Research highlights

Aviva Abosch, PhD

Aviva Abosch, PhD

The UNMC College of Medicine received new grant and funding awards representing $4,237,780 in new funding in September.

  • Aviva Abosch, PhD, neurosurgery, received a grant of $1,129,485 from the National Institutes of Health to study adaptive neurostimulation to restore sleep in Parkinson’s disease: An investigation of STN LFP biomarkers in sleep dysregulation and repair.
  • Sidapappa Byrareddy, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant for $45,750 from Florida International University to study novel long noncoding RNAs in the airway mucous response.
  • Safwan Elkhatib, MD/PhD student, cellular and integrative physiology, received a grant of $42,403 from the National Institutes of Health to explore neuroimmune contributions to hypertension sensitization in a preclinical model of PTSD.
  • Marco Gonzalez-Castellon, MD, neurological sciences, received a grant of $6,663 from the University of Cincinnati to study statins use in intracereberal hemmorrhage patients (SATURN).
  • Soonjo Hwang, MD, psychiatry, received a grant of $754,826 from the National Institutes of Health to study dose-response relationship and pharmacokinetics of intranasal oxytocin on neural impact in youths with high levels of irritability.
  • Andre Kalil, MD, internal medicine-infectious diseases, received a grant of $93,128 for the U.S. Department of Defense, for a phase 1B, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study of SAB-185 in ambulatory COVID-19 patients.
  • Kelsey Klute, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received a grant of $243,000 from the Mayo Clinic to for a randomized phase II study of regorafenib followed by anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody therapy versus the reverse sequencing for metastatic colorectal cancer patients previously treated with fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan REVERCE II 1809.
  • Russell McCulloh, MD, pediatrics-hospitalist, received a grant of $428,072 from the National Institutes of Health for the Nebraska Pediatric Clinical Trials Unit.
  • Scot Ouellette, PhD, pathology and microbiology, received a grant of $378,994 from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of the CLP protease systems in the growth and pathogenesis of chlamydia.
  • Steven Sansom, PhD, cellular and integrative physiology, received a grant of $99,125 from the National Institutes of Health to explore the role of angiotensin II in mediating K secretion with a high K diet.
  • Susmita Sil, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received a grant of $419,375 from the National Institutes of Health to study astrocytic HIF-1a (alpha) as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s-like comorbidity of HAND.

Industry-sponsored grants and contracts:

The following industry-sponsored contracts and foundation grants were received. Information on clinical trials enrolling patients at UNMC can be found here.

  • David Barton, MD, internal medicine-cardiovascular medicine, received funding to explore coronary hemodynamic changes observed during Impella CP-supported high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention.
  • Sidapappa Byrareddy, PhD, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, received funding to explore the role of placental stem cell-derived natural killer cells against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Paul Fey, PhD, pathology and microbiology, received funding for prospective clinical evaluation of Biofire respiratory panel 2.1.
  • Hani Haider, PhD, orthopaedic surgery, received funding for two extra impingement studies on total hip replacement systems and a battery of hip clean and highly abrasive wear and impingement test studies.
  • Matthew Longo, MD, surgery-vascular surgery, received funding for BEST-Registry Pro.
  • Sara May, MD, internal medicine-allergy/immunology, received funding for a longitudinal prospective observational study of the characteristics, treatment patterns and health outcomes of individuals with severe asthma in the United States.
  • Kari Neeman, MD, pediatrics-infectious diseases, received funding for a phase 2/3 single-arm, open-label study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of remdesivir in participants from birth to <18 years of age with COVID-19 (pediatric remdesivir).
  • Benjamin Teply, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for an open-label, randomized, controlled phase 3 study of enfortumab vedotin in combination with pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy, versus chemotherapy alone in previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.