Dr. Joseph Hill, chief of cardiology, "Functional Genomics of Complex Vascular Disease," $1,287,252. This grant will help expand research on the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and includes support for a new, early-career faculty member. "More than 200 genetic associations with cardiovascular disease have been identified. Moving forward, we need to know how this information can be harnessed to predict who will develop heart disease and possibly develop new ways to intervene early in at-risk patients," Dr. Hill said. Dr. Craig Powell, assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry, "Novel Genetic Animal Models of Autism," $549,500. The goal of this project is to understand better the genetic causes of human autism by using genetically engineered animal models of the disease. "This approach can be used to identify novel therapies for patients with autism," Dr. Powell said. Dr. Elizabeth Maher, associate professor of internal medicine and neurology, "Genotype and Metabolic Phenotype in Glioblastoma," $1 million. Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor and is considered one of the deadliest of human cancers. Dr. Maher and her colleagues in the Annette G. Strauss Center in Neuro-Oncology and in the Advanced Imaging Research Center focus on the metabolism of glioblastoma cells as a potential new target. "Our research will dissect the metabolic pathways that are abnormal in glioblastoma in a concerted effort to develop new therapies quickly," Dr. Maher said. "We anticipate that our discoveries will be applicable to other cancers as well."

Some of the Recovery Act grants awarded to UT Southwestern and other institutions fall under special priority categories designated by the NIH.

Grand Opportunities grants

Two UT Southwestern researchers received NIH Grand Opportunities grants, which support high-impact ideas that lend themselves to short-term funding and that might lay the foundation for new fields of investigation. Dr. Ellen Vitetta, director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center, was awarded $1,303,720 for research to develop a new vaccine for the hepatitis C virus, a major cause of liver cancer. Dr. Michael Roth, professor of biochemistry, received $3.75 million for a project that ultimately will produce a large database that researchers can use to design patient-specific, individualized therapies for lung cancer.

Challenge Grants

Ten of UT Southwestern's Recovery Act grants are NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research, a new initiative that focuses on specific knowledge gaps, scientific opportunities, new technologies, data generation or research methods that can benefit from an influx of funds to quickly advance disease-specific areas in significant ways. Dr. Maher's grant falls into this category.

Summer research experience for teachers and students Twelve faculty members received grants to support summer research experiences for students and science educators in UT Southwestern laboratories. Dr. Ralph Mason, professor of radiology, hosted a middle school teacher from Coppell as part of the small-animal imaging research program that he leads. The funding also will support a teacher and a high school student in summer 2010. "We're helping to educate the next generation of budding biomedical scientists," Dr. Mason said.

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center