has been a member of the CDC-sponsored multicenter New Vaccine Surveillance Network (KC-NVSN) since 2009 with Rangaraj Selvarangan (Dir...
Lab in KU Medical Center Incubator Switches to Coronavirus Test to Meet Community Need
Sinochips Diagnostics, a private laboratory operating on the campus of the University of Kansas Medical Center, has tested more than 2,500 people for the coronavirus that c...
‘Flying Blind’: Doctors Race to Understand What COVID-19 Means for People With HIV
Larry Pike has already survived one pandemic. The 76-year-old Seattle retiree has been living with HIV for 22 years. When Covid-19 hit Seattle, he grew worried. “Just like ...
Expert Exchange: MU Veterinary Oncologist Advancing One Health with Novel Bone Cancer Treatment for Dogs
Few people realize that what is good for man’s best friend, can also be good for mankind. Dr. Brian Flesner, an Assistant Professor of Oncology at the University of Missour...
UMKC Researcher Working to Improve Animal and Human Health
A world thrown into the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic is discovering the harsh reality of a shared environment where animal health and human health are intertwined.
...
One Health Research, Education at Heart of K-State Initiatives
Human, animal and environmental research and education is in the DNA of Kansas State University. These fields and their complex interrelationships also are at the core of O...
MU College of Veterinary Medicine Helps Athletic Horse Recover From Irregular Heartbeat
After 16 years, an inseparable bond between a woman and her horse was on the verge of collapse.
Together, Cynthia Russell, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kans...
Can Animals Get Coronavirus? What to Know About Pets and COVID-19
We’re getting used to our daily news feeds filling up with reports of new COVID-19 cases. But one case in particular has come as a bit of a surprise.
A tiger at the Bron...
Expert Exchange: K-State Researcher Seeks to Prevent Swine Epidemic
There is a delicate balance being maintained by the global food production industry. Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Assistant Professor at Kansas State University (K-State) in the...
MU Researcher Awarded Grant to Study Treatment for Arthritis Caused by Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. It is caused by several strains of bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, which can be transmitted to people throu...
MRIGlobal’s Global Health Team and Partners Monitoring Coronavirus Outbreak
MRIGlobal infectious disease experts have been keeping a close eye on a coronavirus outbreak stemming from the Chinese city of Wuhan. The team has been gathering informatio...
Coronavirus Outbreak Raises Questions: Why are Bat Viruses so Deadly?
It’s no coincidence that some of the worst viral disease outbreaks in recent years — SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg and likely the newly arrived 2019-nCoV virus — originated in...
Priorities for Preparation: K-State Training Next Generation to Fight Animal, Plant Pathogens
Sizzling bacon, smoky pulled pork, mouthwatering barbecue ribs and even the holiday ham could disappear from meals if African swine fever virus ever made its way to the U.S...
Vol. 3, 2019: Expert Exchange: TMC Research Suggests Community is Key to Improving Outcomes for Breast Cancer Patients
There is often a time separation between medical research and the improvement in patient outcomes. For Dr. Nasim Ahmadiyeh, Medical Director of the Comprehensive Breast Car...
Vol. 3, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: KUMC Connects Community Through Live Show
If it’s 10 a.m. Wednesday, a smiling Dr. Roy Jensen is most likely greeting his cyberguests for another edition of Bench to Bedside.
Jensen, director of The University o...
Vol. 3, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: Saint Luke's Leads First of its Kind Trial to Help Patients with Heart Failure
Diabetes and heart failure impact millions of Americans each year and represent two of America’s most challenging health problems. Patients with both diabetes and heart fai...
Vol. 3, 2019: Get to Know: Mizzou and NextGen Precision Health Initiatives
The University of Missouri is among five institutions that recently joined a nationwide network established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical ...
Vol. 3, 2019: Big Data Paves the Way for Artificial Intelligence Implementation
Bioinformatics has been a developing field since the beginning of the Human Genome Project nearly 30 years ago. Innovations in both hardware and software have allowed resea...
There is a special bond between people and animals. They comfort us and they provide for us. It is this bond that Merck Animal Health has dedicated its mission to by prese...
Burns & McDonnell Continues Expansion of Life Sciences Capabilities Nationwide
International engineering, construction and architecture firm Burns & McDonnell r...
Vol. 2, 2019: Expert Exchange: Saint Luke’s Center for Advanced Breast Cancer Sets Model for Holistic Care
Success in healthcare is giving a patient the opportunity to reach future milestones. Sometimes that means a cure, but it can also mean additional years instead of months t...
