News for and about the Internet2 community

[Dan Downing <>]

Third Frontier Network Propels Genome Research Through Virtual Medical
Collaborations
 
Cincinnati, OH­April 26, 2004­The Third Frontier Network (TFN)
will make Ohio a world leader in using technologically advanced
networking to improve health care research and education, as demonstrated
today at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Genome Research Institute
(GRI). TFN will support medical research collaborators as they identify
and treat diseases.
 
TFN-connected Ohio hospitals and medical research labs will be able to
share medical images and collaborate on research, education, and service
programs.
 
“By linking colleges, universities, research labs, and hospitals, the
Third Frontier Network will to improve health care and remote medical
consultation,” said Rod Chu, Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor. 
“Critical scientific and industrial research facilitated over the network
will generate important new economic opportunity and high-paying jobs for
Ohioans.” 
 
GRI will be linked with other Ohio researchers via TFN to share expensive
instruments and educational resources for disease analysis and
treatment.   For example, the network will allow researchers at
one university to view the output of a scientific instrument at a
research lab 100 miles away, reducing the time and costs currently
incurred in research and development. 
 
Medicine requires graphically rich images for patient care, medical
education, and research.  These vary from photographic images of
skin conditions to MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans. Images showing
medical conditions in great detail require significant bandwidth when
sent across a network.   In the past, collaboration with remote
medical staff has been limited by the difficulty of fully sharing medical
images over computer networks.  
 
“The Third Frontier Network will infuse the state’s medical research with
greater collaborative opportunities,” said Stan Ahalt, Ohio Supercomputer
Center (OSC) Executive Director.  “Significantly improving the
climate for medical breakthroughs with this type of technological synergy
will advance Ohio’s reputation in high-tech research and
development.”
 
GRI practices a multi-layered approach to gene and protein databases to
understand, treat, and prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes,
osteoporosis and heart disease. With partners such as Procter &
Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Wright State University, Case Western Reserve
University, and UC Children’s Hospital, GRI has a number of on-site
resources that can be shared by other state medical facilities.
 
David Millhorn, GRI Director, states that TFN will allow the Institute to
collaborate more effectively with other universities, government and
industry partners.  Sharing computational and technology resources
will be key to understanding diseases and developing drug treatments,
saving time and money.
 
"With the Third Frontier network, we can make the entire state a
virtual laboratory," said Millhorn. "As we continue to enhance
the research infrastructure here, many of the technologies we will offer
investigators may not reside at GRI - they may reside in Cleveland,
Columbus, some other Ohio site, or maybe even in California."
 
A crucial element in TFN’s southwest region
implementation has been its relationship with the Cincinnati Education
Research Fiber Loop (CERF), a consortium of Cincinnati State Technical
and Community College, UC, OARnet, and other southern Ohio schools.
OARnet will connect CERF to TFN this summer.  The CERF project began
in 2003 with a donation from Procter & Gamble to create a dedicated
set of fiber-optic cables to be used by colleges and universities,
hospitals, K-12 schools, and research labs in the
Cincinnati and southern Ohio region.
 
Cincinnati State's main and Evendale campuses as well as UC's main campus
and GRI are online with CERF, routing all data traffic over the 60-mile
pair of single mode fiber configured in a ring fiber. Future participants
include Xavier University, Hamilton County and Cincinnati Public Schools
SchoolNet sites.
 
OARnet, OSC’s networking division, is currently installing and testing
optical fiber switches and equipment at the Cincinnati area Point of
Presence (POP). Completion is expected by summer 2004. The statewide TFN
backbone is scheduled to be operational by autumn 2004, with colleges and
universities connected by September.
 
“The 1,600-mile backbone will provide a massive increase in capacity for
medical research centers to conduct research on cancer treatment,
bioinformatics, genomic mapping, and a host of other applications,” said
Al Stutz, OARnet Director. “TFN will allow researchers throughout Ohio to
share resources to accelerate advanced networking technology use,
strengthening Ohio’s attractiveness and global competitiveness.”
 
TFN initiatives that received fiscal year 2004 Consolidated
Appropriations Act funds from the Ohio Board of Regents and OSC include a
medical collaboration, shared instrumentation, and a science education
network.   Medical centers can also benefit from OSC’s data
mining resources used for the National Cancer Institute pediatric cancer
project.  Medical diagnosis and treatment over the network will
provide the equivalent of a virtual pediatric department and increase
hospitals’ ability to work with their colleagues at medical schools and
labs.
 
TFN, a technology initiative of the Ohio Board of Regents, is built and
administered by OARnet with the collaboration of education and industry
partners such as Ohio SchoolNet.  TFN is the nation’s most extensive
high-speed, fiber-optic network dedicated to higher education and
research.  
 
More information on TFN is available at
www.tfn.oar.net.
 
For more information, contact:
 

Ohio Board of Regents:

  

Jamie Abel, Assistant
Director of Communications

        

        

614-644-1988,

        

        

Bret
Crow, Assistant Director of Communications

        

        

614-752-9480,
 
Ohio Supercomputer

    

Kathryn Kelley, Chief Community
Liaison
Center/OARnet

  

614-292-6067,

      

Dan Downing, Public
Relations Coordinator

      

614-688-3949,
 
University of
Cincinnati:

       

Laura
K Fidler, Associate Dean
Medical Center

        

513-558-6053,

      

Dama Kimmon, Assistant Public Information Officer

      

613-558-4519, 
                                            
 
Ohio SchoolNet

 

Carly Glick, Communications Officer

      

614-728-1886,

Dan Downing
Public Relations Coordinator
OSC/OARnet
1224 Kinnear Road
Columbus, Ohio, 43212
phone (614) 688-3949
fax (614) 292-7168

www.osc.edu
www.oar.net
www.tfn.oar.net