Dissecting the scientific mind

Research can be a solitary and lonely life, punctuated by all-too-rare and exciting advancements and dotted by the need to obtain grant monies and prepare findings for publication.

By Tom O'Connor

Results are few and far between in basic research. Scientists must be patient.

It may take years, but then a surprise discovery could lead to a breakthrough therapy or a new way to diagnose a disease at an early stage.

Always, the goal of UNMC researchers is to work toward a healthier, brighter tomorrow for citizens of Nebraska and the world.

They have passion, intelligence, curiosity and determination.
Researchers are a rare breed. But oh, what a difference they can make in our lives.

Think how far medicine has come over the years.

Polio was a scourge at one time, then medical research led to a vaccine and eliminated the problem. A diagnosis of leukemia used to be an automatic death sentence for children. Now – thanks to research advancements – the vast majority of young patients beat the disease.

Twenty years ago, if someone's liver failed, he or she was going to die. Now, thanks to the ingenuity of researchers, lives can be saved through liver transplants. And in the not-too-distant future, we probably won't even have to use human organs in transplants, but instead will be able to use animal organs or regenerate our own organs with the help of stem cells.

The list of medical breakthroughs goes on and on. They come in many different forms – from pharmaceutical products to robotic surgical equipment. But they all have a common denominator – they are the result of biomedical research.

Science is truly a mystery. And it's up to researchers to try to unravel this mystery. Many researchers spend their entire career seeking answers that never come.

Sam Cohen, M.D., Ph.D.

Sam Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the pathology and microbiology department at UNMC, summarizes the life of a researcher with a succinct comment made by Dr. Gil Friedell, a former research colleague when Cohen was working at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass. "Gil used to say: 'You know why they call it research? Because you search and you search and you search, and then you re-search.' "

That statement speaks volumes for the plight of the researcher. In science, there are no easy answers.

Iqbal Ahmad, Ph.D.

"I've always had a general inquisitiveness," said Iqbal Ahmad, Ph.D., a UNMC researcher who studies the brain and eye diseases. "I've always wanted to know the biology behind the brain – how the brain develops and functions. It's all I've done for the past 17 years.

"That's the beauty of the brain. It is such a mystery. It's estimated that we really only understand about 30 percent of the brain and how it works. We're just chipping away, day in and day out, looking for more answers. There is so much more for us to learn.

"I study the retina, but it's only one tiny part of the brain. Slowly, but surely, we keep learning more. It just takes time."

Ahmad is specifically investigating Parkinson's disease and retinitis pigmentosa, a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness.

In studies of rats with Parkinson's disease, he has been able to take stem cells from the cornea of the rat, grow the cells in a petri dish, expand and manipulate the cells, then reinfuse the cells into the rat's brain. In doing so, he has been able to reverse the degenerative motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease in the rat.

Will it work in humans? That is still to be determined.

It's just another step in the research progress. And Ahmad knows the answer is out there – somewhere.