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Top stroke researcher recruited to SC through CoEE Program
4/18/2008

Charleston, SC -- Dr. Marc Chimowitz, one of the country's leading
researchers in the field of neurodegeneration, is now a South Carolina
Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Endowed Chair and will lead a $25
million clinical trial on stroke prevention at the Medical University of
South Carolina (MUSC).

The clinical trial is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is
among the largest extramural research grants in state history. Involving
patients at more than 50 sites across the country, Chimowitz and his
colleagues will examine the value of using stents to prevent strokes in
patients whose brain arteries have hardened and narrowed due to plaque
buildup (atherosclerotic stenosis).

Stroke research is especially relevant in South Carolina, which has the
nation's second-highest mortality rate in stroke, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chimowitz completed a $14 million clinical trial while a professor of
neurology at Emory University in Atlanta to determine the effectiveness of
warfarin versus aspirin for preventing stroke in patients with narrowed
brain arteries. He is also the recipient of a Career Investigator Award from
the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to mentor junior
faculty members toward clinical research careers.

�Dr. Chimowitz is a highly honored researcher who will be an integral part
of training a new generation of clinical neuroscientists,� said John
Raymond, provost and vice president for academic affairs at MUSC. �We are
enthusiastic about the contributions to MUSC excellence that he will make in
regards to research, education and clinical care.�

�In Dr. Chimowitz, the CoEE Program has recruited one of the country's
foremost researchers in clinical stroke research,� noted Paula Harper
Bethea, who chairs the CoEE Review Board. �He has already brought
substantial research dollars to the state, and in time his work could affect
the lives of countless South Carolinians and people around the world who are
at risk of stroke.�

The Neuroscience CoEE targets its research on age-related neurodegenerative
problems including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and
stroke. This area of research is significant for South Carolina, where the
percentage of the population that is older than age 65 is projected to grow
from 12% in 2000 to 22% in 2030, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The CoEE is a strong component of MUSC's established Neuroscience Institute
and also works in collaboration with the MUSC Center on Aging. The CoEE has
partnered with Cure Parkinson's Project, a non-profit corporation devoted to
curing Parkinson's disease, and has also supported the creation of
SemiAlloGen, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops therapeutics in the
field of neurodegenerative disorders and cancer.

Before working at Emory University, Chimowitz served as assistant professor
of neurology at the University of Michigan. He completed a neurology
residency at Tufts University as well as a cerebrovascular fellowship at the
Cleveland Clinic and a research fellowship at Massachusetts General
Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Cape Town in
South Africa.