Vol. 2, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: MRIGlobal Milestone Marks 75th Anniversary of Regional STEM Initiative
STEM education as we know it today was launched on June 17, 1944, when nine Kansas City civic leaders signed the articles of agreement creating what is now MRIGlobal.
Th...
Vol. 2, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: Veterinary Health Center at Kansas City Advances Plans to Establish Collaborative Clinical Trial Facility
University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Carolyn Henry, in partnership with the BioNexus KC Cancer Research and Care working group, continues to advance p...
Vol. 2, 2019: One Health Research Symposium will Highlight Immunotherapy, Promote Regional Collaboration
Ideally, the immune system will protect the body from disease by recognizing foreign threats and attacking them without harming healthy cells. If unbalanced, the immune sys...
Vol. 2, 2019: Annual Dinner will Inspire Innovative Approaches in Personalized Patient Care
Kansas City is home to two major players when it comes to healthcare data. The largest private employer in the region, Cerner, is one of the leading companies working in El...
Vol. 2, 2019: Explore Ethical Framework for Healthcare AI at August Event
As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continue to emerge and develop, they are beginning to be incorporated into the delivery of healthcare. AI systems are already b...
Vol 2. 2019: Inaugural EDSKC Collaboration Inc. Aims to Improve Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes
Please join BioNexus KC and EDSKC Collaboration Inc. for the "first-ever" Kansas City Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes Educational Seminar on September 7, 2019 at UMKC. In 2017, di...
Vol. 2, 2019: Life Sciences Business News and New Hires
Aratana Awaits $245M Sale Closing, Wins Fifth FDA Approval in Three Years
The Food and Drug Administration approved a smaller vial size of Aratana Therapeutics Inc.'s dr...
Vol. 1, 2019: Expert Exchange: MRIGlobal Team Collaborates to Advance Potential Cures
While many of us aspire to use our abilities to make the world a better place, Kathy Boggess, Technical Division Director at MRIGlobal and her team are making a difference ...
Vol. 1, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: KU Faculty Member is Fifth to Earn Honor Recognizing His Inventions
A University of Kansas professor who helped to develop a refrigerant that is safe for the Earth’s ozone layer is among the ranks of the latest class of Fellows of the Natio...
Vol. 1, 2019: Stakeholder Highlight: National Geographic's 'The Hot Zone' to Feature Kansas State University Ebola Experts
Ebola-related emergency response by two Kansas State University veterinarians is making its way to the small screen and is highlighting the region’s legacy as the "Silicon ...
Vol. 1, 2019: BioNexus KC President/CEO Brings Rare Approach to New Role
The definition of rare means not occurring very often. Dennis Ridenour, new President and CEO of BioNexus KC, can particularly relate to this definition. His third child, T...
Vol. 1, 2019: Bioinformatics Conference Aims to Launch Collaborations, April 11-12
Kansas City has a high concentration of jobs in bioinformatics, ranking us in the top five among peer metros.
BioNexus KC and Children’s Mercy will host the Midwest Bioinf...
Vol. 1, 2019: Rare KC Summit Introduces Kansas City as Hub for Rare Disease
RareKC held their 4th Annual Stakeholder Summit on March 4th to gather individuals, families and members of the life science and business community as an initial step in es...
Vol. 1, 2019: The 2018 Census Illustrates Healthy Regional Life Sciences Cluster
The 2018 Life Science Industry Census identified 292 life sciences companies employing about 35,000 people, demonstrating continued growth in this vital sector of the regio...
Vol. 1, 2019: Blue KC’s New Strategy For Supporting Regional Outcomes Research
More than 360,000 people in Kansas City – including one in six children – do not know where their next meal will come from. Our community must do more to address health dis...
Vol. 1, 2019: Rick Cook Joins Ceva as Chief Operations Officer – U.S. Biology Unit
Rick Cook will oversee all U.S. vaccine production and operations
Rick Cook has joined Ceva Animal Health assuming leadership for Ceva’s U.S. vaccine production and rel...
Vol. 1, 2019: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
Rhonda Hellums
The Leawood-based pet therapeutics company named Rhonda Hellums is its new CFO. She previously had served as Vice President of finance. More information »...
Vol. 3, 2018: Expert Exchange: Children's Mercy Director Moving Kids with Brain Tumors to the Front of the Line
After identifying and naming his own cancer gene in 1995, Dr. Tom Curran faced a big decision about his career. He could have coasted on his previous accomplishments or tak...
