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As OMRF hits 75-year milestone, here are 5 of its scientists' key discoveries

Saturday marks the 75th anniversary of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. 

In that time, the foundation’s researchers have made discoveries that paved the way for new life-saving drugs and made strides in studying autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease and diseases of aging. 

After OMRF was chartered on Aug. 28, 1946, more than 7,000 Oklahomans donated over $2 million to the new effort, and construction of its campus began in 1949.

The foundation began with 18 scientists on staff. Now, it has a staff of 450 devoted to studying a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s, lupus and cancer. 

When Sir Alexander Fleming, known for his discovery of penicillin, spoke in 1949 at OMRF’s dedication ceremony, he said the new foundation’s work “may prove a thousand times more valuable to humanity than all the oil in Oklahoma.”

“Now, that's a really lofty charge,” said Adam Cohen, OMRF’s interim president. “But when I look over the sweep of the last 75 years, and I think of all of the contributions, not only to understanding, but to tangible treatments for disease that have changed and saved patients’ lives, it really is profound.” 

While the list of OMRF discoveries is a long one, Cohen shared a few highlights of the foundation’s 75-year history:

3 life-changing drugs

OMRF discoveries have paved the way for drugs that have changed the lives of scores of patients, Cohen said.

Most recently, in 2019, the federal Food and Drug Administration approved the first targeted therapy to treat sickle cell disease.

The drug, Adakveo, is based on discoveries from OMRF’s Dr. Rodger McEver.

“I’ve treated sickle cell patients, and their suffering is extreme,” McEver said at the time the drug was cleared for use. “It’s the dream of every physician, and certainly every scientist, to do something that can make a difference with patients.”

Before that, OMRF scientists Dr. Peter Sims and Dr. Therese Wiedmer made discoveries that led to the development of the drug Soliris. The drug is used to treat a rare blood disorder: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, which can be fatal.

After first being approved to treat PNH in 2007, Soliris was green-lighted in 2019 by the FDA for treating patients with neuromyelitis optica, which OMRF describes as a “rare, debilitating cousin of multiple sclerosis.”

Discoveries in the 1980s from a husband-and-wife pair of OMRF scientists, Drs. Charles and Naomi Esmon, led to the creation of the drug Ceprotin, which is used to treat people with a rare, life-threatening deficiency of Protein C in their blood.

“When he and Naomi first came here, they spent lots and lots of time down at the stockyards collecting 10-gallon vats of blood from the animals who were being slaughtered,” Cohen said. "They used this to do so many basic experiments through the years, and those insights, ultimately, gave birth to this drug that is now being used in clinics around the world.”

Researchers’ work on lupus 

OMRF scientists have made major strides in understanding lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own tissues and organs. 

A team of OMRF researchers published findings in 2003 that most patients who develop lupus have proteins in their blood called autoantibodies years before they show symptoms. 

The discovery was a sort of “crystal ball” for lupus, the foundation described it in its magazine’s 75th anniversary edition.

OMRF scientists have also identified or confirmed more than 60 genes that have now been linked to lupus, Cohen said. The foundation has also established the largest repository in the world of biological samples from lupus patients and their families. 

“These samples have spawned hundreds and hundreds of research studies around the world that have pushed our knowledge of the disease forward significantly,” Cohen said. 

That work, Cohen said, is part of what led the National Institutes of Health to designate OMRF one of 10 Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence.

The work of Dr. Jordan Tang

Dr. Jordan Tang, an OMRF scientist who was with the foundation for more than half a century, was the first scientist inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. 

Tang, who died last year, had a breakthrough early in his career: he discovered a stomach enzyme no one else had before. He spent years learning its structure and found that the enzyme was a type of cutting protein called a protease.

“He then devoted the rest of his career to following these proteases in the body,” Cohen said. 

That led to discoveries that helped fuel the creation of protease-inhibitor drugs, which added years to the lives of people with HIV and AIDs, Cohen said. And his work led to key insights into Alzheimer’s disease, too.

Tang’s body of work “is absolutely a greatest hit for OMRF,” Cohen said. 

Now, as OMRF looks to the next 75 years, Cohen said he hopes the work the foundation’s scientists are doing now will be a “keystone for future discoveries.” 

“We have consistently taken the discoveries that happen in our labs and transform them into treatments that have touched the lives of people everywhere,” he said. "As we look forward, my profound hope is that we continue to be impactful — that we continue to touch lives because that, to me, is the measure of the institution's value.” 

