BIOENERGETICS RESEARCH

PHYSICIAN RECOGNIZED WITH TRANSFORMATIONAL RESEARCH SUPPORT

Exceptional patient care by a treasured Houston Methodist physician-researcher inspired a longtime Houston Methodist family to create an endowment for a research program designed to change the way physicians diagnose and treat some of humankind’s deadliest diseases.

The Jerold B. Katz Foundation recently funded the Lenny C. Katz Translational Research Center for Bioenergetics, which is led by Dr. Dale Hamilton, the Elaine and Marvy A. Finger Distinguished Chair for Translational Research in Metabolic Disorders.

“The research being produced by the Center for Bioenergetics is game-changing — and will shift the way doctors diagnose and treat patients suffering from all kinds of diseases,” says Evan H. Katz, chairman of the Jerold B. Katz Foundation. “This is important work, and we are proud to support Dr. Hamilton and his team.”

Dr. Hamilton has had a longstanding relationship with the Katz Family, meeting Jerold B. Katz in the early 2000s. He subsequently cared for Mr. Katz’s late son, Lenny, who had suffered severe head trauma in a car accident. Now, Dr. Hamilton provides care for Jerold B. Katz.

The center’s investigators study methods for “re-energizing” energy-deprived organs, including highly innovative techniques such as the transfer of functional healthy mitochondria into energy-altered tissue. In addition, the center’s researchers pursue investigations related to identifying mechanisms of altered energy transduction in disease states, especially those involving high-energy tissues. The gift from the Jerold B. Katz Foundation has strengthened and expanded the efforts of the center’s researchers.

“The Katz endowment definitely increases the depth of our understanding of concepts like the quantum effects of high-energy transfer rates in biologic tissues that have an impact on our health,” says Dr. Hamilton. “The goal and potential are to change the way we diagnose and treat.”

“The Jerold B. Katz Foundation’s support allowed us to launch a navigator program to provide collaboration and care for patients in municipal and rural areas with limited access to a tertiary care center,” Dr. Hamilton continues. “That then gave physicians translational research opportunities to address patient care needs.”

Evan Katz says the depth of his family’s trust in Dr. Hamilton, and the diligence in which the longtime Methodist physician has always pursued his research, inspired the family to investigate and then invest in the world of bioenergetics.

“For us, medical research is about the future,” says Evan Katz. “Dr. Hamilton has the experience, which informs his vision of what is possible. He deeply cares about his research. He has recruited top-notch people into his lab, and they are results driven. We are excited that this work will continue in perpetuity.”

BIOENERGETICS

“The Katz endowment definitely increases the depth of our understanding of concepts like the quantum effects of high-energy transfer rates in biologic tissues that have an impact on our health.”

Dr. Dale Hamilton, Director, Center for Bioenergetics