Medical research highlights, April 2024

Anna Dunaevsky, PhD

The UNMC College of Medicine received grant and funding awards totaling nearly $600,000 in February. Awards included:

Anna Dunaevsky, PhD, neurological sciences, received a grant of $846,220 from the U.S. Army/USAMRAA/CDMRP for a study of the role of astrocyte in sleep impairments in autism spectrum disorders.

Caroline Ng, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received a grant of $671,642 from DHHS/NIH/NIAID for a study of proteostasis in plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance.

Michael Baine, MD, PhD, radiation oncology, received a grant of $576,000 from the NRG Oncology Foundation, Inc., for a master agreement.

Yulong Li, MD, PhD, emergency medicine, received a grant of $542,996 from DHHS/NIH/NHLBI for a study of potential mechanisms underlying parasympathetic neuronal dysfunction in diabetes.

Joshua Santarpia, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received a grant of $348,323 from National Strategic Research Institute for the “Good Charlotte” project.

Alfred Bothwell, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received a grant of $300,938 from DHHS/NIH/NIAID for a study of thrombocyte regulation of anti-parasite immunity.

Andrew Dudley, PhD, genetics, cell biology and anatomy, received a grant of $164,183 from DHHS/NIH/NIGMS for the critical Analysis of Data-Rich Networks for Biomedical Scientists Training Program.

Howard Gendelman, MD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant of $53,000 from SUNY-Stony Brook for a study of the effects of cART and opioids on neural circuitry in the context of HIV-1 infection.

Ram Subramanyan, MD, PhD, surgery-cardiothoracic surgery, received a grant of $50,515 from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for a clinical trial evaluating Lomecel-B1a injection in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Aaron Schwab, internal medicine-allergy/immunology, received a grant of $36,447 from DHHS/NIH/NIEHS for a study targeting the ACOD1 immunometabolic pathway of lung myeloid cells to reduce environmental exposure-induced lung disease.

Jieqiong Wang, PhD, neurological sciences, received a grant of $25,000 from the Nebraska EPSCoR for a machine learning framework to identify biomarkers of intrinsic brain networks across different psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Roslyn Mannon, MD, internal medicine-nephrology, received a grant of $21,048 from the University of Alabama-Birmingham for the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center, as well as a grant of $20,000 from the University of California-San Francisco for a study applying precision medicine to optimize desensitization with novel biologics or cellular therapies in highly sensitized kidney transplant patients.

Scott Westphal, MD, internal medicine-nephrology, received a grant of $20,405 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center.

Stacey Gilk, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received a grant of $5,000 from the Burroughs Welcome Fund for support of the 33rd meeting of American Society for Rickettsiology.

Industry-sponsored grants and contracts:

Jennifer Medlin, MD, internal medicine-rheumatology, received funding for a study of FT819 in participants with moderate to severe active systemic lupus erythematosus.

Karen Deffenbacher, MD, PhD, internal medicine-cardiovascular, received funding for the “SPYRAL AFFIRM Global Clinical Study of Renal Denervation with the Simplicity Spyral Renal Denervation System in Subjects with Uncontrolled Hypertension,” as well as “Equity in Modifying Plaque of Women with Undertreated Calcified Coronary Artery Disease (EMPOWER).”

Apar Ganti, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for a study of P-MUC1C-ALLO1 in adult subjects with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

Ronald Zolty, MD, PhD, internal medicine-cardiovascular, received funding for a study to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and potential efficacy of multiple doses of ONO-2808 in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Mara Seier, MD, neurological sciences, received funding for a study to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and potential efficacy of multiple doses of ONO-2808 in patients with multiple system atrophy.

So-Youn Kim, PhD, obstetrics/gynecology, received funding for a novel ex vivo system for long-term whole ovary culture.

Zachary Bauman, DO, surgery-acute care surgery, received funding for a study of cryoablation.

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