Vol. 3, 2018 Stakeholder Highlight: KCU Biosciences Student Wins Award for Research Impacting Anemia
Cheyennae Barbee has always considered herself an over-achiever. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she won her first poster award as a graduate student at the annual ...
Vol. 3, 2018: Merck Animal Health Advances Animal Welfare Together
As part of its ongoing commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, Merck Animal Health brought together dozens of leading animal welfare and food chain subject matter ...
Vol. 3, 2018: George P. Smith Wins 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Dr. George P. Smith was already awake and walking to the kitchen for a cup of coffee when the phone rang. It was 4:30 a.m., too early for a casual conversation.
On the o...
Vol. 3, 2018: Bioinformatics Conference, Save the Date
This conference will bring together bioinformatics-minded researchers from academia and industry to discover capabilities, share tactical approaches to problem-solving, exp...
Vol. 3, 2018: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
Bardavon Health Lands Millions to Fund Nationwide Expansion
Bardavon Health Innovations LLC has raised $15 million to fund a nationwide expansion. More inform...
Vol. 3, 2018 Annual Dinner: Dr. David Nash Identifies Scary Trend in Population Health
BioNexus KC’s 2018 Annual Dinner focused on opportunities for improvement in the American health care model. The event featured Dr. David Nash, Dean of the Jefferson Colleg...
Vol. 3, 2018 Stakeholder Highlight: Advancing Fetal Health Care at Children’s Mercy
Children’s Mercy is home to The Elizabeth J. Ferrell Fetal Health Center, one of the first fetal centers in the U.S. to be located inside a children’s hospital. That means,...
Vol. 2, 2018 TMC Stakeholder Highlight: Expanding Patient Care in the UMKC Health Sciences District
It’s not every day Truman Medical Centers President and CEO Charlie Shields gets to take a seat at the controls of some very heavy equipment. But Charlie couldn’t have been...
Vol. 2, 2018 UMKC Stakeholder Highlight: New UMKC Chancellor Has Research and Innovation Focus And Background
The Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal era at UMKC began June 20. Agrawal comes to UMKC after 15 years at the University of Texas-San Antonio, where he progressed from professor t...
Local Cardiologist, Dr. John Spertus, Honored as One of the American Heart Association’s Distinguished Scientists for 2018
Dr. John Spertus has been named a recipient of the American Heart Association (AHA) 2018 Distinguished Scientist Award. The AHA Distinguished Scientists are a prominent gro...
Ceva Animal Health Welcomes Dr. Tyler Martin as Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Tyler Martin joined Ceva Animal Health as Chief Operating Officer and the leader of all U.S. Biology operations.
A physician by training, Dr. Tyler Martin brings ext...
PREP-KC Coordinates 10 Laboratory Internships at KUMC & Launches New Tools for Workforce Preparation
The students selected for these 6-week paid internships are rising seniors and recent graduates from Kansas City, KS Public Schools who have participated in bioscience stud...
Whiteboard2Boardroom: From Innovations to Commercialization
Several Innovations are Being Commercialized with the Help of Whiteboard2Boardroom.
A classroom program to help children with autism learn social skills. Biometric techn...
Population Health Expert, Dr. David Nash, Will Headline BioNexus KC’s Annual Dinner
On September 20 BioNexus KC’s Annual Dinner will dive deep into population health at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland.
The event will feature keynote speaker Dr. D...
One Health Research Symposium Focuses On Applications of CRISPR/Cas9
CRISPR stands for Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and is an immune function that bacteria use to fight viruses. CRISPR is a state-of-the-art gen...
Douglas C. Bittel, PhD
Douglas C. Bittel, PhD, has joined Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences as associate professor in the College of Biosciences. He...
Vol. 1, 2018 MRIGlobal Stakeholder Highlight: MRIGlobal Life Sciences Work Impacts Global Health
Serious health issues or an act of terrorism, the research expertise of Kansas City-based MRIGlobal takes on the challenging problems. MRIGlobal plays a critical role in th...
Vol. 1, 2018 Saint Luke's Stakeholder Highlight: Committed to Providing Quality Care, Improving Access
Saint Luke’s Health System is dedicated and committed to providing care and improving access for our patients when and where it is needed and convenient to them.
In the ...
Biotechnology Signature Program Designed to Build Scientists
Classic high school science classes echo with the staccato of text books turning to page 75; test is on Friday, a C-grade is a pass; and for an hour every week you put your...
