Congressman Cohen Announces $2.4 Million in NIH Grants to UTHSC
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive four grants totaling $2,447,031 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
One grant, for $678,934, is for research on novel host-adaptation mechanisms regulating Aspergillus pathogenic fitness under the direction of Dr. Jerrod R. Fortwendel from the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Aspergillus fumigatus are a species of fungi which are the most prevalent invasive mold infections in immunocompromised individuals. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control list it as a pathogen of grave concern. Therefore, new treatments are urgently needed. This project focuses on the mechanisms of how these fungi cause damage, with the goal of identifying new targets for antifungal drugs. A second grant, for $645,060, is for breast cancer research to develop new classes of drugs which evade drug resistance under the direction of Dr. Wei Li from the National Cancer Institute. A third grant, for $624,442, is for research on epigenetic regulation of heart function in health and aging under the direction of Dr. Zhongjie Sun from the National Institute on Aging. Epigenetic changes to the DNA are those generated by environmental factors (such as proximity to chemical processing plants or exposure to toxins from environmental pollutants) or behavioral factors, such as from smoking. This work may offer new preventative and therapeutic approaches for aging-associated kidney dysfunction and hypertension. And a fourth grant, for $498,595, is for studying neonatal cerebral vascular injury by prolonged asphyxia under the direction of Dr. Helena Parfenova of the Department of Physiology from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The neonatal brain is particularly vulnerable to disruptions in its blood supply. Cerebral dysfunction caused by excessive production of certain inflammatory markers during asphyxia (the severe lack of oxygen reaching the body’s tissues and organs) frequently produces lifelong complications. This project aims to identify new approaches to enhance vascular protection to reduce complications from asphyxia.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“I am always pleased to see this kind of major investment in medical research at our medical school. I congratulate Drs. Fortwendel, Li, Sun and Parfenova for obtaining this research funding and wish them all the best as they pursue their goals.”
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