UNMC received third quarter grant awards totaling nearly $9.1 million — bringing the year-to-date total to $37.7 million — and continuing on pace for a record year in research funding.
“We’re still on track for a very good year for the funding of our investigators,” said David Crouse, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and graduate studies and research. “We still have one important quarter remaining, and typically it is the largest quarter of the year in terms of grant funding.
“Last year, we brought in $41.3 million for the entire year. If we keep our current pace we should easily surpass $50 million for the year, and that is a wonderful testimony to the quality of researchers on our campus. The enhanced federal support of the National Institutes of Health clearly has paid dividends for UNMC.”
The third quarter represents the months of January, February and March. Some of the grants for new research projects include:
- Lucile Wrenshall, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the department of surgery, received $238,619 to study the association between interleukin 2 (a substance produced by cells of the immune system) and heparan sulfate (a component that “holds” cells together to form tissues). This project examines how the interaction between interleukin and heparan sulfate impacts immune responses.
- Judith Christman, Ph.D., chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology, received $141,376 to study the mechanisms involved in the early stages of breast cancer development. The observed changes in methylation (a reaction carried out on DNA by a cellular enzyme) and expression of specific genes or DNA regions to be studied could provide new markers for early diagnosis.
- Robert Lewis, Ph.D., associate professor in the Eppley Research Institute, received $100,000 to identify proteins within cells that are responsible for the inhibition of apoptosis. All cells retain the ability to undergo programmed cell suicide (apoptosis) given appropriate stimuli. In diabetes, apoptosis may be the mechanism that results in the death of the insulin-secreting B cells in the pancreas. Certain hormones, including insulin and insulin-like growth factors, can suppress suicide in cells. Researchers hope to identify targets for therapeutic intervention that will lead ultimately to useful therapies in diabetes.
- Kay-Uwe Wagner, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Eppley Research Institute, received $262,105 to determine the role the TSG101 gene plays during normal development and tumor formation by using genetically engineered mice. Genes that contribute to tumor formation are categorized into oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. Both classes of genes are tightly interwoven, and they do much more than just stimulate (oncogenes) or prevent (tumor suppressor genes) the onset of cancer. TSG101 is a newly discovered tumor susceptibility gene, which is important for restricting the growth of normal cells, but the biological function of TSG101 inside the body is largely unknown.