Spatiotemporal research, also known as spatial-temporal, is the study of time and space as a whole. The STMC uses this method for cellular biology and aims to find better treatments for fighting ailments such as colon and pancreatic cancers. The Center’s $12 million grant has been renewed for another five years, raising the STMC’s hopes for recruiting up-and-coming researchers.
“Our research emphasizes the development of new single-cell and single-molecule technologies to generate improved quantitative data for modeling,” the STMC website states.
The STMC is part of the UNM Health Sciences Center. It is also one of 14 institutes currently funded under the National Institutes of Health.
Bridget Wilson, a professor in the Pathology Department at the UNM School of Medicine with more than 20 years of experience, specializes in imaging for cellular biology.
“We take advantage of the scientific and technological strengths in New Mexico, particularly in imaging and computation,” Wilson said.
The STMC works with scientists from throughout the state, and cooperates with other UNM departments such as the UNM School of Engineering and even Los Alamos National Laboratories. There are 29 alumni of the program now positioned at universities, industry laboratories and medical schools.
These departments usually work in conjunction with UNM’s Cancer Center, which is just one of 68 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers throughout the nation and is recognized for its excellent contributions to cancer research.
The center brings state-of-the-art diagnoses and treatments of cancer to New Mexicans, utilizing federal and private funding of some $77 million for 60 percent of adults and nearly all children battling cancer.
New Mexico’s largest team of oncology physicians and research scientists are “board-certified and specialize in every cancer,” and come from highly regarded institutions such as Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and partners with Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces.
Better understanding of how cell systems work together helps scientists gain important information about diseases that are prominent in New Mexico. Aside from cancer research, the STMC also studies the triggers for allergies and asthma to design more effective drugs.
The STMC also offers programs for training and public outreach to inspire interest in the field and working with scientists, engineers and physicians. It courts all education levels — from undergraduate to faculty positions — and encourages minority and woman trainees.
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Raleigh Silversmith is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
