Patient research supported in third grant cycle

Twenty-four research groups have received funding through a joint Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program offered by the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation (BJHF).

In November 2009, 82 applications were submitted for either planning grants (up to $25,000) or research grants (up to $75,000). Seven planning grants and 17 research grants were awarded for a total of $1,445,217 in funding. The awards began June 1, 2010.

ICTS was established in 2007 under a $50 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award program. Kenneth S. Polonsky, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor and head of the Milliken Department of Medicine, directs the institute.

The programs and services of the ICTS are designed to bring together basic research scientists and clinical researchers as well as health-care and commercial institutions in a coordinated system dedicated to improving patient care. Collaborating institutions include WUSTL, BJC HealthCare, Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Nursing, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and others.

2010 grant recipients

Planning grants:

  • Weight management by advanced practice nurses: formation of a practice-based research network, Jane M. Garbutt, MB, ChB, research associate professor of medicine (general medical sciences)
  • Planning a clinical study on the analgesic efficacy of fenobam, Robert W. Gereau, PhD, professor of anesthesiology
  • Does SMN copy number influence survival in ALS? Timothy M. Miller, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology
  • Epigenomic signatures in normal and malignant myelopoiesis, Jacqueline E. Payton, MD, PhD, research instructor in pathology and immunology (laboratory and genomic medicine)
  • O*Net occupational dimension scales in Alzheimer’s disease research, Catherine M. Roe, PhD, research instructor in neurology
  • Clonal Ig DNA in plasma from patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Nina D. Wagner-Johnston, MD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology)
  • Role of NMDA receptor downregulation in anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis, Leo H. Wang, MD, PhD, instructor in neurology

Research grants:

  • Early warning system for clinical deterioration on general medical wards, Thomas C. Bailey, MD, professor of medicine (infectious diseases)
  • Locus selection and deep sequencing to identify neuromuscular disease genes, Robert H. Baloh, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology
  • QBOLD MR measurements of oxygen extraction fraction in patients with brain tumors, Tammie L. S. Benzinger, MD, PhD, assistant professor of radiology
  • PET imaging of endotoxin-induced iNOS activation in healthy volunteers, Delphine L. Chen, MD, assistant professor of radiology
  • Efficient generation and application of cardiac progenitors for ES and iPS cells, Kyunghee Choi, PhD, associate professor of pathology and immunology
  • Neuroprotection feasibility trial in infants with sickle cell disease, Michael R. DeBaun, MD, professor of pediatrics (genetics and genomic medicine)
  • Role of red blood cells in diabetic vascular pathobiology, Allan Doctor, MD, associate professor of pediatrics (critical care)
  • Computer-aided diagnosis of lung nodules using CT and clinical data, David S. Gierada, MD, professor of radiology
  • Establishment of a Center for Economic Evaluation in Medicine, Steven Kymes, PhD, research assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences
  • Medical therapy for aortic stenosis: role of PDE5 inhibition, Brian R. Lindman, MD, instructor in medicine (cardiovascular)
  • Translational cardiovascular tissue core, Jeanne M. Nerbonne, PhD, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology in Developmental Biology
  • Reversal of obesity cardiomyopathy: an interdisciplinary study, Linda R. Peterson, MD, associate professor of medicine (cardiovascular)
  • Spectrum of perfusion abnormalities in developmental venous anomalies, Aseem Sharma, MD, assistant professor of radiology
  • Role of Paneth cell ATG16L1 in Crohn’s disease, Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology
  • Effectiveness of a fall-prevention program, Susan L. Stark, PhD, assistant professor of occupational therapy
  • Increasing efficiency of surveillance imaging for urinary tract cancer survivors, Seth A. Strope, MD, assistant professor of surgery (urologic surgery)
  • Multidisciplinary approach to imaging and understanding BOS in lung transplant, Jason C. Woods, PhD, assistant professor of radiology

Visit icts.wustl.edu for more information.