SC INBRE announces $695,000 in funding awarded to FY2022 Project Program Grant Recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2023
Columbia, SC — South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (SC INBRE), a statewide $18.9 million, five-year renewable grant program funded by The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), is pleased to announce our FY2022-2023 Project Program grants recipients.
The Bioinformatics Pilot Project Program (BIPP) program is designed to stimulate the application of genomics and bioinformatics methods by supporting research and student training through the SC INBRE and South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) networks. BIPP proposals focus on Biomedical Science and fit within the broad scientific focus areas of SC INBRE: Biochemistry/Cell and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Bio/Biomedical Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and Neuroscience. The program supports independent, faculty-driven research and provides research training to students and/or postdoctoral fellows in Bioinformatics. Each project awards up to $10,000 for one year.
The 2022 BIPP Program recipients are:
Linnea Freeman
Furman University
Biology
Fecal microbiome evaluation in a mouse model of autism
Chakia McClendon
Columbia College
Biology
Kinome Expression Profiling of Airway Cells Exposed to Electronic and Conventional Cigarettes
Kandy Velazquez
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Development of pain biomarkers to assess analgesia and predict pain in pre-clinical models of cancer pain
The Developmental Research Project Program (DRP) program was designed to foster faculty research programs at SC INBRE network institutions. DRP projects must focus on Biomedical Science and fit within the broad scientific focus areas of SC INBRE: Biochemistry/Cell and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Bio/Biomedical Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and Neuroscience. The program awards support independent research programs and, in the process, provide research training to students and/or postdoctoral fellows in the Biomedical Sciences. Each project awards up to $50,000 for one year, renewable for a second year upon favorable review of the progress report by SC INBRE’ s External Advisory Committee.
The 2022 DRP Program recipients are:
Timothy Barker
NEW
College of Charleston
Chemistry/Biochemistry
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 5-HT antagonists
Meghan Breen
2nd YEAR
Furman University
Chemistry
Effects of Pdr1 phosphosites on azole resistance in Candida glabrata
Heather Dunn
NEW
Clemson University
Bioengineering
Novel Investigations of Breast Cancer Racial Disparities based on Deep Learning and Bioinformatics Analysis
Mindy Engevik
NEW
Medical University of South Carolina
Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology
Microbial suppression of intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress
Timea Fernandez
NEW
Winthrop University
Chemistry
Using Antibiotic-Binding Nucleic Acid Aptamers as Trojan-Horse Delivery Vehicles in the Fight Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Jordon Gilmore
2nd YEAR
Clemson University
Bioengineering
Point-of-Care Colorimetric Biosensor for Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Signaling Molecule 3OC12HSL in Wound Exudate from Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
Veronica Flores
NEW
Furman University
Psychology
The impact of innocuous taste experience on long-term taste-learning and memory persistence
Meredith Frazier
NEW
College of Charleston
Chemistry/Biochemistry
Structural and Functional Characterization of Viral Ribonucleases
Chiara Gamberi
NEW
Coastal Carolina University Biology
Modeling renal cyst mechanisms in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster
Anita Nag
3rd YEAR
USC Upstate
Chemistry
Connecting host shutoff by SARS coronavirus nsp1 to pre-mRNA processing and mRNA trafficking
Subramanya Pandruvada
2nd YEAR
Medical University of South Carolina
Oral Health Sciences
Modeling macrophage response in periodontal infections
Daniel Stovall
2nd YEAR
Winthrop University
Biology
Role and Regulation of Ring1 and YY1 binding protein in Glioblastoma Multiforme
Kristy Welshhans
NEW
University of South Carolina
Biomedical Sciences
Molecular and cellular basis of altered neural development in Down syndrome
In addition to the two grants listed above which are focused on supporting faculty research, SC INBRE also offers a student-focused opportunity entitled Student-Initiated Research Project Program (SIRP). The SIRP program is designed to enrich the academic experience of students and to better prepare the future generation of researchers, investigators, and entrepreneurs throughout the SC INBRE network. SIRP recipients apply bioinformatics tools to biomedical research questions that fit within the broad scientific focus areas of SC INBRE: Biochemistry/Cell and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Bio/Biomedical Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and Neuroscience. SIRP awards support bioinformatics training for undergraduate or graduate students. Each project awards up to $3,000 for one year.
The 2022 SIRP Program recipients are:
Patrice Cunningham, graduate student
Dr. Kandy Velazquez, mentor
USC School of Medicine Columbia
Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Identification of quercetin targets in skeletal muscle as a novel treatment of cancer cachexia
Ethan Older, graduate student
Dr. Jie Li, mentor
University of South Carolina
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Discovery of selective inhibitors of pro-inflammatory sulfonolipids produced by human gut microbiota
Mark Pitman, graduate student
Dr. Jessica Larsen, mentor
Clemson University
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Applying a Citrate Biomaterial to Reduce Ferroptosis in Spinal Cord Injury
Alia Sadek, medical student
Dr. Jennifer Grier, mentor
USC School of Medicine Greenville
Biomedical Sciences
Identifying Mechanisms of Resistance in Novel Acinetobacter baumannii Necrotizing Fasciitis Isolates
Mihyun Waugh, graduate student
Dr. Melissa Moss, mentor
University of South Carolina
Biomedical Engineering
Blood Cytokine Levels and Healthcare Data as Predictors of Mesh Exposure After Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery
###
ABOUT SC INBRE
SC INBRE is a statewide, multi-million dollar, five-year renewable grant program funded by The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to support biomedical research and infrastructure in South Carolina. Currently in Cycle IV (2020-2025), SC INBRE’s network includes 14 member and 4 outreach institutions of higher learning. SC INBRE offers biomedical research faculty and students career development, mentorship, and funding, as well as oversees a summer Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program which gives middle school and high school STEM teachers the opportunity to do research with a faculty mentor at an institution near their location.
MEDIA CONTACT
Cyndy Buckhaults
Communications Manager
SC INBRE Program
http://scinbre.org
cyndy.buckhaults@uscmed.sc.edu
(803) 546-4569