UNMC College of Medicine faculty received 14 grant awards representing more than $2.3 million in new funding during the month of December. Here are three of the highlights:
Continued funding for multiple myeloma research
Sarah Holstein, M.D., Ph.D., internal medicine – oncology/hematology, has received a renewal of her National Institutes of Health award from the National Cancer Institute, which funds her research on novel enzyme inhibitors as a treatment option for multiple myeloma.
Biosecurity laboratories receive continued support
Peter Iwen, Ph.D., pathology & microbiology, has received more than $600,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. These funds continue the support for bioterrorism preparedness research performed through the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory at UNMC.
Antimicrobial peptides to prevent medical implant infections
Guangshun (Gus) Wang, Ph.D., pathology & microbiology, has received a National Institutes of Health award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop novel antimicrobial peptides to modify the material surface of implanted medical devices to prevent biofilm formation and infection.
Industry-sponsored grants:
The following industry-sponsored contracts and foundation grants also were received. Information on clinical trials enrolling patients at UNMC can be found here.
Cyrus Desouza, M.B.B.S., internal medicine – DEM, is the UNMC lead on a clinical study to evaluate the effect of a novel drug on hemoglobin A1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Stephen Obaro, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., pediatrics – infectious diseases, has received funding from Wits Health Consortium, part of the University of the Witwatersrand, to study bacterial colonization in mothers and newborns in low- and middle-income areas of South Asian and African countries.
Diana Florescu, M.D., internal medicine – infectious diseases, is the UNMC lead in a phase 3 clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel antibody for the treatment of transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections.
John Colombo, M.D., pediatrics – pulmonology, has received a Therapeutics Development Center award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
David Warren, Ph.D., neurological sciences, has received an EPSCoR equipment grant through the University of Nebraska – Lincoln to provide transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to support novel neuroscience research in Nebraska.
Ted Mikuls, M.D., internal medicine – rheumatology, has received support through the University of Alabama – Birmingham to assist on a study that aims to develop novel methods for the ascertainment of gout flares.
Kevin Garvin, M.D., orthopedic surgery, has received support through the Medical University of South Carolina to participate in a comparative effectiveness study of pulmonary embolism prevention after hip and knee replacement.
Pariwat Thaisetthawatkul, M.D., neurological sciences, is the UNMC lead on a clinical study of patients with symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension to assess the sustained effects of a novel therapy.
Amy Hellman, M.D., neurological sciences, has received support from the CHDI Foundation to assist in a prospective registry study of a global Huntington’s disease cohort.
Tara Nordgren, Ph.D., internal medicine – pulmonary, has received support from Colorado State University to study the role of agricultural dust exposures on the function of lung cells.
Stephen Bonasera, M.D., Ph.D., internal medicine – geriatrics, has received support from Northwestern University to participate in a study that will assess a mobile intervention for bipolar disorder.