Research highlights

Rebekah Dawson, PhD

The UNMC College of Medicine received grant and funding awards representing $4,171,931 in new funding in February.

  • Rebekah Dawson, PhD, cellular and integrative physiology, received a grant of $765,000 from DHHS/NIH/NHLBI for a study harnessing glycoproteomics and glycomics to understand cardiac biology and disease.
  • Wasim Nasser, PhD, biochemistry and molecular biology, received a grant of $473,250 from DHHS/NIH/NCI for a study targeting MUC5AC mucin in breast cancer brain metastasis.
  • Xinglong Wang, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant of $396,330 from DHHS/NIH/NINDS to study mitochondrial dynamics for the maintenance of neuromuscular junctions during aging and in ALS.
  • Maegan Wallace, MD, orthopaedic surgery, received a grant of $114,750 from Baylor University for the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network.
  • Roslyn Mannon, MD, internal medicine-nephrology, received a grant of $73,219 from the University of California-San Francisco to study novel therapies to modulate the inflammatory alloresponse in renal grafts. Dr. Mannon also received a grant of $3,794 from the University of Alabama-Birmingham for the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center.
  • Sidharth Mahapatra, MD, PhD, pediatrics, received a grant of $63,810 from the University of Utah for the Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development Program.
  • Apar Ganti, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received a grant for $54,000 from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for a data use agreement — ASCO Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry.
  • Sutapa Ray, PhD, pediatrics, received a grant of $45,000 from the Edna Ittner Trust Fund UN Foundation for elucidating the role of dysregulated STAT3-CDK9 signaling in medulloblastoma.
  • Tyler Kambis, genetics, cell biology and anatomy, received a grant of $33,788 from DHHS/NIH/NHLBI for a study targeting metabolic remodeling and mitochondrial dysfunction in the diabetic heart.
  • Susan Swindells, MBBS, internal medicine-infectious diseases, received a grant of $30,990 from Johns Hopkins University as part of the Long-Acting/Extended Release Tuberculosis Working Group.
  • Leah Cook, PhD, pathology-microbiology, received a grant of $30,600 from the American Cancer Society for exploring the role of CPT1A in Neutrophil-mediated Immune response and BM-PCa progression.
  • Andrea Jones, MD, family medicine, received a grant of $29,999 from Power to Decide for the Reproductive Well-Being Shared Learning Collaborative.
  • Ashley Deschamp, MD, pediatrics-pulmonology, received a grant of $ from Creighton University to study genetic markers for susceptibility or resistance to ototoxicity.

Industry-sponsored grants and contracts:

The following industry-sponsored contracts and foundation grants were received. Information on clinical trials enrolling patients at UNMC can be found here.

  • Krishna Gundabolu, MBBS, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for an open-label, multicenter Phase Ib/II study evaluating the safety and efficacy of AUTO1, a CAR T cell treatment targeting CD19 in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
  • Ronald Zolty, MD, PhD, internal medicine-cardiovascular, received funding for a Phase 3 study to compare efficacy, safety and tolerability of Macitentan 75 mg vs. Macitentan 10 mg.
  • Todd Wyatt, PhD, internal medicine-pulmonary, received funding to study the impact of inhaled swine CAFO dust on COVID-19 pathogenesis.
  • Carol Toris, PhD, ophthalmology and visual sciences, received funding for a long-term ocular irritation study.
  • Hanjun Wang, MD, anesthesiology, received funding for exploring a role for RTX in a model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
  • Rey Carabeo, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received funding for validation of the Juno Bio Vaginal Microbiome Test.
  • Paul Fey, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received funding for a study for validation of the Streck Quality Controls for BioFire BCID2 Panel.