Gov. Has Bioscience Center Under Study; Biofuel Research Seen as Priority

BYLINE: JACKIE JADRNAK Journal Staff Writer

Can a bioscience research and development center be next on Gov. Bill Richardson's science agenda for New Mexico?

It's under consideration, Tom Bowles, the governor's science adviser, told participants at a MIND Institute symposium Friday.

One of its first projects could be to grow algae for biofuel. That's not as strange as it might sound for the middle of the desert, he said. The state has lots of saline-tainted groundwater that isn't good for drinking or irrigation but that could keep algae thriving.

Such a center could follow the pattern of a Computational Applications Center that Richardson recently said he will ask legislators to fund to the tune of $25 million. That center will offer super-fast, powerful computing capabilities for projects at state universities, national labs and others.

In the same way, a bioscience research and development center could be set up as a taxexempt entity that would bring together research expertise from around the state, Bowles said. "The first focus would be research and development in energy," he said, adding that neuroscience might be included down the road.

The MIND Institute, where Bowles was speaking, has developed advanced imaging capabilities to produce pictures of the brain at work. Its neuroscience research includes understanding of human behavior, brain function, mental illness and similar subjects.

The Institute is a nonprofit partnership among the Massachusetts General Hospital's Martinos Biomedical Imaging Center, the University of Minnesota, University of New Mexico and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Bowles said Richardson also wants to develop a state science and technology plan, "a road map to move New Mexico forward." The aim is to bring New Mexico to the forefront in innovation and competitiveness.

This is coming at a time when researchers are concerned about flat, or reduced, funding in the biomedical sciences. Laurie Flynn, director of the Carmel Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment at Columbia University, said this fiscal year represented the first actual drop in funding in the last 30 years for the National Institutes of Health. "We may see it again next year," she warned.

"The funding landscape at the NIH is tight now and will be tighter later," she said, adding that medical inflation is eating up the money they do have. "The fiscal realities are stark."