News studies tackle sepsis, leukemia, high cholesterol, kidney disease
Industry-sponsored contracts
Michael Moulton, M.D., surgery-cardiovascular & thoracic surgery and Erika Boesen, Ph.D., cellular & integrative physiology have both received awards to manage aspects of a project on renal disease. Dr. Moulton will be the UNMC lead for a clinical trial to monitor the safety and effectiveness of a drug to prevent acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Dr. Boesen will study the role of peptide endothelin-1 in renal injury and dysfunction. Both studies hope to impact the effect that chronic kidney disease has on the nearly 50 million people in the U.S. who suffer from progressive loss of kidney function.
Howard Gendelman, M.D., pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, will study cell targeted, long-acting, nanoformulated, antiretroviral therapy. Dr. Gendelman’s work in drug delivery and distribution has translational potential for sustained and targeted efficacy with limited systemic toxicities which could improve drug adherence and reduce viral resistance in infected people.
Andre Kalil, M.D., internal medicine-infectious diseases, is conducting a Phase III clinical trial on the safety and effectiveness of an existing treatment for disseminated intravascular coagulation on patients with severe sepsis and coagulopathy. Sepsis and its aftermath are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. It is hoped that the use of this drug can be used as a self-regulating treatment of coagulopathy in sepsis.
Guangshun (Gus) Wang, Ph.D., pathology and microbiology, is working on pharmaceutical development of anti-biofilm compounds.
Scott Shurmur, M.D., internal medicine-cardiology, is conducting a Phase III clinical trial to determine the safety and effectiveness of an orphan drug to be used as an adjunct therapy to existing lipid lowering medications for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), an extremely rare genetic disorder. Patients with HoFH have extremely high concentrations of LDL cholesterol and are at risk for early cardiovascular disease.
Andjela Drincic, M.D., internal medicine-diabetes, endrocrinology and metabolism, is conducting a Phase III clinical trial for an interventional safety study for an orphan drug used to treat Cushing’s disease. It is hoped this treatment will reduce or eliminate the clinical symptoms of the disease.
Irving Zucker, Ph.D., cellular and integrative physiology, is working on a collaborative research project looking at the mechanism of vasovagal syncope, the most common cause of fainting. The study is through the National Institutes of Health – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Shilpa Buch, Ph.D., pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, is working on a multi-institution project through Johns Hopkins University looking at novel therapeutics for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Dr. Buch will provide her expertise in inflammatory processes of the brain. The project is funded by the NIH National Institute for Mental Health.
John Scherschel, M.D., internal medicine-cardiology, is conducting a Phase IV clinical trial for measuring the safety and efficiency of a new imaging system on the outcome of intracardiac ultrasound in patients with drug refractory, atrial fibrillation.
Peter Coccia, M.D., pediatrics-hematology/oncology, is collaborating on two pediatric cancer projects through the Children’s Oncology Group and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Robert (Greg) Bociek, M.D., internal medicine-oncology/hematology, is conducting a Phase II clinical trial studying how well donor stem cell transplants work in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This trial is currently recruiting participants.