Research Institutes

NSU AutoNation Institute for Breast Cancer Research and Care is focused on developing and advancing improved methods of prevention and treatment to ultimately eradicate cancer.

We Focus On

• developing diagnostic and therapeutic cancer care strategies through basic research that can be translated into clinical trials for the cure of breast and solid tumor cancers
• developing a tissue repository of solid tumors and creating tumor and matching nontumor adjacent cell lines for further investigation to generate targeted cancer therapies based on gene expression
• evaluating the epigenetics (reversible genetic makeup) of cancer cells and determining possible uses of microRNA (the part of the genome that regulates gene expression) in blocking their ability to resist drugs, which could be used in future treatment protocols for metastatic disease
• testing chemicals included in a variety of commonly used consumer products to determine if there is a possible link to cancer, and educating the public and regulatory agencies of concerning findings
• using blood tests to check for specific biomarkers that could indicate if a patient is predisposed to cancer and assessing whether patients will be responsive to chemotherapy
• analyzing the origin of cancer based on ancestral and racial disparities in cancer outcomes

NSU AutoNation Institute for Breast Cancer Research and Care

The NSU Cell Therapy Institute is dedicated to innovative translational biomedical research, which is focused on the discovery and development of cell-based therapies to prevent, treat, and cure life-threatening and debilitating diseases.

The NSU Cell Therapy Institute is a unique collaboration with leading medical research scientists from NSU and Sweden’s world-renowned Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm. KI is globally recognized for its Nobel Assembly, which awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine annually.

We Focus On

• accelerating the advancement of next-generation approaches to precision medicine such as targeted immunotherapy and regenerative medicine with an initial focus on treating cancers, heart disease, and disorders causing blindness
• eradicating cancer by investigating novel approaches harnessing the potency of a patient’s own immune cells against a broad range of difficult-to-treat cancers, and developing strategies to block cancerous stem cells
• improving heart health with specific types of cardiac cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle tissue and examining ways to create new heart valves to replace damaged ones using a patient’s own normal stem cells
• reversing vision loss due to macular degeneration and related diseases by replacing the degenerating, damaged retinal cells in the eye with healthy stem cells

NSU Cell Therapy Institute

Halmos College of Arts & Sciences pursues studies and investigations in a variety of science fields including marine biology, biological sciences, geology, ecology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, physics, oceanography, chemistry, mathematics, coral reefs, fish and fisheries, deep sea life, and the environment.

Halmos is based at NSU Oceanographic Campus, home to the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center building, a Silver LEED certified facility that houses numerous research labs, classrooms, and a state-of-the-art seawater filtration system. Researchers from this Institute work closely with researchers housed in the Center for Collaborative Research (CCR).

We focus on a combination of individual and collaborative research, including

• NSU Guy Harvey Research Institute is a collaboration between NSU and renowned marine artist, scientist, and explorer Guy Harvey, Ph.D., with the mission to provide the scientific research necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s economically important marine fish species and their ecosystems.
• Save Our Seas Shark Research Center (SOSSRC) is one of the Save Our Seas Foundation’s three global centers, with a focus on conducting advanced conservation and genome research aimed at finding solutions to the major threats facing the ocean’s highly vulnerable elasmobranch species (sharks and rays). It’s also one of the world’s leaders in researching shark genomes to understand how their remarkable immune system properties may potentially be applicable to aid human health.
• National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) researchers are exploring scientifically sound approaches to understand, assess, monitor, restore, and mitigate injured coral reefs. NCRI’s research is designed to provide solid information and data to help understand and protect this marine ecosystem.
• DEEPEND is a consortium of research institutions lead by NSU and includes University of South Florida, Florida International University, Texas A&M at Galveston, Florida Atlantic University, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the San Diego Zoo. Formed in response to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, the consortium is characterizing the oceanic ecosystem of the northern Gulf of Mexico to infer baseline conditions in the water column. Researchers are conducting sampling, sensing, modeling, and laboratory analysis to assess ecosystem dynamics, identify drivers of variability, and investigate possible consequences of oil spills on the ecosystem.
• The Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program and Marine Environmental Education Program is a partnership with Broward County government and operated by NSU researchers. The program provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within Broward County. By monitoring nests and creating public awareness, the program helps protect these fragile creatures.

HALMOS COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

NSU Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine strives to advance knowledge and care for people with complex neuro-inflammatory illnesses through the integration of research, clinical care, and education.

We Focus On

• finding better treatments and cures for patients with neuro-immune disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War illness, fibromyalgia, autism, Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer
• conducting clinical, laboratory, computational, and integrative cardiovascular immunological research to determine causes and develop targeted therapies
• rapidly moving basic science discoveries through to clinical applications through a translational medicine approach
• working together using an interprofessional approach with experts in clinical medicine, immunology, computational biology, autonomic (nerve) function, animal and cell modeling of diseases, and therapeutics
• forging international collaboration with globally-renowned scientists

NSU Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine

The main goal of NSU Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research is to develop newer cancer therapies that can specifically target tumors, with minimal cellular damage and toxicity to the patient.

We Focus On

• discovering new anti-cancer and anti-metastatic therapies and initiating clinical trials with recently patented antiangiogenic compounds
• studying mechanisms of tumor growth, angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), and metastasis (spread of cancerous cells)
• identifying critical growth factors/receptors that induce cancer development and new genes and gene mutations responsible for cancer growth and metastasis
• evaluating chemotherapeutic/biotherapeutic agents effective against various types of cancer and determining reasons for drug resistance
• discovering and evaluating natural products with anticancer potential
• advancing research projects toward discovering additional treatments for breast, ovarian, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers using complementary medicine

NSU Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research

The David and Cathy Husman Neuroscience Institute focuses on providing comprehensive and compassionate care to patients with neurological disorders. The Neuroscience Institute is led by Medical Director Eduardo Locatelli, M.D., who has had deep involvement in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research and clinical trials throughout his career. Little is known about what causes ALS and other motor neuron diseases and to address a variety of conditions and disorders, the Neuroscience Institute features expertise in Alzheimer’s Disease, epilepsy, nerve disorders, dementia, and cognitive decline to name a few.