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Vol. V, No. 4 Summer 2002
A publication of Ohio University Chris Knisely Cammie Starner, R.N. |
Office of Research & Grants
New Addition to Clinical Research Unit
Technology Action Fund Supports | |
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 Directions for Funding New Research Projects | ||
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Editors Note: With the reorganization of the College, the Office of Research & Grants has revised its mission statement.
Mission Statement
The Office of Research & Grants provides leadership, support, and coordination of all external grant activities to faculty, staff and students in OU-COM. Our Office represents the College’s research and program interests through interactions with the Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE), Ohio University, the State of Ohio, the osteopathic profession, external agencies, and the public.
Background
Our belief is that research and program development must be highly valued activities at OUCOM. Faculty, staff and students have a responsibility to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge. The Office of Research & Grants offers assistance in the form of internal funding, grant development, training, and administrative support to facilitate OU-COM research and program activities.
Activities
Provide funding for research activities
Seed money for faculty research projects
Medical student research stipends
Offer research design assistance, statistical support, and training
Direct faculty, staff and students to appropriate resources for research and program projects
Serve as a liaison to external constituents
CORE staff and hospitals
Ohio University Office of the Vice President for Research
Ohio University Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Other academic and administrative units within Ohio University
Other academic institutions
Institutional Review Boards
American Osteopathic Association
Public and private granting agencies
State and local government agencies
Community groups
Facilitate collaboration between OU-COM and others both inside and outside Ohio University
Maintain a grant database and disseminate information about OU-COM projects via a newsletter, web page, and annual publication
Present grant workshops to faculty, staff, and students
Advocate research and program activities in the COM and CORE administrations
Kristin Ryan (MSII) recently presented a research
poster at the Experimental Biology 2002 meeting held in New Orleans. This
meeting was attended by more than 12,000 biomedical scientists. Her
presentation was entitled, “Effects of Acute Hyperglycemia on Coronary
Vascular Responses in Perfused Rat Hearts.”
This study, co-authored by Chad Paxson (MSII) and Richard Klabunde, Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences), was conducted in the summer of 2001 in Dr. Klabunde’s laboratory, and was funded by a Research Project Grant from the College of Osteopathic Medicine awarded to Dr. Klabunde. Both Kristin and Chad were supported by a Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship.
The research concerned the effects of acute increases in glucose (from 100 to 500 mg/dl) on coronary vascular smooth muscle function in isolated, perfused rat hearts. The research indicated that an acute elevation in glucose over 90 minutes does not alter coronary vasodilatory responses to adenosine and sodium nitroprusside, nor does acute hyperglycemia alter vasoconstrictor responses to phenylephrine or inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. This study also wanted to determine if hyperglycemia (which increases oxygen free radicals) would decrease the bioavailability of nitric oxide produced by the vasculature. This was not found to be the case because the contribution of nitric oxide to basal vascular tone was not altered by hyperglycemia.
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| Melissa Gasaway | Alicia Parks |
Each year Ohio University’s Council on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity awards competitive grants to undergraduate, graduate and medical students engaged in research and creative activity. This year Melissa Gasaway (MSI) and Alicia Parks (MSI) received a Student Enhancement Award to fund their research project entitled, “Compliance with Antibiotic Clinical Guidelines: An Assessment in the Ohio University Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education.”
The study will evaluate physicians, by completing a total of one thousand retroactive chart reviews at ten family practice residency clinics throughout the CORE system, to determine the extent of compliance with the newly published Centers of Disease control and Prevention guidelines regarding the inappropriate use of antibiotics. In addition, they will assess the association of Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designation on patient management., thereby incorporating two angles of health care that greatly impact society: clinical management and economic circumstances.
Melissa and Alicia are under the mentorship of Robert Gotfried, D.O. and Al Pheley, Ph.D. They will be completing their project this summer through the Research and Scholarly Advancement Fellowship program at OU-COM.
Cammie
Starner, R.N., joined the staff of the Office of Research in June as a Research
Nurse. Cammie received her associate degree in nursing at Hocking
College in Nelsonville.
Her clinical focus in nursing has been primarily in the area of oncology. As a staff nurse at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in Columbus, she cared for ENT, neurology, and gynecology patients. Cammie obtained her research experience from the General Clinical Research Center at the Ohio State Medical Center where she was involved in NIH sponsored Phase I trials. The studies primarily focused in oncology, diabetes, stress and immunity, autism, and multiple sclerosis.
Cammie's role at the UOMC is as study coordinator for each clinical trial. She is responsible for patient recruitment and study conduct including protocol timeline compliance as well as coordinating all monitoring activities. Anyone interested in clinical drug trials can contact Cammie at 740-593-2410.
Jack Blazyk, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at OU-COM, has been working on the development of novel, antimicrobial peptides for more than ten years. This basic research, supported with funds from OU-COM, Ohio University and the NIH, has produced a collection of potent antibacterial compounds. A patent application for a new design of antimicrobial peptides was submitted in 2001.
GeneBact Biotechnologies, located in Marietta, Ohio, develops and produces infectious disease diagnostic and therapeutic products for the animal health industry. GeneBact currently markets a diagnostic kit for the rapid detection of mastitis, which results from a bacterial infection in the udders of dairy cows. This disease, which costs the dairy industry $1.8 billion per year, causes a degradation in milk quality to the consumer. In addition, antibiotics such as penicillin and streptomycin that are used to treat mastitis have been implicated as one of the leading causes for increased antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that each year, over 100,000 human deaths from hospital-acquired antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are directly attributable to trace levels of antibiotics in the nation’s food supply.
