COM research highlights, May 2023

Xinglong Wang, PhD

The UNMC College of Medicine received grant and funding awards representing more than $10 million in new funding in March and April.

Xinglong Wang, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant of $1,460,652 from DHHS/NIH/NIA for a study on mitochondrial TDP-43 in Alzheimer’s disease and a grant of $150,000 from the Alzheimer’s Association for a study on TDP-43 liquid-liquid phase separation in Alzheimer’s disease.

Russell McCulloh, MD, pediatrics-hospitalists, received a grant of $698,396 from the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute as part of the RECOVER Cohort Phase II Pediatric Cohort.

Derrick Samuelson, PhD, internal medicine-pulmonary, received a grant of $693,330 from DHHS/NIH/NIDDK for a study of gut bacterial metallophores in the development and severity of inflammatory bowel disease.

Larisa Poluektova, MD, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant of $610,497 from DHHS/NIH/NIAID for a study a new generation of long acting nucleos(t)ides and immune stimulant for treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Tammy Kielian, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received a grant of $580,182 from DHHS/NIH/NIAID for a study of T cell-innate immune crosstalk regulates Staphylococcus aureus craniotomy infection.

Steve Caplan, PhD, biochemistry and molecular biology, received a grant of $546,146 from DHHS/NIH/NIGMS to study mechanisms of membrane trafficking in endocytic and non-endocytic pathway.

Padmashri Ragunathan, PhD, neurological sciences, received a grant of $303,635 from Creighton University for the Translational Hearing Center.

Paul Fey, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received a grant of $282,393 from DHHS/NIH/NIAID for a study of mechanisms of staphylococcal skin colonization.

Jana Broadhurst, MD, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received a grant of $165,401 from Rush University Medical Center for “Preserving Cognitive Resilience: A Biracial Parent-Offspring Study.”

Shaheed Merani, MD, PhD, surgery-transplant, received a grant of $100,000 from American Society of Transplant Patients for a study applying mammalian hibernation biochemistry to organ preservation in transplantation: a strategy for improving post-transplant outcomes and donor organ utilization.

Maegen Wallace, MD, orthopaedic surgery, received a grant of $90,066 from the Baylor College of Medicine for the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network.

Karsten Bartels, MD, PhD, anesthesiology, received a grant of $89,466 from Columbia University for the “PRIME-AIR STUDY – 1/2: An Anethesia-Centered Bundle to Reduce Postoperative Pumonary Complications,”

Ashley Deschamp, MD, pediatrics-pulmonary, received a grant of $86,496 from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as part of the Data Coordinating and Operations Center for the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network, as well as a grant of $105,230 from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for the Therapeutics Development Center Award.

James Campbell, MD, internal medicine-general internal medicine, received a grant of $75,000 from the University of Colorado Denver for a National Center for Digital Health Informatics Innovation.

Christopher Conrady, MD, PhD, ophthalmology and visual sciences, received a grant of $70,000 from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation to study acute retinal necrosis in children.

Carol Toris, PhD, ophthalmology and visual sciences, received a grant of $63,062 from Georgia Institute of Technology for development of a non-drug, non-surgical method to treat glaucoma.

Geoffrey Thiele, PhD, internal medicine-rheumatology, received a grant of $60,000 from Rheumatology Research Foundation for a study on how citrullinated and malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde modified proteins promote cellular and immune responses associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Aaron Barksdale, MD, emergency medicine, received a grant of $44,575 from the University of Michigan for the “Influence of Cooling duration of Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (ICECAP) Trial.”

Jeffrey Cooper, MD, emergency medicine, received a grant of $42,000 from the University of Michigan for the “Hyperbaric Oxygen Brain Injury Treatment Trial.”

Amar Singh, PhD, biochemistry and molecular biology, received a grant of $30,150 from South Dakota State University to study a strategy for safe colon-targeted local therapy of inflammatory bowel disease.

Carol Geary, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received a grant of $22,092 from THE Task Force for Global Health for the COVID-19 Electronic Health Data Initiative, as well as a grant of $2,812 from University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute for collaborative research: “Privacy Preserving Federated Transfer Learning for Early Acute Kidney Injury Risk Prediction.”

Kari Simonsen, MD, pediatrics-infectious diseases, received a grant of $18,000 from the University of Alabama Birmingham for the Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) Congenital and Perinatal Infections Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortium.

Hana Niebur, MD, pediatrics-allergy, received a grant of $15,300 from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for the Data Coordinating and Operations Center (DCOC) for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network.

Shuai Li, MD, PhD, surgery-vascular surgery, received a grant of $10,000 from the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research for the study “ Autophagy in Peripheral Artery Disease: Clinical Significance and Therapeutic Potential.”

Vijay Shivaswamy, MBBS, internal medicine-DEM, received a grant of $7,702 from the Nebraska Educational Biomedical Research Association to support the NEBRA project.

Cyrus DeSouza, MBBS, internal medicine-DEM, received a grant of $7,702 from the Nebraska Educational Biomedical Research Association to support the SURPASS project.

Industry-sponsored grants and contracts:

The following industry-sponsored grants and contracts were received.

Mara Seier, MD, neurological sciences, received funding for a study to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Lu AF82422 in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Rao Chundury, MD, ophthalmology and visual sciences, received funding for T a trial in patients with thyroid eye disease to evaluate the safety and tolerability of different dosing durations of Teprotumumab.

Brad Brabec, MD, pediatrics-administration, received funding for a study concerning orally administered PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir)/Ritonavir.

Daniel Surdell, MD, neurosurgery, received funding for the SQUID trial for the embolization of the middle meningeal artery (STEM) for treatment of chronic subdural hematoma.

Shaheed Merani, MD, PhD, surgery-transplant, received funding for a clinical trial to compare the safety and Eeffectiveness of the VitaSmart System with static cold (Bridge to HOPE).

Jeffrey Delaney, MD, pediatrics-cardiology, received funding for the “Harmony TPV Post-Approval Study.”

Benjamin Tepley, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for a study of PSCA-specific chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells (BPX-601) in subjects with previously treated advanced solid tumors.

Ken Bayles, PhD, pathology/microbiology, received funding for the DEFENSEWERX-ICWERX Biosurveillance Research & Development Agreement.

Krishna Gundabolu, MBBS, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for a screening and lead-in observational protocol to determine potential patient eligibility for inclusion in AAV gene therapy clinical trials in haemophilia B (ECLIPSE).

Andrea Zimmer, MD, internal medicine-infectious diseases, received funding for a trial of Viralym-M (ALVR105) for the treatment of patients with virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant.

Carol Toris, PhD, ophthalmology and visual sciences, received funding for a T-Rex outflow facility assessment.