Kristin Poole O’Grady, PhD, assistant professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received research support totaling more than $2.4 million for her investigations of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) using advanced imaging.
MS is a potentially disabling disease caused by an attack by the body’s immune system on the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. While there is no cure, treatments can modify the course of the disease and help manage symptoms.
This spring O’Grady was one of two recipients of a five-year, $660,000 Harry Weaver Scholar Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The award honors the society’s former director of research for his dedication to early career investigators pursuing MS-related research.
O’Grady also was awarded a four-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health. (Grant number 1R01NS136316).
The awards will support O’Grady’s application of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to better understand symptoms and track MS progression in the lower spinal cord. The goal is to identify imaging biomarkers that can predict the course of the disease and evaluate response to treatment.
“I’m excited to pursue these research projects with an outstanding team of co-investigators,” O’Grady said. “I am grateful for this support from NINDS and the MS Society that will help us improve our imaging capabilities and advance our understanding of spinal cord pathology in individuals with MS.”
O’Grady, also an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering, earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2015. After completing postdoctoral training in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), she joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2019.
Her co-investigators on the NINDS grant are Subramaniam Sriram, MBBS, (Neurology); Seth Smith, PhD, Colin McKnight, MD, Asha Sarma, MD, Baxter Rogers, PhD, and Kurt Schilling, PhD (Radiology and Radiological Sciences); Simon Vandekar, PhD, (Biostatistics); and Stuart Reynolds, MD, MPH, (Urology).
