Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation continues vascular research support at IU School of Medicine

The Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation provided nearly $200,000 in support for research at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2012, school officials said, pushing their aggregated commitment to more than $3 million, with a promise for ongoing major support.

  • Jan. 31, 2013

The Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation provided nearly $200,000 in support for research at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2012, school officials said, pushing their aggregated commitment to more than $3 million, with a promise for ongoing major support.

The foundation, sponsored by Cryptic Masons International, targets its funding to support research at the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, as well as to train researchers and clinicians in the center's areas of expertise.

"We are fortunate to have had the long-term support from CMMRF," said Keith L. March, M.D., Ph.D., Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation Chair in Vascular Biology and Medicine and professor of medicine, of cellular and integrative physiology, and of biomedical engineering. "These monies have allowed us to explore research opportunities and facilitate movement of new treatments from the laboratory to the bedside to address critical diseases affected by blood vessels."

Michael Murphy, M.D., clinical director of the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, said the consistent support by the foundation has been key to building the infrastructure that allowed the center to successfully compete to join the nationwide Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network. The IU center was selected to the research network, funded by the National Institutes of Health, in April 2012. The Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network is composed of the seven leading institutions across the U.S. that will be jointly responsible for executing NIH-funded clinical cell therapy trials in cardiovascular disease. Initial planned clinical trials will address peripheral vascular disease and heart failure, and will assess the therapeutic potential of stem cells obtained from bone marrow, heart and fat.

For his 27 years of dedication supporting the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, retiring foundation Executive Secretary Marion K. Crum recently received the Distinguished Hoosier Award from Gov. Mitch Daniels, presented by D. Craig Brater, M.D., dean of the IU School of Medicine. The School of Medicine also dedicated a wall mural timeline recognizing the impact the Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation has had in supporting vascular research at Indiana University.