Medical research highlights, October 2025

Joshua Santarpia, PHD

The UNMC College of Medicine recently received grants and awards representing nearly $4.5 million in new funding. The following individuals received awards:

  • Jared Graham, PhD, genetics, cell biology and anatomy, received a grant of $140,000 from the Lupus Foundation of America to assess the role of SHP2 on B cell proliferation in a lupus mouse model.
  • Scott Lundgren, DO, internal medicine-cardiovascular, received a grant of $74,429 from the Colorado Prevention Center to study the combined efficacy and safety of an early, intensive management strategy with Finerenone and SGLT2 inhibitor in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
  • Aaron Barksdale, MD, emergency medicine, received a grant of $64,580 from Massachusetts General Hospital for a multicenter intervention vs. usual care, controlled study on the effect of emergency department initiation of Airsupra on asthma outcomes.
  • David E. Warren, PhD, neurological sciences, received a grant of $17,201 from University of California-San Diego for “Measuring empathy biomarkers in persons with dementia and their caregivers: Identifying psychological, hormonal, and neural correlates of empathy, burden and stress.”
  • Moorthy Ponnusamy, PhD, biochemistry and molecular biology, received a grant of $12,000 from University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a study on oncolytic virotherapy for lung cancers.
  • Kaleb Michaud, PhD, internal medicine-rheumatology, received a grant of $6,630 from the University of Pennsylvania for a study on predicting poor response to therapy and developing interventions to improve outcomes.

Industry-sponsored grants and contracts:

The following industry-sponsored grants and contracts were received.

  • Joshua Santarpia, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received funding for the BREATHE program and the EXHALE program.
  • Bhavina Sharma, MD, internal medicine-oncology/hematology, received funding for a clinical trial to evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability of IMA203 versus investigator’s choice in certain patients.
  • Daniel Hershberger, MD, internal medicine-pulmonary, received funding for a trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Nerandomilast over 26 weeks in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases associated interstitial lung diseases.
  • Eric Langewisch, MD, internal medicine-nephrology, received funding for a study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Efgartigimod PH20 SC.
  • Joseph Fernandes, MD, neurological sciences, received funding for a study to assess the efficacy and safety of IMVT-1402 in patients with mild to severe generalized myasthenia gravis.
  • Anum Abbas, MD, internal medicine-infectious diseases, received funding for a study of the efficacy and safety of DAS 181 for the treatment of lower respiratory tract parainfluenza infection in immunocompromised subjects.
  • Dr. Lundgren also received funding for “Fluid Management of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Subjects Treated with Reprieve System.”
  • Scott Koepsell, MD, PhD, pathology, microbiology and immunology, received funding for a diagnostic clinical comparison of HemosIL CL aPL IgG on the ACL TOP 970 CL.
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