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Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation focus on critical research areas such as cancer, diseases of aging, lupus and cardiovascular disease. Photo provided by OMRF

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation to celebrate 77 years with events across the state

OKLAHOMA (OBV) – The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) has spent decades working to cure diseases through research, and it will celebrate its 77th anniversary by crisscrossing the state’s 77 counties and hosting events in 25 cities.

OMRF, located in the northeast section of Oklahoma City, was established in 1946.

The dream of creating OMRF was realized thanks to a 77-county fundraising effort that saw more than 7,500 households give $2 million in gifts and pledges.

Now, OMRF administrators and personnel want to personally thank Oklahomans for making the past 77 years possible with a “77 for 77” tour that will touch all 77 counties, much like the statewide fundraising effort from the 1940s. The tour will make stops in 25 cities to host special events, according to Dr. Andrew Weyrich, president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

“Each event will have its own flavor tied to the local community. We’ll share about OMRF’s history and outlook, bring a bit of OMRF to the communities we visit through video and digital technology, and, whenever possible, through our scientists themselves,” Weyrich said.

A public schedule has not yet been set for the 25 events, but OMRF officials will provide updates on omrf.org/77 .

Each event will be devoted to giving thanks, according to Weyrich.

“We want to thank folks for their years of support, show them what their investments in medical research have done over the last 77 years, and talk to them about our vision for the future of OMRF,” Weyrich said. “In some cases, people at these events may have had parents or grandparents who gave to OMRF. We want to say thank you for that generational philanthropy.”

OMRF opened its first research building in 1950 at Northeast 13th and Lincoln in Oklahoma City. More than 4,000 Oklahomans attended the facility’s open house event.

The facility had 11 laboratories and three senior scientists who were focused on researching cancer, heart disease and metabolic disorders.

OMRF has since grown by leaps and bounds both in size and science.

A new research tower was dedicated at Northeast 15th Street in 2011. OMRF now has more than 50 active labs, two patient clinics and nearly 500 employees across six buildings, including the original location.

OMRF scientists are spread across five research programs. Those scientists are continuing the mission of investigating cancer, cardiovascular diseases and metabolism.

“We’ve also become a global leader in autoimmunity, with an entire program devoted to autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis,” Weyrich said. “Elsewhere, our scientists are studying diseases of aging like Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis and macular degeneration, and a variety of rare diseases.”

The efforts are producing tangible results.

OMRF research has led to the following:

• Three FDA-approved drugs as well as a diagnostic test on the market and two more in development, including the first targeted therapy for the pain crises in sickle cell disease, as well as diagnostic tests for disease management;
• 2,000 patents filed with OMRF technologies;
• More than 190 active research grants, including collaborations with Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson and Stanford;
• Over 50 active clinical trials;
• More than a dozen industry collaborations with partners, including Biogen, EMD Serono, Merck, Norvartis, QBioMed and Oblato;
• 13 spinoff companies;
• More than 15 years as a Native American Research Center of Health, partnering with two Oklahoma tribes to understand autoimmune disease in their members;
• Insights and discoveries that have helped deepen understanding and changed the landscape for patients with conditions ranging from lupus to cancer and HIV and AIDS;
• Over 6,000 patient visits last year by people from both Oklahoma and surrounding states for treatment in OMRF’s multiple sclerosis and rheumatology centers;
• Named one of eight National Institutes of Health Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence;
• Trained more than 600 young scientists through its Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars program and thousands more graduate students and postdoctoral researchers;
• 10 consecutive Top Workplaces in Oklahoma awards;
• Brought hundreds of millions of dollars into the state through federal grants; and,
• Makes an annual economic contribution of $165 million to Oklahoma’s economy.

“Every one of our labs is working to answer questions critical to advancing human health,” Weyrich said. “If you or a loved one has cancer, a heart condition, addiction, hearing loss, Alzheimer’s disease, vision challenges, lupus or multiple sclerosis, you’d probably say a lab working in that particular area is doing our most important work. And our scientists are working on all of those things and more.”

OMRF is a nonprofit. Every cent donated to OMRF goes to its labs and clinics for research and patient care in its rheumatology and multiple sclerosis clinics.

“Thanks to a private trust and other funding sources, no part of a charitable gift goes to our overhead,” Weyrich said.

