For as long as he can remember, Dr. Robert Mecham wanted to become a scientist. Hometown teachers nurtured his talent during middle school and high school. An undergraduate work-study job at the University of Utah started Dr. Mecham on a path he still travels—research on the connective-tissue proteins that structure blood vessels, bones, skin, and organs of the body. Today, Dr. Mecham is a leading expert on these proteins, with over 200 scientific papers, nine books, and dozens of professional honors and chairmanships to his credit. 

Insights of a seasoned scientist

Dr. Mecham brings his experience as a scientist to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Children’s Discovery Institute. He knows that pediatric health research can be a long road, needing the kind of support the Institute provides. 

“Just look at my career,” said Dr. Mecham. “When I was an undergraduate in the early 1970s, we were just beginning to characterize the protein, elastin, which is a very complex, connective-tissue protein responsible for the elasticity of blood vessels and the lung. After years of work, we had enough information to begin to delve into how the protein forms the functional polymer—the way the molecules line up together to form the elastic structures in the body. Now, 30 years later, we are still working to understand elastin, using new findings in genetics to describe elastin’s role in health and disease.” 

Likewise, it can take years for a discovery in biology to lead to new treatments for children. Fortunately, the Children’s Discovery Institute can help accelerate the process. 

“By supporting collaboration among researchers in different fields,” said Dr. Mecham, “the Institute allows scientists to exchange ideas that move their research along.” This enables investigators to “keep up with the many, many scientific developments that are happening across disciplines,” often leading to fruitful new avenues of study. 

Choosing the projects to fund

Dr. Mecham’s experience helps him make informed decisions when it comes to the Advisory Board’s key responsibility—choosing the investigators who will be awarded funding from the Children’s Discovery Institute. The Board reviews proposals from investigators across the community of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University. 

When considering a proposal, Dr. Mecham and all other board members are looking for the very best science. “You know it when you see it,” declared Dr. Mecham. “It’s a proposal that asks an interesting and important question. A study with a feasible design—something that will open up new vistas and inspire subsequent research.” Dr. Mecham also looks for worthwhile projects in children’s health that might not be funded by more traditional sources like the NIH (National Institutes of Health). 

Ultimately, said Dr. Mecham, everyone on the Advisory Board shares a strategic vision. “In addition to funding the strongest science, we want the Children’s Discovery Institute to encourage and enable scientists who might not normally apply their ideas to pediatric disease.” By doing that, “we facilitate discoveries that bear on children’s health, which might not have happened without our help.”

Robert P. Mecham, PhD is Alumni Endowed Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, Professor of Pediatrics and Bioengineering, Washington University School of Medicine, and a member of the Institute’s Scientific Advisory Board.