MONDAY,OCTOBER28.2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
KU Med research examines birth
By Lindsay Hanson
lhanson@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
What began as an academic collaboration between friends has evolved into the establishment of a research institute at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Barbara Atkinson, executive dean of the Med Center, announced the launch of the Institute of Maternal-Fetal Biology Aug. 1.
The catalyst for the institute came last May from winning the $4.5 million grant, "Biology at the Maternal-Fetal Interface," for which members of three separate departments came together. Michael Soares, director of the institute and developmental biologist, Joan Hunt, world-renowned specialist in immunology and Kenneth Audus, professor and chair of the department of pharmaceutical chemistry on the Lawrence campus, landed the grant.
Since then, the institute's near-50 investigators in six laboratories have been combining their knowledge to work toward designing therapeutics to promote the health of mothers and babies, as stated in the organization's Web site, IMFB.org.
The project expanded as several other investigators secured grants from the National Institutes of Health as well, creating a pool of $12 million from federal sources.
In addition, Soares said the school had committed to hiring three faculty members to
"A number of disorders lead to premature birth, small babies and other problems that not only occur during pregnancy, but also throughout the life of the child."
Michael Soares
Institute of Maternal-Fetal
Biology director
establish three new laboratories for the institute. The institute's administrators also want to find financial donors to support the project as well.
Soares said the institute aimed to improve conditions for mothers and babies.
"A number of disorders lead to premature birth, small babies and other problems that not only occur during pregnancy, but also throughout the life of the child." he said.
Audus, director of the institute's Lawrence laboratory on drug transport across the placenta, said his lab focused on finding ways to prevent drugs from crossing the placenta. Audus said he enjoyed working at the new institute.
"For me,it's a great benefit,I get to mix with researchers who are on the clinical side," he said. "Just sharing our ideas, we're able to come up with new approaches."
Edited by Lauren Beatty
Couple speaks about missionary work
By Aaron Passman
apassman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Kent Linneweh, missionary from St. Joseph, Mo., speaks to the Calvary Temple Assembly of God congregation about the corruption in Amsterdam. One in 500 people in the Netherlands have had no contact with Christianity, said Linneweh in his speech last night. Linneweh and his wife will travel to Amsterdam next fall to perform the missionary work.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Once heavily involved in the drug and hippie culture of the 1960s and early 1970s, Kent and Leslie Linneweh are now working as youth pastors in St. Joseph, Mo., and plan to travel as missionaries to the Netherlands in August.
The Linnewehs spoke last night to a group of about 35 people at Calvary Temple Assembly of God, 606 W. 29th St. Terrace, about their past and future and how they planned to help change the lives of others.
"The culture we're going to isn't that dissimilar from our past," Kent said, before launching into a description of Amsterdam.
He said Amsterdam was a "post-modern, post-Christian society" where drugs, pornography and prostitution were legal and rampant, and the government sponsored abortions and euthanasia.
"If you're going to share some light in the world, go to a dark place," Kent said, "and I've got a feeling Amsterdam is pretty dark."
He condemned the country's marketing of Amsterdam's Red Light District as a tourist attraction.
Marshall Lackrone, Calvary
Kent said the Netherlands was one of the most literate countries in the world, though only 0.2 percent of the population had any connection to Christianity.
He said 17 million people lived in an area roughly one-third the size of Kansas, but despite its dense population, there would be only five Christian missionaries in the Netherlands with their arrival.
Temple pastor, said he was glad the Linnewehs had brought their message to his church and extended it to Western Europe. He said it was important the Linnewehs were taking their message to those in the Netherlands who had yet to find Christ and be saved.
Kent said he and Leslie had been "the traditional hippies," drinking, doing drugs and cussing heavily.
The Linneweh have been married for 32 years, though they were briefly divorced and later
He showed a picture of their wedding, with Kent's hair down to his waist and wearing a homemade bright blue jacket. He said they drank and were big into drugs, but around 1974 his band broke up, he cut his hair, got a 9-to-5 job and began living a more traditional life.
"I'm thankful that there are people who are concerned and have a heart for God to go into the ministry and bring people to know Christ."
Chenaye Sutton
Coweta, Okla. graduate student
remarried. Kent said he was not saved until he was 32, after Leslie had prayed for seven years for him to be saved. Kent said after finding Jesus, he quit drinking and cussing and turned his life around.
Chenaye Sutton, Coweta, Okla., grad student, said the Linnewehs' presentation showed that there was a need for missionaries in Europe.
"I'm thankful that there are people who are concerned and have a heart for God to go into the ministry and bring people to know Christ," she said.
The Linnewehs will leave Thursday to visit the Netherlands for a week, and plan to leave for their mission in August.
They said they had been planning their trip since January and were spending their time now making an itinerary, planning and raising awareness and money for the trip.
Once there, they said they would work with young people, age 17 to 30, doing street ministering, starting churches and witnessing.
"We're really going to get in there and get our hands dirty," Kent said.
- Edited by Jessica Hood
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