Ceva Externship Experience Receives Positive Feedback, Open to New Opportunities
National Biomanufacturing employment increased significantly over the past decade and is projected to continue growing by double digits annually – exceeding the overall pri...
AutGO Initiative Aims to Provide Platform to Cultivate Collaboration
Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that presents across a spectrum of abnormalities and a complex set of genetic causes. Both genetic and environmental factors ...
Third Annual Midwest Bioinformatics Conference: Facilitating Pathways to Collaboration
The Kansas City region boasts a wealth of bioinformatics capabilities and expertise that compares favorably with assets in other parts of the US known as bioinformatics cen...
Collaborate2Cure Topic Will Impact the Entire Community
Collaborate2Cure is back starting on May 10 at the Kauffman Foundation and the topic is Clinical Outcomes and Value-Based Care.
“Value-based care” is a healthcare model ...
Volume 1, 2018: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
Aratana Builds Pet Drug Pipeline by Buying Rights from Japanese Company
Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. bought exclusive rights to develop a pain and inflammation treatment f...
Vol. 3, 2017 KUMC Stakeholder Highlight: New Bladder Cancer Drug Set for First-in-Human Trials
A bladder cancer drug discovered and developed at The University of Kansas Cancer Center is set to become its first cancer drug to go from bench to bedside. The new drug, c...
Vol. 3, 2017 MU Stakeholder Highlight: Fighting Disease and World Hunger
The University of Missouri has a new weapon in the fight against disease. That same tool also will prove crucial to the fight against world hunger. Housed in a new imaging ...
Project ADVANCER Places Underrepresented Minorities Into Research Programs
Graduate schools and health sciences residency programs receive hundreds of applications for ac...
Sprint and Dairy Farmers of America Partner Again for the 2018 Accelerator Program
Recruiting and Planning is Well Underway for the 5th Class of the Sprint & DFA Corporate Accelerator Program
The program has had amazing companies come through the doo...
2017 Annual Dinner: Advancing our Future Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Ethics
Close to 500 community leaders, scientific leaders, and college and high school students attended the 2017 Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) Annual Dinner. ...
Volume 3, 2017: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
With Three Products out, Aratana Chases its Fourth: a Canine Cancer Drug
Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. has launched three FDA-approved canine drugs in one year: Entyce, Gal...
KCALSI's One Health Innovations Symposium: Preventing the Next Pandemic
2017 Animal Health Corridor Events
KCALSI, Kansas State University and the University of Missouri collaborated to present the One Health research symposium with the th...
Volume 2, 2017: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
TechAccel Continues to Invest in Solving Global Food Crisis
TechAccel, the Kansas City-based technology and venture development company, has announced significant tracti...
Vol. 2, 2017 K-State Stakeholder Highlight: Largest Chinese Animal Vaccine Adds Lab and Offices at K-State
China's largest animal vaccine company will open a research lab and offices in the Kansas State University Office Park.
Officials for Jinyu Bio-technology Co. Ltd. said ...
Erin Smith’s Curiosity Leads to a “Modern Spin on Diagnostics” for Parkinson’s Disease
Erin Smith was named the grand prize winner of the 2017 International BioGENEius Challenge at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, CA for her creation of FacePrin...
Buck O’Neil Seat for Big Slick Celebrity Softball Game Bestowed on Doug Myers
Big Slick KC is an annual fundraiser for the Children’s Mercy Cancer Center.
Some of the biggest celebrities from the Kansas City area - Rob Riggle, Jason Sudeikis, Pau...
KCALSI’s Annual Dinner Will Highlight Innovation and Breakthroughs in Tissue Engineering
KCALSI’s 2017 Annual Dinner keynote speaker, Nina Tandon, is growing transplantable bones using a patient’s own stem cells.
Held on September 19 at the Arvest Bank Theat...
One Health Research Symposium: Preventing the Next Pandemic
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, in collaboration with Kansas State University and the University of Missouri, has arranged for over 20 national and regional e...
Volume 1, 2017: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
Aratana Therapeutics Named Animal Pharm's Best Company in North America 2016
Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. won Animal Pharm's Best Company in North America 2016. Aratana wa...
Zoetis: Taking a One Health Approach to Biosurveillance
Zoetis conducts routine surveillance of clinically relevant strains of infectious agents to follow emerging diseases in livestock and companion animals. They also monitor s...
Different Than Other Animal Health Companies
Our vision: “Together, we are building a new reference to create value beyond animal health” is at the core of everything we d...
