Grant to help fund medical research

[antiquity]

OSU to get $11M for tech center
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Grant to help fund medical research

The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - A state-funded technology center, a hallmark of Gov. Bob Taft's Third Frontier high-tech development program, will be located at Ohio State University, Taft said Wednesday.

Ohio's largest public university will receive $11 million from the state to create a Wright Center for Innovation.

Of the grant, $9.1 million will go toward developing a more powerful MRI scanner that can reduce the need for exploratory surgery and allow doctors to more closely monitor the effects of medications.

The rest of the money will go toward a project aimed at developing new polymer foam types to be used in insulation for the construction industry.

"These projects have the immense potential to touch the lives of every Ohioan," Taft said.

Taft was scheduled to visit Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland today, where he is expected to announce the creation of a second Wright Center.

Taft also said on Wednesday that $24.5 million had been awarded for three biomedical research projects from a separate fund, including an additional $8 million for the MRI project at Ohio State.

Case Western will receive $16.5 million for two projects, one for research on stem cells and regenerative medicine to help those with heart disease and other diseases and a second project for patients with neurological disorders.

Taft's Third Frontier program is a $1.6 billion, 10-year effort to improve high-tech research in such areas as biomedical science to retain and attract higher-paying jobs. Taft hopes to place a $500 million initiative on the November ballot to help pay for the program.

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