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.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
New Research Finds Air Pollution Reduces Sperm Counts through Brain Inflammation
Researchers have long known that air pollution can increase the risk of disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and fertility, but they did not know the exact mechanism for how it can lead to these health conditions.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
UM School of Medicine Establishes Two New Endowed Professorships and Center for Pathogen Research through Private Gifts and Matching State Funds
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the school of medicine has been awarded $1.25 million in matching funds from the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF), administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce. The funds, totaling $2.5 million when combined with private philanthropy, will enable the establishment of a new Center for Pathogen Research. They will also enable the UMSOM to support research professorships in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Department of Neurology.
Monday, October 18, 2021
University of Maryland School of Medicine Neurology Chair Peter B. Crino, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Neuroscience Award
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA announced today that Peter B. Crino, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of UMSOM’s Department of Neurology, has received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37), which provides $2.7 million in total funding.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Isabel L. Jackson, PhD, Named Director of Division of Translational Radiation Sciences (DTRS) in UMSOM’s Department of Radiation Oncology
William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, Professor and Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair of UMSOM’s Department of Radiation Oncology, has announced the promotion of Isabel Lauren Jackson, PhD, to the position of Director of the department’s Division of Translational Radiation Sciences (DTRS). Dr. Jackson, the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Professor in Radiation Oncology, previously served as that division’s Deputy Director and Director of the Medical Countermeasure Program (MCP).