Horizons Fall 2014

NSU Pharmaceutical Researcher Receives Japanese Patent Appu Rathinavelu, Ph.D., associate dean for institutional planning and development at NSU’s College of Pharmacy and executive director of NSU’s Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research, received a Japanese patent for developing a novel cancer treatment. The small organic molecule called JFD that he and his team discovered is anti-angiogenic, meaning it starves tumors and other cancer cells by preventing blood flow that supplies the tumors with oxygen and nutrients that would otherwise help them to grow and survive. This molecule is less expensive to manufacture, stable in storage, expected to be less toxic, and is more effective against solid tumors. It is specifically designed to battle breast, ovarian, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. “I am proud to be a part of high-quality drug research that can benefit people in many areas of the world,” said Rathinavelu. The title of the patent is Small Molecule for Anti-Angiogenesis. Rathi- navelu previously received a United States patent for this development. Rathinavelu’s research efforts toward this discovery were partially funded by the Royal Dames of Cancer Research, Inc., of Fort Lauder- dale and a grant from the Florida Atlantic University Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology, awarded by the Florida Department of Education. In addition, Rathinavelu holds a United States patent for discovering a molecule called F16 that is more potent and is specifically designed to combat breast cancer cells. Rathinavelu has published more than 40 peer-reviewed research articles, served on the editorial board of several scientific journals and committees, coauthored a textbook, and given more than 75 presentations at national and international conferences. n patent secured for law professor’s alternative admissions program Joseph Harbaugh, LL.M., professor of law and dean emeritus of NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center, is credited with securing a United States patent for a computer-based system called the Alternative Admissions Model Program for Legal Education (AAMPLE ® ). AAMPLE ® serves as an additional method of identifying candidates for admission to an institution’s law school. Harbaugh and his colleagues realized that, while Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores and grade point averages are valuable in predicting student success, those indicators have practically no significance in determining long-term results, such as a student’s ability to succeed in law school, pass a bar exam, or attain professional success. The primary purpose of AAMPLE ® is to serve as an admissions predictive function—a tool for evaluating the capabilities of prospective students. “We are elated to see this portion of the process through,” said Harbaugh. “The AAMPLE ® program allows those involved in the admissions process an additional avenue for providing the opportunity for students with the desire and commitment to attend law school to achieve that dream.” AAMPLE ® applicants are enrolled in two law school courses—Introduc- tion to the Fourth Amendment and Negotiable Instruments— taught by actual law school professors. Applicants invited into the program may choose either a live, on-campus format or an online option using distance- learning technologies. The patent currently applies only to the online distance-education format. n 29 HORIZONS around NSU