Oxford “Our initial areas of focus will be in pain mechanisms, development of and recovery from injury in the spinal cord, and examining the molecular events underlying substance abuse and addiction. Work in these areas hopefully will contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches.” Gerry Oxford, executive director of the Stark Institute and professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

The institute, located in the Research II facility, was made possible through a $16 million bequest to the IU School of Medicine (IUSM) from Dr. Paul and Carole Stark in November 2000. The institute includes researchers from various disciplines and focuses on applying advances in molecular, genetic and imaging technologies to fundamental questions about brain function, dysfunction and development.

Leading these efforts is Gerry Oxford, the first executive director of the Stark Institute and professor of pharmacology and toxicology. Oxford, whose appointment was made possible through the Stark gift, was a distinguished professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology and director of the neurobiology curriculum at the University of North Carolina before his IU appointment.

“Our initial areas of focus will be in pain mechanisms, development of and recovery from injury in the spinal cord, and examining the molecular events underlying substance abuse and addiction,” said Oxford. “Work in these areas hopefully will contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches.”

Traditionally, neuroscience research has involved either electrical, anatomical or pharmacological methods to understand the pathways by which nerve impulses communicate human thought, will and action, and to understand chemical signaling between single nerve cells and complex networks.

“To understand function and dysfunction of the nervous system requires monitoring and simulating the activity of many groups of nerve cells at once,” said Oxford, adding that non-invasive imaging tools such PET and functional MRI give researchers the ability to more fully investigate the central nervous system.

“As a result, modern neuroscience research now draws experts from the fields of molecular biology, genetics, physics, engineering and mathematics,” Oxford noted.

The collaborative approach is the cornerstone on which the Stark Neuroscience Research Institute is built, and recruiting top-flight investigators and faculty is an immediate goal. Oxford says researchers will be organized into focus groups with clinicians and resident researchers in specific areas of neuroscience, including pain, spinal injury, addiction, development and behavioral disorders.

Outreach programs and a regular series of scientific seminars are planned, as well as interactions with other academic and neuroscience institutions.

“The logical extension of these efforts will be reflected in establishing centers of excellence in specific areas of neuroscience and to attract outside funding,” Oxford said, noting that partnerships with the corporate sector and other institutions will lead to the development of new pharmaceuticals and therapeutic interventions.

Oxford also says another top priority is to develop enhanced biomedical training at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. Part of the Stark gift established the Stark Neurosciences Scholarship Fund, which will assist students interested in pursuing careers in neuroscience.

In 1993, the Stark family endowed the Paul Stark Professorship in pharmacology and toxicology, a position held by Michael Vasko, who also chairs IUSM’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Stark also was a clinical associate professor of pharmacology at IUSM.

He led a team that conducted clinical trials on central nervous system compounds and played an essential role in the development of Prozac with Eli Lilly and Co. In 1984, Stark, who also earned a degree from the IU School of Law– Indianapolis, founded the International Clinical Research Corporation, which designs global trials for new drugs.

Research II dedication images