News on the money and policy behind biomedical research. Covers foundation and career-development awards, endocrine and neuroscience funding, and university royalties.
The Woods Institute has awarded grants to five faculty research teams to tackle global sustainability challenges. The projects include salmon farming in Chile and farmland irrigation in California, with a focus on developing solutions that can be applied beyond their immediate area of interest.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNM) has awarded significant grants to support molecular imaging research, providing opportunities for young scientists to pursue cutting-edge research in emerging fields. The awards aim to advance patient care by investing in promising researchers working on vital medical practices.
The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research has committed $5 million to support scientists studying the biology of aging and age-related diseases. This funding provides critical support to researchers working to understand how aging influences disease, with a focus on developing new scientific knowledge about aging processes.
The Indiana University School of Medicine's M.D./Ph.D. program has been awarded a $1.25 million NIH grant to expand its enrollment. The program, which combines medical and biomedical engineering training, is recognized for its strength in incorporating a strong engineering program.
Lara Hutson's research on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the most common inherited neuromuscular disease, aims to investigate disease mutations in zebrafish. The study seeks to understand axon degeneration and its implications for prevention and management.
Thomas E. Smith, associate professor of chemistry at Williams College, has been awarded a $217,710 three-year grant by the National Cancer Institute to develop new methods for synthesizing pyran-based anticancer compounds. The research will focus on natural products with promising medicinal value, including acutphycin and tedanolide C.
The LSUHSC has been awarded a $10 million COBRE grant to support cardiovascular research projects and mentor junior faculty. The grant will fund four research projects and one pilot project, focusing on various aspects of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, stents, and stroke.
The American Society of Hematology has launched an initiative to provide increased support for training programs in hematology-related disciplines. Three grant recipients will develop new curricula that integrate emerging technologies into traditional training programs, addressing the need for clinicians and clinical researchers with s...
Dr. Dennis Scanlon will evaluate the impact of 'Aligning Forces for Quality' in 14 US communities, focusing on chronic illness care and hospital processes. The initiative aims to improve healthcare quality, reduce racial disparities, and provide models for national reform.
The Parkinson's Disease Foundation has awarded $950,000 in seed grants to 19 researchers, including Matthew Goldberg and Sandra M. Lynch, to explore new treatments for Parkinson's disease. The funding will support the development of animal models and antibody-based therapies.
The International Association for Dental Research presented several prestigious awards and fellowships to recognize significant contributions to dental research, including the IADR Honorary Membership, IADR Distinguished Service Award, and IADR/AADR William J. Gies Awards. The awards are designed to stimulate research in oral health pr...
A Northwestern University biomedical engineer has developed optical technology that can detect colon cancer early and is now being tested in large-scale clinical trials. The tests aim to predict the presence of colon cancer with adequate sensitivity, potentially leading to a routine screening test.
A survey found that many health research reporting guidelines lack funding, leading to poor methodology and findings. The EQUATOR Network aims to harmonize development and promote use of guidelines through training and resources.
The Indiana University School of Medicine will be home to the nation's sole National Gene Vector Biorepository and Coordinating Center for gene therapy research. The center will help researchers share information and substances to promote discoveries and patient safety.
A $2.5 million NIH grant will fund a study of four communities, including Boston's Chinatown and Somerville, to examine the health effects of pollution exposure in neighborhoods adjacent to major highways. The study aims to better define the most serious impacts of highway pollution on local residents.
A team of Australian researchers has received funding to develop new treatments for epilepsy, with a focus on compounds that block brain cell communication. The project aims to create effective therapies for the one-third of epilepsy patients who do not respond to current treatments.
EuroDYNA stimulates interaction among Collaborative Research Projects (CRPs) in chromatin structure and gene regulation. The programme creates European momentum behind research into chromatin structure and gene regulation.
A new study found that naltrexone significantly reduced the urge to gamble and participation in gambling-related behavior among 77 participants. 40% of those who took the drug were able to quit gambling for at least one month.
New research explores the evolutionary origins of the brain, shedding light on how complex synapse structures drove brain evolution. The study finds that sophisticated molecular processing of nerve impulses was key to developing animals with more complex behaviors.
