Tuesday, December 14, 2021
UM School of Medicine’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications Honored with 2021 PRSA ‘Best In Maryland’ Award
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)'s Office of Public Affairs & Communications received the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2021 “Best in Maryland Award,” the PRSA’s highest honor, for its COVID-19 Communications program. The award was given at the PRSA Maryland Gala, held on December 9, 2021.
Tuesday, December 07, 2021
UM School of Medicine's Department of Radiation Oncology Announces that Preeminent Scientist, Dr. Zeljko Vujaskovic, will Transition to New Role in the Department
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Radiation Oncology Department Chair William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, announced today that Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, will transition from his current faculty position to a new role in the Department, effective December 3, 2021.
Monday, December 06, 2021
UM School of Medicine & Regeneron Researchers Link New Gene Variant in Amish Population to Lower Risk of Heart Disease
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, working with scientists from the Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC), discovered a new gene variant associated with lower levels of heart-damaging LDL cholesterol and a blood clotting protein called fibrinogen that appears to significantly lower a person’s risk of heart disease. While the gene variant is extremely rare in the general population (less than 1 in 10,000), it is found in about 12 percent of those living in the Lancaster county, Pennsylvania Amish community, according to the study published today in the journal Science.
Friday, December 03, 2021
UM School of Medicine Researchers Awarded $2 Million NIH Grant to Use Innovative Imaging to Study Causes of Glaucoma
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have received a nearly $2 million federal grant to conduct a clinical trial to help determine the pathway that leads to a common cause of blindness, primary open angle glaucoma. It will study how blood flow to the eye’s retina affects the onset and progression of the disease, which could eventually lead to new tests and treatments for the condition.
Wednesday, December 01, 2021
$6.5M Grant Awarded to Develop Treatment for Alcoholic Liver Disease-Associated Kidney Dysfunction
The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and MitoPower LLC (“MitoPower”) were awarded an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant of up to $6.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funds will support the development of MitoPower’s lead compound, MP-04, for the treatment of kidney dysfunction due to alcoholic liver disease, a condition known as alcoholic liver disease-associated hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). The IHV, a Center of Excellence member of the Global Virus Network (GVN), will conduct first-in-human single and multiple ascending dose studies to test the safety of the compound, followed by a Phase 1b study in patients.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
University of Maryland Medicine to Eliminate Race from Kidney Function Estimates
University of Maryland Medicine, comprised of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has announced that it will end the use of a long-standing clinical standard that factors a patient’s race into the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The change could increase access to specialty care, including eligibility for kidney transplantation for thousands of African American people living with advanced kidney disease.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
UM School of Medicine Names Sofia Cascio as the First Director of Student Financial Wellness
Donna L. Parker, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, along with Kerri Thom, MD, MS, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), announced today that Sofia Cascio, MBA, has been named the school’s first Director of Student Financial Wellness.
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
Retinoid Therapy May Improve Vision in People with Rare Genetic Disorder, According to Study in Mice from University of Maryland School of Medicine and NIH
Using data generated from patients and mice with genetic mutation for the disorder Usher syndrome, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute (NEI), and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), documented the natural history of vision impairment in patients and identified the cell mechanism behind progressive vision loss.
Thursday, November 04, 2021
University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology Researchers Receive $6.5M to Create African Big Data Hub Designed to Address Public Health and Pandemic Preparedness
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Global Virus Network (GVN) Center of Excellence, have received $6.5 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to streamline big data collection in Nigeria and South Africa in addressing public health needs of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics.
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
Unexpected Antibody Type Found in People with Malaria Infections
Malaria, a pathogen transmitted into blood by mosquitoes in tropical climates, is typically thought of as a blood and liver infection. However, in a newly published study, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have detected antibodies primarily made in response to infections in the mucous membranes — in such areas as the lungs, intestines, or vagina — in study participants with malaria.