By Collin Arocho
A private donor’s passion to support research that may improve the daily lives of those who suffer from Down syndrome led to a major gift for one of Ohio University’s premiere scholars and researchers in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department.
Dr. Tadeusz Malinski
Marvin and Ann Dilley White Chair and Distinguished Professor Tadeusz Malinski’s decades-long research in the nanomedical field led him to address on the nano-molecular scale the crippling symptoms felt by Down syndrome patients such as cognitive defects, Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, accelerated aging and a shortened life-span.
Malinski’s project, Nanomedical Research of Down Syndrome, got the attention of Ita Pluta-Plutowska, whose gift of $400,000 will support Malinski’s research, housed in OHIO’s Nanomedical Research Laboratory.
“The current level of research and support for this underserved and underprivileged population, especially children with Down syndrome, is completely inadequate,” Pluta-Plutowska said in a letter to Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis. “Current research is almost entirely focused on a ‘cure’ while neglecting some of the most basic aspects of the disease.”
Malinski aims to understand the molecular mechanism and deficiencies of the disorder, both neuronal and cardiovascular, to help discover new treatment options that could improve cognitive function, increase life span, and improve the overall quality of life for people with the disorder.
Pluta-Plutowska lauded the research capabilities and scientific achievements of Malinski.
“I believe that significant progress in this research can be done at Ohio University in Professor Malinski’s unique, nanomedical laboratory,” she continued in the letter, “much in the same way that the professor has done with cardiovascular disease research.”
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