Sundt Construction Company Supports TGen Brain Tumor Research through $20,000 Donation to Fellowship Program
March 22, 2004
A $20,000 donation by Sundt Construction Company has launched TGen' named research fellowship program. The Sundt Research Fellowship at TGen initially supports research fellow Satoko Nakada, MD, who will work in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Berens. While at TGen, Dr. Nakada plans to extend her clinical discipline in the diagnosis of human disease to develop techniques to understand in more detail the molecular changes leading to brain tumors. The research may lead to new ways to predict cancer cells' behavior in patients and possibly point to new treatment approaches.
Dr. Nakada's project augments TGen' focus on establishing research collaborations on a national and international level. While at TGen, she will collaborate with scientists in the Department of Neurology at the University of Calgary, Alberta Canada and back in her homeland of Japan with the Department of Pathology at the Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Ishikawa, Japan.
"The Sundt Research Fellowship will enable TGen to recruit dedicated young scientists to its laboratories," said Berens. "These types of appointments catalyze and reinforce collaborative research with the fellows' institutes, and their appointment at TGen expands the horizons for the resources of our Institute to link with other leading scientists."
Sundt Construction Senior Vice President Eric Hedlund (right) presents a $20 thousand dollar check to TGen Research Fellow Satoko Nakada, MD. The Sundt donation enables Nakada (center) to extend her clinical discipline in the diagnosis of human disease to develop techniques to understand in more detail the molecular changes leading to brain tumors. Nakada will work in the laboratory of TGen's Dr. Michael Berens (left).
Dr. Nakada's projects compliment funding for TGen's Brain Tumor Research Unit, through grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Brain Tumor Foundation.
The Sundt Family has an active legacy of involvement with medical research dating back to Dr. Thoralf M. Sundt, who was a professor in the department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota.
"How exciting to have the Sundt name extended to the cutting edge of brain tumor research," said Sundt Construction Senior Vice President Eric Hedlund. "As a builder of major research institutes, it is especially gratifying for Sundt to move inside the walls of these facilities, and to support TGen's research, efforts that will hopefully foster medical breakthroughs in the years to come."
While presenting the check to Berens and Nakada at TGen, Hedlund and the entire Sundt team extended a challenge to other Companies throughout Arizona to match or better the Sundt donation, by supporting additional TGen fellows.
About TGen
The mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) is to make and translate genomic discoveries into advances
in human health. "Translational genomics research" is a relatively
new field employing innovative advances arising from the Human
Genome Project to apply to the development of diagnostics,
prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurological disorders,
diabetes and other complex diseases.
Sundt Construction
Sundt provides general contracting, construction management, and
design build services for private and public sector clients with
budgets ranging from $250,000 to more than $100 million. Sundt
Construction builds a variety of projects for private and public
clients, including state-of-the-art research and biomedical
facilities, government facilities, schools, hospitals, office
buildings, mixed-use projects, retail centers, dormitories, hangars
and warehouses. Current projects include phases I and II of the
360,000 square-foot Arizona Biodesign Institute at Arizona State
University. The Phoenix-based Sundt Construction, Inc. also has
offices in California and Texas. For more information, please visit
www.sundt.com.
Media Contact
Galen Perry
TGen Communications Director
602-343-8423
[email protected]
