Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: Campus News

David Lewis

One UW-Eau Claire chemistry professor's e-mail inbox is filled with "congratulations" and "well done" messages.

That's because David Lewis received $65,000 to research and develop a new derivative of the drug Warfarin, the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulant, which prevents blood from clotting.

The process of receiving the grant only took a few months rather than the usual year or two, Lewis said. While it all happened so fast, he said he still had time to sit back and realize the enormity of the situation.

"It's been a very strange way to get money, but I can't complain by the end result," Lewis said. "I think we're going to have some fun, I really do."

With the help of senior Gina Macek, Lewis is working in collaboration with Michael Caldwell, a vascular surgeon at Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield.

The problem with Warfarin is the fact that each patient reacts differently to it, Lewis said, making it a difficult drug to manage. This requires patients to get frequent blood tests to avoid side effects.

Lewis said Caldwell believes he identified a potential way to attack the problem. They are working on making modified molecules of Warfarin and shipping them to Marshfield to be tested.

Lewis said this research is also questioning the current theory of how Vitamin K works. This vitamin is important in preventing blood clotting, and Warfarin interferes with the way it works.

"I think that the textbooks may have it wrong," Lewis said. "If they do, then we have just found an entirely new place to attack the blood clotting process."

At this point, everything is speculative and a good one or two years of work is ahead of them, Lewis said.

But so far, Lewis said he is very happy with how things are going.

"You can always tell the hallmark of a good collaboration," he said. "If you generate more when you get together, then it's a good collaboration."

He said he and Caldwell trigger thoughts in each other that wouldn't be triggered alone.

But in the beginning, Lewis said he wasn't hopeful, because his background is completely different than Caldwell's.

"But then (Caldwell) and I got talking, and we very quickly found that we were taking the intellectual discussion in directions neither of us figured would happen," Lewis said.

This project is one of four WiSys Technology Foundation Inc. chose to fund in the UW System, said Maliyakal John, managing director for WiSys. The project also received the most money, John said.

He said this is one of the most interesting and useful programs in the UW System.

"We are bringing very different sciences together ... to create therapeutics that could be useful to all of us," he said.

John also said the chance to get students involved in this is a great one.

"We thought getting more students exposed to this type of exciting research is important," he said.

And Macek, a chemistry major, agreed.

She started working on this project at the beginning of summer and said it is right up her alley.

When she found out about the grant money, she said she felt two things.

"Surprised and excitement," she said, "because it's awesome. It really is."

Lewis said they've only just begun but are hoping to make big strides.

"By the end of this year we'll certainly know whether we're on the right track."

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