Our History and Vision

About Us

Dr. Higuchi Takeru Higuchi’s Inspiration
The Higuchi Biosciences Center is named for the late Takeru Higuchi, the legendary “father of physical pharmacy” and KU Regents Professor from 1967 until his retirement in 1983. Known internationally for both his scientific brilliance and extraordinary interpersonal skills, Tak Higuchi brought both to bear on the creation of partnerships between the university and pharmaceutical industry. He was committed to marrying pure, theoretical research with life-saving drug production. During his tenure at KU, he was responsible for the creation of INTERx and Oread Laboratories, pharmaceutical companies that served to redefine the standard relationship between industry and the university.

With the initial mission of basic research and economic development, the Higuchi Biosciences Center could not have a more appropriate namesake or model than Tak Higuchi who, during his career, published more than 300 scientific papers and was awarded more than 50 patents. For more information about Takeru Higuchi, click here.

“His uniqueness is that he can look into the future and see things and imagine things that most of us cannot. Higuchi has the ability to identify what will be important in the future— that is his genius.” -- Ron Borchardt, Solon E. Summerfield Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Introduction to the Center
The Higuchi Biosciences Center (HBC) was brought into existence in 1988 through the merger of the existing Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR) and the Center for Bioanalytical Research (CBAR). CBMR, established in 1981, was supported by the University of Kansas Office of Research for the purpose of promoting basic, multidisciplinary research in the biomedical sciences. CBAR, established in 1983, had a mission of stimulating economic development by converting university-based technological discoveries into products, services, jobs, and companies. Principal support for this activity came from a grant from the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC).

In 1989, KTEC approved a new center component, the Center for Drug Delivery Research (CDDR), and a plan to add new centers focused on economic development in the areas of neurobiology, immunology and drug design. Thus, in 1994, the Center for Neurobiology and Immunology Research (CNIR) was created and, in 1998, a Drug Design Program (DDP) was established within CNIR. In 2004, the DDP became the Center for Drug Discovery (CDD).

The rationale for combining the basic research and economic development missions within a singular HBC was simple. Basic research is the cornerstone upon which applied research and its economic impact are based. By having both activities administered by the same unit, the HBC could increase the opportunities for identifying technologies appropriate for development and enhance the possibility that such development would occur.

Although CBAR, CDDR, CNIR, and more recently the CDD were developed to address important areas of product development, these Center components have developed their own scientific areas of expertise as well, and are now recognized, both nationally and internationally, for their scientific accomplishments.

HBC Structure
Today, the HBC is engaged in basic research support under the oversight of the director of the HBC. Basic research support consists of space management, proposal preparation, and grants management, including purchasing, accounting, and personnel functions. In addition, the HBC provides a variety of other support services and assists in developing interdisciplinary collaborations between bioscience and biomedical researchers.

Collaborations

The Year in Review

Creating a Climate of Collaboration