Eight investigators were recently awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center Discovery Grants.
A total of approximately $400,000 in funding was awarded for the first year of the two-year grants, which began on July 1.
Discovery Grants are designed to stimulate the development of new research ideas. The applications were evaluated on scientific merit and the likelihood that the project will be competitive for external funding.
2007 Discovery Grant recipients are:
• Neil Bhowmick, Ph.D., assistant professor of Urologic Surgery and Cancer Biology, “Cytokine Markers Predict Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer.”
• David Calkins, Ph.D., associate professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, “Testing the TRPV1 Channel as a Therapeutic Target in Glaucoma.”
• Mark deCaestecker, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine, Cancer Biology and Cell and Developmental Biology, “Targeting Pulmonary Endothelium Using a Non Viral Polymeric DNA Delivery System.”
• Barbara Fingleton, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Cancer Biology, “Role of Proteinases in Repair of Colonic Injury.”
• Tatsuki Koyama, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biostatistics, “Proper Inference from a Simon's Design When the Sample Size is Changed.”
• Marvin Kronenberg, M.D., professor of Medicine and Radiology, “Effect of Aldosterone on Energy Stavation in Heart Failure.”
• Pierre Massion, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, “Role of Polyimmunoglobulin Receptor Expression in the Pathogenesis of COPD.”
• Tao Zhong, Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Cell and Developmental Biology, “The Role of Sodium Channel SCN5A in Heart Development.”