Blazyk is partnering with GeneBact to test antimicrobial peptides designed in his laboratory as a new treatment for bovine mastitis. They recently received a two-year grant for $747,413 from the Technology Action Fund, a program created in 1998 by the State of Ohio to support projects with the potential to contribute to technology-based economic development. Over the two-year grant period, researchers in Blazyk’s lab will screen peptides for their ability to kill the microorganisms causing mastitis and conduct pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies. Following peptide selection, GeneBact will manufacture and field test these compounds in dairy cows in preparation for filing an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. GeneBact hopes to be able to market the products using the technology developed at OU-COM within five years and plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Washington County, Ohio. This collaboration provides an exciting opportunity to transfer the results of basic research to the real world and to have a positive impact on the economy of Southeast Ohio.
by Al Pheley
Wandering the maze of potential funding strategies for research ideas can be mind-boggling. A recent article in the journal Cancer provides an excellent summary of several funding agencies along with links to sites that will aid in the process. Although geared toward cancer research, this article provides a good model that can be extrapolated to other areas as well. Highlights of the manuscript, summarizing a presentation delivered at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, include:
Descriptions
of several funders and the information that can be found at their sites:
National
Institutes of Health
National
Cancer Institute
National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
National
Institute for Nursing Research
Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality
American
Cancer Society
Susan
G. Komen Foundation
Over
60 grant funding-related website addresses related to:
funding
agencies
grantsmanship
research
resources
research funding databases
The full citation for this article is: Varricchio CG, Stevens J. Funding ideas for new research. Cancer 2001;92:1737-1743. OUCOM faculty and students may download the article in PDF form from the following site: http://journals.ohiolink.edu/local-cgi/send-pdf/020512103928446018.pdf.
Many other resources to facilitate research funding are available through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at OU. Readers are encouraged to visit their website (http://www.ohiou.edu/orsp/index.html)and browse the content. As always, the OU-COM Office of Research & Grants will help you with questions and other needs related to moving your project forward. Please call us at 740-593-2336.
Contact Judi Rioch at 740-593-2336 or rioch@ohio.edu for details
National Institutes of Health
Research Project Grants (R01)
Research project grants are awarded to institutions on behalf of a principal investigator to facilitate pursuit of a scientific focus or objective in the area of the investigator's interest and competence. Institutional sponsorship assures the NIH that the institution will provide facilities necessary to accomplish the research and will be accountable for the grant funds. Applications are accepted for health-related research and development in all areas within the scope of NIH's mission.
Deadline: October 1, 2002
Awarded: April 1, 2003
Amount: Up to $500,000 direct costs per year for up to 5 years
AREA -- Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)
The Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) is designed to enhance the research environment of educational institutions that have not been traditional recipients of NIH research funds. This award provides limited funds for faculty members of these institutions to develop new research projects or expand ongoing research activities in areas related to the health sciences and to encourage students to participate in the research activity.
Deadline: September 25, 2002
Award: April 1, 2003
Amount: Up to $100,000 total direct costs over 1 to 3 years
Arnold
and Mabel Beckman Foundation
Support
innovative research in chemistry and life sciences
Deadline:
October 1, 2002
Amount
: $240,000 for 3 years
National
Headache Foundation
Awards
to support research in the field of headache and pain
Deadline:
December 1, 2002
Awarded;
2003
Whitaker
Foundation
Support
of biomedical engineering research
Preliminary
Application Deadline: August 1, 2002, December 1, 2002
Full
Application Deadline: October 1, 2002, February 1, 2003
Amount:
$240,000 for 3 years
Research Grants
PI:
John Howell, Ph.D.
Agency:
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
Title:
Virtual haptic back for osteopathic training
Amount:
$228,821
PI:
Jay Shubrook, D.O.
Agency:
American Osteopathic Association
Title:
Evaluation of a standardized curriculum to increase the use of OMT for
hospitalized patients
Amount:
$72,516
PI:
Calvin James, Ph.D., and Bill Romoser, Ph.D.
Agency:
Cuyahoga Board of Health
Title:
Testing of mosquitoes for LaCrosse encephalitis virus infection
Amount:
$4,000
PI:
Ken Goodrum, Ph.D.
Agency:
Diagnostic Hybrids, Inc.
Title:
Monoclonal anti-Chlamydia antibody development
Amount:
$3,845
PI:
Max McGee, M.D.
Agency:
Pharmacia
Title:
DERA 5334-038
Amount:
$36,792
PI:
Ken Goodrum, Ph.D.
Agency:
NIH
Title:
Group B Streptococcal induction of epithelial iNOS
Amount:
$140,457
PI:
Xiao Chen, Ph.D.
Agency:
NIH
Title:
Novel anti-diabetic and anti-adipogenic activities of PGG
Amount:
$1,028,893
PI:
Mario Grijalva, Ph.D.
Agency:
World Health Organization
Title:
Genetic similarity between Trypanosoma cruzi strains isolated from triatomids,
mammals, and humans in coastal Ecuador
Amount:
$18,200
Program Grants
PI:
Brian Phillips
Agency:
DOC/TOPS
Title:
Southeast Ohio telepsychiatry system improvement
Amount:
$83,278
PI:
Kathy Trace
Agency:
Ohio Department of Health
Title:
Child and family health services
Amount:
$96,564
PI:
Kathy Trace
Agency:
Athens Foundation
Title:
Healthy adult project
Amount:
$5,000
PI:
Kathy Trace
Agency:
O’Bleness Foundation
Title:
Healthy adult project
Amount:
$25,000