Vol. 1, 2017 Stakeholder Highlight Children's Mercy: Pediatric Genomic Medicine and Precision Therapeutics Conference
At the annual Pediatric Genomic Medicine and Precision Therapeutics Conference (April 6-7), Children’s Mercy will again bring together thought leaders from around the world...
Vol 1, 2017 Stakeholder Highlight KCU: KCU-Joplin Helps Meet Primary Care and Rural Health Needs in Southwest Missouri
New Campus to Train Up To 162 Additional Osteopathic Medical Students Each Year
With the projected shortage of primary care physicians in this country topping more than 35...
This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) has managed the grants program for Blue KC.
“We are very pleased to work...
And the winner is... Dr. Tom Yankee, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
His project will a...
Second Annual Midwest Bioinformatics Conference: Facilitating Pathways to Collaboration
The Kansas City region boasts a wealth of bioinformatics capabilities and expertise that compares favorably with assets in other parts of the US known as bioinformatics cen...
University of Missouri Researchers Working to Help Postmenopausal Women Stay Fit
More than 450 million U.S. women are postmenopausal, and many of them experience unwanted effects. Although many changes are associated with menopause, scientists haven’t f...
Kansas City was named one of the top five emerging cities in the world for entrepreneur ecosystems at the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Milan, Italy. In Janu...
KCALSI Grant Program Promotes Increased Collaboration
KCALSI Research Grant Program Continues to Deliver Significant Value to Regional Scientists
KCALSI Research grants are awarded to stimulate submission of multidisciplinary...
Volume 3, 2016: Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
Aratana Therapeutics Obtains FDA Approval on Three Drugs –More to Come
Aratana Therapeutics Inc. reached a milestone in October when it took its first local anesthetic f...
University of Missouri-Kansas City: Bioinformatics Powerhouse
Bioinformatics, which includes many areas related to “big data,” is a broad range of analyses applied to make human and animal health better, to understand disease mechanis...
Truman Medical Centers Surgeon Offers Hope to Pancreatic and Liver Cancer Patients
Dr. Farzad Alemi practices patience and precision in the operating room. But for this Truman Medical Centers Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Surgeon, the survival rates for ...
Cutting-edge Cancer Fighting Research Shared in Collaborate2Cure Series
Over the past eight weeks more than 200 scientists, clinicians, entrepreneurs and students have gathered to gain and share knowledge surrounding cancer immunotherapy. This ...
BIVI St. Joseph: Supplying Innovative Animal Health Products Around the Globe
As the largest employer in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) develops and manufactures biological vaccines and pharmaceutic...
Big Data + Biomedicine = Hope
What do these International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code descriptions, the first dating back a 100 years, have in common?
- "...
KCALSI One Health Innovations Symposium Highlighted the Many Opportunities in Comparative and Translational Research
The 2016 One Health Innovations Symposium held Aug...
Vol 2, 2016 Stakeholder Highlight: KU Medical Center’s Kidney Institute Leads the Charge in Translational Research
The University of Kansas Medical Center’s Kidney Institute was established in 2000 to support basic, clinical and translational research leading to major advances in the pr...
KCALSI’s 2016 Translational Medicine Meeting Features Saint Luke’s and UMKC
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute worked with Saint Luke’s Hospital and the University of Missouri-Kansas City to organize the fourth annual Translational Medici...
Children’s Mercy hires new Chief Scientific Officer to lead Children’s Research Institute
On February 1, Dr. Tom Curran was named Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Director of the Children’s Research Institute at Children’s Mercy. “What attracted me to Chil...
Lansing Middle School Science Experiment Selected For International Space Station
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute helped fund the Student Spaceflights Experiment Program (SSEP) Mission 10 to the International Space Station (ISS) in Lansing, ...
One Health Innovations Symposium Explores Research and Clinical Applications at the Nexus of Human and Animal Medicine
A two-day symposium is planned on August 28th and 29th to explore research and clinical intersections in human and animal disease. Rather than working in silos, we recogni...
Vol. 2, 2016 Life Sciences Business News & New Hires
MRIGlobal
MRIGlobal has been awarded a $6.2 million, 5-year program from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for the development of a vaccine for tularemia. Tularem...
Vol. 2, 2016 MU Stakeholder Highlight: MU Researchers Fight World Hunger, Help Seniors Live Longer
Projects are part of $42 million in grants that utilize MU’s strengths in interdisciplinary collaboration
University of Missouri researchers have national reputation for t...
September 22 KCALSI Annual Dinner - Computational Medicine
Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute’s 2016 Annual Dinner is set for September 22 at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. This year’s theme is “Computational Medicin...