The Harvard CTSC will transform patient-oriented medical research, creating unity and communication across the University's disparate schools and affiliated medical centers. The center will facilitate collaboration, provide online tools, and distribute pilot grants to junior investigators.
The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science will provide support services to researchers while fostering collaboration with other medical centers. The grant will accelerate research outcomes at Ohio State and elsewhere, leading to faster development of treatments for patients.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center a five-year, $22 million grant to establish the Einstein-Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. The institute aims to expedite the transfer of research discoveries from academia to patient care.
The NIH has expanded its Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium, investing $533 million over five years in 14 new academic health centers. The initiative aims to reduce the time between laboratory discoveries and treatments for patients, while training the next generation of researchers.
Three Caltech researchers, David Chan, Michael Elowitz, and Grant Jensen, were selected as new HHMI investigators. They will focus on mitochondrial dynamics, genetic circuits, and biological imaging to advance scientific knowledge dramatically. The selection brings the total number of HHMI investigators at Caltech to 10.
The Einstein-Montefiore Center for AIDS Research has received a $8.5 million grant renewal from the NIH, supporting its growth of AIDS research programs and international collaborations. The center's contributions to HIV/AIDS research and treatment include identifying key areas of study and developing innovative therapies.
Scientists at Thomas Jefferson University will study molecular mechanisms of cardiac injury leading to heart failure, as well as cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote repair in the adult failing heart. The four-lab project aims to find data that can be translated into novel therapeutic strategies.
A new Translational Research Center for PCOS will be established at VCU, focusing on genetics and pharmacogenomics to identify risk factors and optimal treatment. The center aims to bring research discoveries from the laboratory bench quickly to clinical care, improving outcomes for women with PCOS.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded over $35.5 million to McGill University and its affiliated institutions for 80 innovative research projects, including those focused on arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, nutrition, and heart disease.
Dr. Declan Bates is leading a £1.2m research project to examine how lung injury can be prevented in patients on ventilators and investigate potential targets for cancer treatments. The project will use systems biology and feedback control theory to develop new therapies.
The University of California, Santa Barbara will receive a $3.2 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop a state-of-the-art stem cell research facility. The center aims to foster interdisciplinary research and translation of stem cell-based therapeutics for human diseases.
The University of California, San Francisco has received a $34.9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to construct a regenerative medicine building on its campus. The facility will house 25 principal investigators and their teams at full capacity, driving the cross-pollination of scientific ideas.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has announced over $298 million in funding for 764 health research projects across Canada. The funded research will focus on addressing important health issues like cancer, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.
Despite having prior private insurance, new SCHIP enrollees suffer from unmet health care needs. A study by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that only 7% of families switch to SCHIP when they have private insurance options available, and those who do face similar unmet needs.
A Massachusetts study found that youths living in towns with strong restaurant smoking bans have a lower risk of becoming established smokers. Local regulations influence the transition from experimentation to established smoking, but not experimentation itself.
Cancer researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh are developing novel treatments for gliomas, a common type of brain tumor, through three projects funded by the NIH grant. The goal is to take these approaches from laboratory testing to clinical trials and improve treatment outcomes for patients.
Dr. Jane Brotanek, a pediatrician at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has received a two-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to investigate the relationship between infant feeding practices and iron deficiency. Her research aims to identify factors contributing to iron deficiency in high-risk populations.
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $85 million in grant funding to the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine to develop groundbreaking therapies for treating devastating war injuries. Plastic surgeons will play a pivotal role in this research, with a focus on improving wound healing and tissue repair through adult ste...
The Alliance for Lupus Research has awarded nearly $7 million to researchers globally, funding over 100 projects and committing $50 million to research since its founding in 1999. The grants focus on removing barriers to new treatments and therapies for lupus, a disease affecting disproportionately women of color.
A University of Central Florida scientist has secured $1 million in NIH funding to research the death protein, BAX, which could lead to breakthroughs in treating cancer and heart disease. By understanding how BAX triggers cell death, she hopes to develop a peptide-based therapeutic approach to stimulate or protect healthy cells.
The new NIH policy requires all funded research articles to be made freely available in PubMedCentral within 12 months of publication. This move aims to increase public access to scientific literature and promote better use of the scientific literature through libraries like PMC.
