Leading ALS Researcher Joins the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug.14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB) announces the appointment of Jingsong Zhou, Ph.D., as a research investigator and professor of physiology in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Zhou is an internationally renowned researcher and an important addition to KCUMB's growing research efforts. KCUMB recently made a strategic shift to focus on advancing the scientific exploration of biomedical and translational research.

Dr. Zhou is an international leader in neuromuscular disease research, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Dr. Zhou is recognized for her significant contributions to advancing the scientific understanding in those, and other neurologic conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease. She has been on the cutting edge of biotechnology of Calcium imaging in living cells and is credited for the development of molecular biosensors of the mitochondria (the power plant for all cells) which has broad applications in a number of diseases.

Dr. Zhou brings the unique perspective of a biophysicist to understanding neuromuscular diseases, and is a well-funded investigator by the National Institutes of Health. She was most recently an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Rush University School of Medicine in Chicago. Prior to her tenure at Rush University she was a research associate for the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and served as a teaching and research assistant for the Department of Physiology at Hunan Medical University in China.

"KCUMB is honored to welcome an internationally recognized research expert, Dr. Zhou, to our team," said Jeffrey Joyce, Ph.D., vice president for research. "Dr. Zhou brings years of expertise in molecular biophysics and physiology research, a collaborative entrepreneurial outlook to research and we look forward to her leadership and impact here at KCUMB and within the region's research community."

As research investigator, Dr. Zhou's responsibilities will include leading key biomedical and translational research initiatives, particularly in the neuroscience arena, collaborating with researchers at other local organizations, including the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and its key stakeholders, and providing student research opportunities.

"We are delighted Dr. Zhou is joining KCUMB," said Dr. Richard Barohn, vice chancellor for research at the University of Kansas Medical Center. "In doing so, she will become a member of Frontiers: The Heartland for Clinical and Translational Research and will work with a number of scientists exploring the pathogenesis of severe neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS and Alzheimer's disease.  With Dr. Zhou's hire, we have developed a critical mass of cutting edge researchers who are making important discoveries in these diseases."

With this hire KCUMB is committing significant resources to expand its laboratory facilities on campus, establish a scientific core in the neurosciences and invest in additional scientific research equipment to enhance these new research efforts.

"Dr. Zhou and her staff will be key components of enhanced neuroscience research not only on the KCUMB campus, but her unique research focus will be a resource to the greater Kansas City scientific community," said Marc B. Hahn, D.O., president and chief executive officer for KCUMB. "She will truly add to the scholarly foundation of our University and be a mentor for our students."

Dr. Zhou is the recipient of the Outstanding Research Award from the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, the Medical Staff Award from Rush University, and the American Heart Association Fellowship Award. Dr. Zhou has been a member of the Biophysical Society since 1993, and a member of the American Physiology Society since 2013.

She earned her doctorate in physiology and biophysics from Rush University in July 1997.

About KCUMB
The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, founded in 1916, is a fully accredited, private university, with a College of Biosciences and a College of Osteopathic Medicine. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is the oldest medical school in Kansas City, Mo., and the largest in the state. It is the second-largest provider of physicians within the states of Missouri and Kansas, with 73 percent practicing in a primary care specialty throughout the Midwest region.

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SOURCE Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB)