Research
Wayne State faculty members engage in groundbreaking research and innovative community projects every day. They are committed to the highest standards, ethics and quality of treatment and care for both humans and animals in investigational research. A notable indicator of the success of the university's research program is its ranking as Research University/Very High research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Wayne State is also ranked by the National Science Foundation among the top public institutions nationally for annual research expenditures.
Wayne State University is a rich and diverse environment that provides faculty and students opportunities to achieve their dreams and goals. Research, scholarship and creative activity are the foundation of our achievements, providing students a university experience that prepares them for leadership roles as scientists, health professionals, artists, educators and entrepreneurs, among many other professions. Our faculty members transform not only the lives of our students, but also those of people in Detroit, Michigan and around the world with groundbreaking ideas and discoveries that lead to new ways of living.
Research highlights
Wayne State is a nationally recognized urban center of excellence in research and one of only two public urban universities holding the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s designation as an institution with “very high research activity” as well as the Foundation’s most comprehensive classification for community engagement. WSU is among the nation’s top public universities for total research expenditures ($257.2 million total; $251.8 million in science and engineering) according to the National Science Foundation. Much of Wayne State’s research originates in its acclaimed School of Medicine.
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This year saw a strengthening of WSU’s performances in research activity. Wayne State’s total awards reached more than $182 million and research funds topped $148.9 million, the highest level in the University’s history. Since 2006, total funding has increased nearly 17 percent.
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Factors contributing to improved research funding include increased multidisciplinary, multi-university collaborations. For instance, faculty secured a $3.4 million grant to test psychological therapies for fibromyalgia; a $1.3 million grant to develop new compounds that may inhibit tumor growth; a $1 million training grant to prepare future leaders in endocrine research; a $2.6 million grant to investigate stress resiliency of Iraqi refugees; a $1.2 million grant to study the use of light-activated drugs in the treatment of cancer; a $3 million grant with North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to pilot a high school curriculum that will teach real-life applications of math; $1 million to bolster Detroit teacher competency in S.T.E.M. areas and environmental health; and $1 million to study how alterations in the brain caused by inactivity may contribute to an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Wayne State is home to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Perinatology Research Branch (PRB). The PRB’s work focuses on reducing the rate of infant mortality, especially in high-impact ethnic and racial minority groups. Through the PRB, pioneering contributions to the field have been made including identification of DNA variants that predispose high rates of preterm delivery among African Americans; development of three-dimensional and four-dimensional ultrasound algorithms for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease; advanced molecular imaging to identify neuro-inflammation in the fetal brain; and identification of biomarkers for the prediction of preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality. The PRB is one of only a few intramural branches located outside NIH’s Maryland campus.
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Wayne State faculty are contributing important discoveries of potentially great impact. They discovered the rubber-like property of nanoconfined water, ending a long scientific debate; a combination of routine tests that can predict the risk of cognitive decline including Alzheimer’s disease; evidence for the evolutionary origin of insect wings; nanodevices for early diagnosis of intra-amniotic infections; the negative impact of term limits for Michigan legislators; disparities among different ethnic/racial groups of care received for major depression; and how husbands’ work worries are linked to wives’ higher stress hormones.
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Wayne State and its faculty are recognized in many ways for their contributions. For example, in 2010, Lawrence Favro and Xiaoyan Han received an international defense science and technology award from the Department of Defense for their sonic thermography technology used to reveal fatigue cracks in metal and composite materials; James Rigby was named an American Chemical Society fellow; Julie Thompson Klein received two awards for her contributions to interdisciplinary research and education; and Roberto Romero was named a Crain’s Detroit Business Health Care Hero for his leadership and innovations in health care.
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Research activities provide opportunities for commercialization in the new knowledge-based economy, and Wayne State’s Technology Commercialization Office is helping lead the way in technology transfer and technology-based economic development in Michigan. Its two divisions focus on technology transfer, new venture development and facilitating interactions between industry and WSU faculty. For example, in 2009, Wayne State finalized an option agreement with NextCAT, Inc. for a biodiesel technology developed at the University’s National Biofuels Energy Lab. The technology will allow biodiesel producers to use cost-effective raw materials in their production processes.
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TechTown, Wayne State’s research and technology park, is an urban community of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and corporate partners stimulating the creation of new businesses and jobs. TechTown, which serves more than 220 on-site clients and more than 280 startups overall, has partnered with the New Economy Initiative and the Kauffman Foundation in a multimillion-dollar initiative to strengthen Southeast Michigan’s economy by offering FastTrac to the Future training courses to budding entrepreneurs.
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Wayne State is a partner in the University Research Corridor (URC) with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. The URC alliance is helping creating a vibrant 21st century Michigan economy by attracting knowledge-based businesses, connecting research to new enterprises and educating a skilled workforce.
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In January 2010 the URC hosted the URC Environmental Health Sciences Conference at Wayne State. The conference sought to bring together the URC institutions and others including the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System and the Michigan Department of Community Health to search for ways to address problems affecting the well-being of our state and its citizens. The topic was chosen because each of the three universities has devoted considerable resources to understanding ways in which the environment affects the health of Michigan residents. Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, was the keynote speaker.
- In partnership with the URC, the State of Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Genetics Policy Institute, Wayne State co-hosted the sixth annual World Stem Cell Summit in Detroit in October 2010. The Summit is an international event that brings together scientists, students, patients, advocates, business people, investors, educators, ethicists, policy makers, government representatives and others to network and learn from each other. The Summit attracted nearly 1,200 attendees from around the world.
