About 100 young professionals saw biomedical science in action this week during an outreach event at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.  

The April 21 “Science Lounge” event was hosted by OMRF’s Ambassadors group, which was created to generate awareness among their peers about the foundation’s work.

Ambassador Kelsey D’Emilio of Edmond said such events are crucial to share the scientific advancements being made in her home state to an age group that otherwise may have limited knowledge about OMRF.

“I had no idea this place existed until I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was urged to come home from the East Coast for treatment,” she said. “So to come home and discover the best treatment available literally in my backyard and to see my health restored, it’s an amazing thing, and I want to share that with others, because this place is worth their support.”

Likewise, Ben Coldagelli of Oklahoma City said he had no knowledge of OMRF until he was approached by a former work colleague, Kevin Henry, now senior director of philanthropy and outreach for OMRF. Coldagelli said touring the labs and eventually becoming an Ambassador taught him about “the incredibly important scientific progress taking place here every day.”

During the evening’s live demonstration, guests watched scientist and avid cyclist Matt Bubak, Ph.D., reach his cardiovascular limit on a stationary bike. As Bubak pedaled against ever-increasing resistance, his mentor, Benjamin Miller, Ph.D., explained why this test, known as a VO2 max, is the best indicator of a person’s longevity.

“The VO2 max tells us the maximum rate of oxygen your body can consume and use during intensive exercise,” said Miller, an exercise physiologist and head of OMRF’s Aging and Metabolism Research Program. “The higher your VO2 max score, the higher your endurance capacity and heart health.”

At Miller’s urging, guests yelled encouragement as Bubak neared the point of tapping out. His ultimate ceiling was a VO2 score of 47.1. “He’s not going to beat Lance Armstrong in a race, but he’s really fit,” Miller quipped.

Guests also visited two booths at which scientists explained the relevance of their expertise.

At one, Caleb Marlin, Ph.D., showed how artificial intelligence – gained through thousands of human tissue, blood and urine samples – is helping predict kidney damage progression in people with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease.

At the other booth, data scientist Gideon Hallum displayed color-coded images of two lungs – one diseased and one healthy – to illustrate how high-throughput data provides fast, critical context and perspective to researchers.

OMRF President Andrew Weyrich, Ph.D., told guests about the statewide, grassroots effort that launched OMRF following World War II and noted that the parents and grandparents of some attendees may have been involved in that effort.

“In addition to being a research institution, we’re also a training institution that prepares future scientists from all over the world,” he said. “We also hope to train the community about who and what we are, and that’s where you come in – to help us spread the word.”