The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has partnered with UPMC Health System to develop the Molecular Medicine Institute (MMI). Molecular medicine, the study of the genetic basis of disease, is the widely recognized future of modern medicine.
The goal of the MMI is twofold. First, the MMI seeks to catalyze the growth and development of multidisciplinary pre-clinical and clinical research programs aimed at the use of novel molecular therapies, including gene transfer technologies and protein therapeutic methods, for the treatment of human disease. Secondly, the MMI seeks to become a national model of how entities in diverse scientific areas can work together to advance molecular medicine.
Research within the MMI will involve studying animal models of human disease to reveal obstacles and provide solutions to impediments to gene and protein therapy. These model systems will also be used to investigate new gene and protein transfer methods, measure their expression and their potential for human therapy.
UPMC Health System will support the University of Pittsburgh by providing many of the resources necessary to carry out this complex scientific venture, namely, vector development and manufacturing capabilities, a vast patient base, funding and professional support.
Genomics, the analysis of the genes in an organism, and proteomics, the identification of all of the proteins and their functions, are two of the most rapidly developing areas in molecular medicine. Gene and protein studies have enabled scientists to reveal the underlying mechanism of disease, revolutionizing the field of drug discovery.
In addition to support from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Health System, funding for the MMI will come from numerous pre-existing federal grants including the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), grants received through the Program of Excellence in Gene Therapy (PEGT), grants from foundations including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and grants from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.