UNMC has received a record $52.3 million in total research grant funding from June 2003 through March 2004 (three fiscal quarters) and is now on target to break the $60 million barrier for the first time in a single fiscal year. The $16.6 million in federal research grants UNMC received during the third quarter (January, February and March) helped boost the year to new heights.
“The UNMC corps of researchers is showing its true excellence,” said Thomas Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research. “The growth in funding exceeds our long-range predictions, but is consistent with what we have discovered recently about the energy and ability of these outstanding investigators.
“Soon, we will have filled all of the best UNMC research space, including the Durham Research Center, with NIH-funded, alpha investigators. This is a great problem to have, and we hope that we will have the opportunity for adding even more 21st-century facilities, to let our investigators realize their full potential for advancing biomedical science.”
Some of UNMC’s research highlights during the third quarter included:
Oksana Lockridge, Ph.D., professor in the Eppley Institute, received $950,000 for a study dealing with molecular toxicology and identification of chemical agent toxicology. Her grant is from the U.S. Department of Defense. Part of the money will be used to purchase mass spectrometers. Mass spectrometers identify all of the proteins in the body that react to organophosphorus pesticides. Dr. Lockridge’s research is aimed at being able to diagnose low dose exposure and understand illnesses such as chemical sensitivity and Gulf War Illness.
Timothy Greiner, M.D., associate professor in the department of pathology and microbiology, will receive $290,000 per year for three years from the Lymphoma Research Foundation to study mantle cell lymphoma – a form of cancer that affects several thousand patients each year. DNA from the mantle cell tumors will be analyzed for changes in the structure. Dr. Greiner’s research team will try to determine how some genes are turned off that control the lymphoma cell growth. They also will study methods to turn the genes back on to help current chemotherapy drugs kill the lymphoma cells. The overall goal is to improve the survival of patients with mantle cell lymphoma, which on average live 3-4 years after the diagnosis of their lymphoma.
Pascale Lane, M.D., professor and associate chair for research in the department of pediatrics-section of nephrology, received $330,750 to study the impact of puberty on the kidneys in diabetes. Many kidney disorders, including kidney disease of diabetes mellitus, get worse during puberty. This project explores the role of sex steroids in this deterioration of kidney function. By understanding the reasons that maturation accelerates kidney disease, Dr. Lane’s research team hopes to be able to develop new treatment options for these patients.
Robert Lewis, Ph.D., professor at the Eppley Institute, received $227,851 to identify novel mechanisms inside the cell that mediate the response to insulin. The research focuses on proteins that control the creation of adipose (fat) tissue. Adipose tissue is the most insulin sensitive cell type in the body. Too much adipose tissue (obesity) is related to certain types of diabetes. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that regulate adipose tissue formation is likely to contribute to novel methods that can reduce insulin resistance and diabetes.
Christopher Kratochvil, M.D., associate professor in the department of psychiatry, received $153,538 to study the pharmacological treatment of young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The funding is for a second year of a five-year grant supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. The goals of the project are to further develop the infrastructure and ability to conduct clinical research in young children with mental illness and to support a clinical trial in young children with ADHD. The clinical trial will be a multi-site study coordinated by UNMC and conducted at UNMC, Columbia University in New York, N.Y. and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.