WINDBER — Two of Windber Research Institute’s newest breast-cancer studies highlight the organization’s commitment to diversifying away from its reliance on direct federal allocations.

The studies, funded primarily through prestigious Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., also accent Windber’s growing reputation for science.

For eight years, Windber Research Institute has relied on grants through the Defense Department, primarily in partnership with Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Clinical Breast Care Project.

Although Walter Reed will remain Windber’s primary customer, the overall dynamic is changing and expanding, Windber President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Kurtz said.

“Our financial plan looks beyond the traditional funding sources, which in our case was the Defense Department,” Kurtz said.

Expanding funding opportunities was No. 1 on his to-do list after taking reins at the research institute in March, following founding president F. Nicholas Jacobs’ resignation.

The quest started with a question, Kurtz said:

“How do we take the assets and strengths of Windber Research Institute, and how do we make a market for it?”

Three things emerged as marketable services, he said, cautioning that they are “marketable” only to other government-funded research institutions such as universities.

“There is no market for basic research,” Kurtz said.

“It all comes out of the grant process.”

The three target areas include:

n Windber’s growing vault of frozen blood and tissue samples for breast cancer and other research;

n Its bioinformatics, or computer software developed here, designed to sort through millions of bits of information found in strands of DNA, protein molecules and other parts of a cell;

n And finally, Windber’s health promotion, disease prevention program, headed by Dr. Matthew Masiello and affiliated with the World Health Organization.

The Harvard and Thomas Jefferson studies show the plan is working, Kurtz said.

At Thomas Jefferson, bioinformatics programming developed at Windber is being used in a study to help clarify which drugs will help different patients based on the chemical makeup of their cancer cells.

“This is the first time we are using technology we developed to collaborate with partners outside,” Kurtz said.

The Harvard opportunity knocked in the form of an e-mail from researchers there.

The message asked about a study Windber published in a scientific journal, said Stella Somiari, senior director of Windber’ tissue bank.

“They sent an e-mail asking questions about our study, and asking advice how to do it themselves,” Somiari said “They want me to actually manage a portion of the research.

“That’s fantastic for Harvard to recognize the research at Windber Research Institute.”

Both developments are part of an important shift in the research institute’s financial structure, Kurtz said, because funding comes from the universities.

Although it has worked with other major research organizations before, primary funding came from grants to Windber Research Institute.

“When you walk into any building and say, ‘We have our own funding,’ you are welcome,” Kurtz said. “Now we have to provide value added.”

Windber’s experience in handling millions in government allocations and its proven research expertise and performance are providing value, he said.

“We are used to working with those large grants,” Kurtz said.

“People think the government gives you money and you go spend it. It is not like that.”

Windber’s scientists have had to double as grant writers and report filers, meeting all stringent requirements under federal law, he explained.

“WRI is unique,” Kurtz said.

“We compete in an arena that is designed to help larger institutions and universities.

“Some of our grant applications are two inches thick. Universities have whole departments preparing those. Stella (Somiari) does ours.”

But WRI’s small size but extensive experience can be assets when working with smaller colleges or groups looking for their first federal grant.

“We know public funding,” Kurtz said. “We have the advantage when we look at a project. We have experience in administering these public funds.”

The tissue bank provides another value-added opportunity, Kurtz said.

What started out as resource for Windber’s work on the Clinical Breast Care Project’s genetic component has become a valuable asset for other researchers. Collected from patients who volunteer to participate, Windber’s tissue bank is among a handful with verifiable quality controls in place.

Any scientist working with human tissue could benefit.

“Scientists still don’t have enough sources to do research successfully,” Somiari said, outlining results of an informal survey of research organizations Windber conducted.

They also found out quality of the specimens is key for most scientists.

“The kind of research they are doing, they are looking for a tube of blood, for instance, from a patient with non-invasive breast cancer,” Somiari said. “They want a history of the patient and treatment methods.”

Windber leaders are reaching out to area hospitals to help expand the specimens, which will be ideal for those studying health issues in non-urban populations.

“We are hoping to do this kind of thing in the future,” Somiari said. “We are trying to build our reputation. We are taking one step at a time.

“We need to make (researchers) comfortable that we provide good (specimens).”

The tissue bank’s recognition by the National Institutes of Health will open doors to more organizations.

By linking Windber to the Cooperative Human Tissue Network, any research funded through the NIH can use Windber as the source of tissue.

“Our operations are good enough to bring us into the fold,” Somiari said.