The Drexel University School of Public Health has been awarded a $14.3 million NIH grant to study risk factors and biological indicators for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in expectant mothers and their babies. The researchers aim to follow 1,200 mothers of children with autism and document the development of newborns through 36 months.
The Penn State project will focus on gaining a better understanding of factors related to aggressive behavior and social-emotional competence in children when they first enter school. Researchers will develop and evaluate a multi-component prevention program to support healthy social and academic development.
A $150,000 grant from Quebec's Ministère du Développement économique will support Dr. Constantin Polychronakos' research into preventing type 2 diabetes by triggering insulin-producing thymus cells. The collaboration with Chinese scientists aims to develop a new therapeutic approach using high-performance drug screening equipment.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have been awarded a $6.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop a new anti-microbial compound targeting bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli. The goal is to combat increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics.
Researchers aim to create genetic profile of Streptoccocus mutans bacterium to predict disease in children from diverse backgrounds. The study's findings will propel the development of a diagnostic test to prevent devastating consequences of early childhood caries.
The University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research has received a $11.4 million grant to study tuberculosis using new imaging technologies. The goal is to develop more effective treatments that can be tailored to individual patients, potentially improving survival rates and curtailing the global TB epidemic.
A two-year study project aims to create a diabetes foot care centre in Alexandria, Egypt, providing care and education to people living with diabetes. The project seeks to reduce amputation rates by at least 25% through prevention, multi-disciplinary treatment of foot ulcers, and close monitoring.
The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a $4M grant to study the effects of chronic marijuana use on cognitive function, withdrawal symptoms, and stress systems. The research center aims to develop effective treatments for marijuana addiction by pooling expertise in tissue analysis, imaging, animal models, and human clinical tr...
The University of Iowa has received a five-year, $2.1 million NIH grant to continue its mentorship project for junior faculty members in pediatrics. The program trains clinicians to study the underlying mechanisms of conditions such as prematurity and heritable disorders.
A genetic marker for obesity has been refined to better understand its role in various human populations. The finding suggests an ancient mutation that first arose in Africa may be a key factor in the development of obesity.
The March of Dimes has awarded $3.5 million to scientists studying the role of genes and heredity in premature births. The organization aims to understand the causes of preterm birth, which affects over half a million babies annually.
Researchers, led by Dr. X.J. Meng, are developing a vaccine against Hepatitis E, a major public health problem in developing countries. The team has discovered two animal viruses related to HEV, which can be used as models for studying the disease.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has been awarded grant funding to develop new treatments for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. The $59 million investment will support research initiatives, including a co-ordinated programme to optimize combination drug treatment for malaria in Africa and Asia.
The University of Houston's Texas Diesel Testing and Research Center will test technologies to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by over 80% in the state, enabling compliance with federal air quality guidelines. The facility also plans to provide laboratory space for third-party companies to test their technologies.
Researchers aim to understand how a small minority of HIV-positive individuals remain healthy despite years of infection. The new grant will recruit 2,000 participants and compare DNA from elite controllers to those with progressive HIV infection to identify genetic factors behind viremic control.
The number of elderly individuals newly diagnosed with heart failure has declined, but those already living with the condition have increased steadily since 1994. This study found a significant economic burden on Medicare due to an aging population.
The Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute has awarded Rush a $124,633 grant to support a first-of-its-kind patient-safety project using mediation to resolve disputes and prevent adverse events. The program aims to reduce future medical malpractice actions and improve quality care.
The National Lung Cancer Partnership has partnered with three organizations to co-sponsor new lung cancer research grants, focusing on survivorship care and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. This move aims to address the lack of research funding for lung cancer, a leading cancer killer in the US.
The Elsevier Foundation has awarded grants to thirteen institutions worldwide to promote innovation in developing countries and the academic workplace. The awards support initiatives that improve access to scientific information, develop information resources, and balance childcare responsibilities for early-career scholars.
The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is launching a program to support young researcher parents, providing $18,000 'New Scholars' grants to cover childcare expenses during the Annual Meeting. This initiative aims to increase women's participation in science and address family care issues as a barrier to career development.