SUNY Downstate Receives More Than $8.8 Million in Stimulus Grants:
Nov 12, 2009
Investment in Research Will Grow the Economy
Brooklyn, NY - SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University has received more than $8.8 million in stimulus grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Nine Downstate researchers were awarded competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with several more expected.
The grants will advance research in areas ranging from cardiology and HIV treatment to eliminating health disparities. They also provide support for training young scientists.
“The key to a growing economy is investing in innovation,” said Governor David Paterson, who announced the Downstate grants in September, along with those to other New York institutions. The new funding is meant to spur scientific innovation and help ensure that New York remains a leader in research.
“SUNY Downstate’s importance as Brooklyn’s only academic medical center is well established, but these grants highlight its importance as a center for research,” said Ian L. Taylor, MD, PhD, senior vice president for biomedical research and education.
Downstate President John C. LaRosa, MD, added, “The grants complement Downstate’s leadership in biotechnology, which is bringing new jobs and businesses to Brooklyn and New York.”
To date, the following Downstate researchers have been awarded the first round of stimulus grants from the NIH and its agencies:
Health disparities:
$1,299,657, effective 9/20/09-7/31/11, from the National Center on Minority Health
and Health Disparities—awarded to Clinton Brown, MD, associate professor of medicine, to fund the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center
(BHDC). A unique partnership between a community-based organization (the Arthur Ashe
Institute for Urban Health), a government agency (Office of the Brooklyn Borough President),
and an academic research institution (Downstate Medical Center), the grant will enable
the BHDC to increase capacity and expand community engagement. The Center's goals
include promoting minority health, reducing disparities, and producing enduring health
policy changes.
Small RNAs in neurons:
$790,319, effective 7/1/09-6/30/11, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse—awarded
to Henri Tiedge, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology, for a project that will establish how
RNA travel is regulated in nerve cells and how man-made drugs, including drugs of
abuse, affect RNA movement in neurons, thereby impacting brain function.
Heart attack:
$424,940, effective 7/1/09-6/30/11, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute—awarded
to Ming Zhang, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of anesthesiology, to study the role of autoimmune
IgM (a natural antibody) in mediating myocardial injury in infarction, commonly known
as a heart attack. During myocardial infarction, the interruption of blood supply
to part of the heart causes heart tissue to die. The project aims to provide a basis
for new supportive management of patients who experience a heart attack.
Molecular mechanisms affecting cholesterol:
$832,881, effective 9/30/09-8/31/11, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Disease—awarded to M. Mahmood Hussain, PhD, professor of cell biology and of pediatrics, to examine the role of the CLOCK gene
in the diurnal (daily) regulation of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP)
and plasma lipids. Dr. Hussain, who is known for having developed a test to study
MTP, is currently working to enhance the safety of drugs that inhibit MTP and lower
plasma cholesterol. He was also awarded a $7,770 student training grant.
Lipid metabolism and cardiovascular diseases:
$273,056, effective 7/15/09-6/30/11, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute—awarded
to Weijun Jin, MD, assistant professor of cell biology, for a project on the role of proprotein convertases
in lipoprotein metabolism. Disorders of lipid metabolism are responsible for several
risk factors in cardiovascular disease. This project will study the role of proprotein
convertases (PCs) associated with lipid disorders. A better understanding of how PCs
regulate lipid metabolism may lead to new approaches to preventing cardiovascular
diseases.
Inflammation and atherosclerosis:
$852,638, effective 9/1/09-8/31/11, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute—awarded
to Xian-Cheng Jiang, MD, PhD, professor of cell biology, for a project on the effect of macrophage sphingomyelin
synthase (SMS) on reducing atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in arteries). The researchers
hope to evaluate SMS as a therapeutic target for treating the disease.
HIV disease:
Two grants totaling $3,915,366, effective 9/26/09-8/3/11, from the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Disease—awarded to Howard Minkoff, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, as part of the Women's Interagency HIV Study
(WIHS), the largest ongoing study of HIV infection in women in the United States.
The first grant, in the sum of $3,111,766, will go toward identifying changes in biomarkers
that precede and predict transitions in HIV disease progression. The second grant,
for $803,600, will fund cross-sectional and prospective studies on the effects of
vitamin D deficiency on women with HIV infection.
Training for HIV Investigators:
$21,070, effective 9/1/09-5/31/10, from the NIH's Fogarty International Center—awarded
to Jack DeHovitz, MD, MPH, director of the HIV Center for Women and Children, to enhance the New York State
AIDS International Training and Research Program under the auspices of Downstate’s
STAR (Special Treatment and Research) Program. The grant will provide researchers
long-distance training in both laboratory and epidemiologic investigative techniques.
Its ultimate goal is to strengthen the in-country capacity of institutions in Eastern
Europe to address the AIDS crisis.
Effects of cocaine binging on pregnancy:
$435,042, effective 5/15/09-4/30/11, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse—awarded
to Diana Dow-Edwards, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology and of cell biology, to study the effects
of binge cocaine exposure during pregnancy. Women who smoke cocaine typically binge
on the drug and have greater difficulty quitting during pregnancy than those who inhale
("snort") cocaine. Dr. Dow-Edwards will develop a rat model of binging—the first of
its kind—to enable comparisons with human exposures to cocaine during pregnancy and
answer the question of whether binging creates greater neurobehaviorial alterations
than other routes of exposure.
###
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.