Sarah Bradley
reg and Roberta Kahlert believe that philanthropic support of basic science research is critical to laying the groundwork for the discoveries that bring us closer to finding preventions and cures for some of today’s most pressing medical mysteries.
“There is such a need for this basic, fundamental research,” says Greg Kahlert, president of The Kahlert Foundation, “but the government and other institutions aren’t able to fully fund it or require at least some initial data.”
Since 2015, The Kahlert Foundation has funded approximately $1 million in general research support and seed funding that enables University of Maryland School of Medicine physicians and scientists to gather preliminary data, support hypotheses, and make the connections that accelerate basic science research. The foundation has spread its grant funding widely, supporting the work of at least six principal investigators in the areas of depression, alcohol abuse, pain, cancer immunotherapy, and basic research resources.
New microscope equipment funded by The Kahlert Foundation helps to optimize tumor cell capture and analysis for Stuart Martin, PhD, professor in the Department of Physiology, who is conducting research on individualized drug treatments to reduce metastasis. Another Kahlert grant supports researchers in the Fannie Angelos Cellular Therapeutics Laboratory. It provides equipment for the cleanroom manufacturing suite to produce cell-based immunotherapies for Aaron Rapoport, MD, professor in the Department of Medicine and the Gary Jobson Professor in Medical Oncology, and funding for a research technician for Curt Civin, MD, professor, associate dean for research, and director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, who is working to enhance the production of therapeutic cancer cells.
The Kahlerts’ support of the Department of Physiology is a prime example of their funding strategy at work: investment in the underpinnings of medical research to move innovative research forward. After meeting Scott Thompson, PhD, professor and chair of physiology, in 2014, the Kahlerts toured his lab, which included a hands-on opportunity to experience a research project. The visit inspired The Kahlert Foundation to support the General Physiology Research Fund.
In 2018, The Kahlert Foundation funded the continuation of Thompson’s work on a new, fast-acting treatment for depression. The result was the novel, patentable compound NCGC-43. Next, the Kahlerts maximized the NCGC-43 funding with a grant in 2019 to explore the potential of NCGC-43 to treat alcoholism.
“Philanthropy helps to fill the gap between generating an idea and obtaining sufficient data and results so that we can make a strong application to larger funding organizations,” Thompson says. “Nobody is going to give you the money and the resources unless you can show that you are equipped to do the work. Funding from The Kahlert Foundation and others fills that vital gap for us.”
The Kahlert Foundation also has propelled basic science research in the Department of Neurosurgery by funding the work of Charles Sansur, MD, and J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD, on the therapeutic potential of repurposing an existing diabetes drug as a safe, non-addicting, non-opioid medication for neuropathic pain.
“We want to be a participant in finding cures, and we understand that it can take time to find them,” Greg Kahlert says. “We understand that by funding basic science research today, we have the opportunity to contribute to solving medicine’s big challenges.”
