Bridge and Seed Funding Grants Awarded to NYMC Faculty
New York Medical College (NYMC) researchers have been awarded bridge and seed funding grants from the Touro College and University System (TCUS).
Bridge grants sustain research projects between large grant funding and seed grants enable research to gather initial data. “The outcomes of our faculty’s research and scholarship feature prominently in our reputation as an institution of higher education,” said Salomon Amar, D.D.S., Ph.D., vice president for research at NYMC, senior vice president for research affairs for TCUS and chair of the TCUS Biomedical and Health Sciences Research Council. “The bridge and seed funding grant programs are one of several initiatives both system-centric and campus-centric by which we seek to recognize excellence and support research as a fundamental component of Touro’s mission.”
Wen-Hui Wang, M.D., left, professor of pharmacology, was awarded a bridge funding grant that will allow him to complete several key experiments as he prepares to resubmit his NIH-funded, multi-year RO1 grant on “The Role of Kir4.1 in Regulating NCC and ROMK in DCT.”
“The proposed grant application will test a novel mechanism by which the kidney can sense the change in dietary potassium content and regulate potassium excretion or absorption,” said Dr. Wang. “The new concept will expand the current knowledge regarding renal potassium transport and may lead to the development of a new approach for the treatment of abnormal high plasma potassium concentrations, known as hyperkalemia, a potentially fatal disorder that can cause an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).”
Sharath Kandhi, M.D., Ph.D., right, instructor of physiology, who is working with Zvi Loewy, Ph.D., professor and associate dean for research at Touro College of Pharmacy, received a seed funding grant for the project, “Clinical Trial Readiness of Small Molecular Therapeutics Against Pulmonary Hypertension-SMURF1 Ubiquitin Ligase as Target.”
“Pulmonary hypertension is a serious disease characterized by the thickening of the blood vessel wall resulting in elevated blood pressure in the lungs leading to progressive right heart failure and premature death,” said Dr. Kandhi. “With no cure for pulmonary hypertension, our grant proposal addresses underlying causes of the blood vessel wall changes seen in this disease to find new options for preventing and treating pulmonary hypertension. As an early career investigator with vast experience in pulmonary hypertension and cardiovascular research, I am grateful for this seed funding which will support integrated research and resources to allow us to compete for independent extramural grant support. I am deeply grateful to the NYMC and Touro leadership for their faith and trust in us and the encouragement to stimulate basic discoveries that have great potential to be translated into clinical practice.”