OMRF scientists rely on highly competitive federal grants, such as those from the National Institutes of Health, to fund high priority research. OMRF received nearly $40 million in competitive federal grant dollars in FY2022.

Private donations also help OMRF’s efforts.

“Thanks to private giving, OMRF can support each of our labs with additional funding each year,” Weyrich said. “That, along with seed funding from organizations like Oklahoma City’s Presbyterian Health Foundation, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, and TSET’s Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research, allows our scientists to get the preliminary data to justify their applications for major federal grants.”

Go to OMRF.org to make a donation and to learn more about research efforts.

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Increasing donations with holistic view of supporters

The oklahoma medical research foundation (omrf) was founded in 1946 with the mission of conducting biomedical research that would help people live longer, healthier lives..

Since then, OMRF’s scientists have conducted research leading to breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases and conditions.

Fíonta successfully supported OMRF in leveraging Salesforce and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) to enhance and expand their development and fundraising efforts. By implementing best-in-class technology solutions, OMRF aimed to achieve a holistic view of donors, streamline reporting processes, and improve external communications.

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Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s outdated legacy systems and manual processes hindered development and fundraising activities.

OMRF’s foremost pain point stemmed from its outdated legacy systems, which presented significant challenges for staff. These systems were difficult to navigate, creating a steep learning curve that limited the effective utilization of the organization’s CRM and fundraising tools. The complex user interface slowed down daily operations, frustrating employees who struggled to adapt to the archaic systems.

OMRF’s CRM operated on a slow two-year update cycle, restricting the implementation of essential improvements and enhancements. Because of this delayed cycle, OMRF was slow to adapt to changing needs and emerging technologies. The lack of accessible and modifiable reports for development staff hindered their decision-making processes, and external communications struggled to reach the right prospective donors due to minimal list segmentation or integration with the core CRM.

To transform its operations, OMRF adopted Salesforce NPSP and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE), complemented by customized training from Fíonta, to streamline donor and fundraising management while enhancing donor engagement.

With Salesforce NPSP, OMRF’s development officers gained access to comprehensive donor data, empowering them to make informed decisions and dynamically maximize donor opportunities.

Salesforce NPSP’s robust reporting capabilities simplified compliance and reporting tasks, providing valuable insights into operations they previously did not have.

Fíonta assisted OMRF with MCAE implementation, facilitating compelling, scalable, and targeted engagement campaigns.

Fíonta’s customized training empowered OMRF’s team to self-serve in report creation and data segmentation, reducing reliance on external support and fostering data-driven decision-making. This holistic approach positioned OMRF for sustainable growth and a more profound impact on medical research and philanthropy.

By implementing Salesforce, OMRF gained a comprehensive and easily accessible database of complete donor data. Development officers could leverage this data to inform their efforts and maximize opportunities, whether working in the office or remotely.

Fíonta’s customized training empowered OMRF development officers and staff to become self-sufficient in creating custom reports, pulling segmented lists, and utilizing the full capabilities of the Salesforce and MCAE platforms.

Salesforce NPSP’s comprehensive reporting functionality streamlined reporting processes for OMRF staff, making it easier to generate required reports and access valuable metrics. MCAE helped OMRF deliver compelling and scalable engagement campaigns seamlessly integrated with core Salesforce NPSP, ensuring that all engagement activities sync automatically with contact records.

The successful implementation of Salesforce and MCAE provided OMRF with streamlined donor and fundraising management, improved reporting capabilities, and enhanced engagement campaigns. With Fíonta’s support, OMRF has the tools and knowledge to maximize its development and fundraising efforts, ultimately enabling it to continue making impactful discoveries in biomedical research.

Steering all project facets like budget, schedule, scope, and risk management while collaborating with technical leads on risk handling, our project managers serve as the primary liaison with clients, offering frequent updates on project progress.

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Oklahoma medical research foundation.

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is an independent, not-for-profit, biomedical research institute adjacent to the campus of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City. OMRF investigators enjoy close scientific interactions with OUHSC faculty and participate in OUHSC graduate programs. Oklahoma OMRF ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. in The Scientist magazine's 2013 listing of Best Place to Work in Academia. Oklahoma City is one of the most affordable cities in the US based on its economic prosperity, solid job markets, and housing cost. Additional information about OMRF can be found at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation web site: www.omrf.org

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is an independent, not-for-profit, biomedical research institute adjacent to the campus of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City. OMRF investigators enjoy…

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