University of Maryland School of Medicine Neurosurgeon J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Neuroscience Award

Seven-year Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award Given to Dr. Simard for Groundbreaking Research in Brain Injuries

Marc Simard, MD, PhD, the Dr. Bizhan Aarabi Professor of Neurotrauma, Distinguished University Professor, and Chief of Neurological Surgery at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) providing $4.34 million in total funding.

The Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (R37) is a seven-year research grant given to scientists who have demonstrated exceptional scientific excellence and productivity in one of the areas of neurological research supported by the NINDS. Awardees have proposals of the highest scientific merit and are judged highly likely to be able to continue to do research on the cutting edge of their science for the next seven years.

Dr. Simard is a groundbreaking neurosurgeon and basic science researcher who is internationally regarded for his original discovery of the SUR1-TRMP4 channel, a protein complex that contributes to brain swelling and bleeding after stroke, traumatic brain and spinal injury. His research on the SUR1-TRMP4 channel has led to 14 U.S. and 22 international patents and has been awarded more than $20 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) and VA research grants for over two decades. Drugs that block these channels to help prevent life-threatening complications are now in world-wide clinical trials. The Javits award will serve to further advance the transformational science initiated by Dr. Simard focused on brain swelling. His discoveries on brain swelling are also being advanced by Remedy Pharmaceuticals through advanced stage clinical trials that could result in the first-ever pharmacological intervention for stroke and traumatic brain injury aimed at reducing cerebral edema.

A distinguished physician-scientist, Dr. Simard joined the school’s Surgery and Physiology faculty in 1993. With a noteworthy h-index of 51 and more than 300 publications published in leading journals including Nature, Science, JAMA, and The Journal of Neuroscience, Dr. Simard has significantly advanced the scientific community’s understanding and treatment of brain injuries.

In 1983, the prestigious Javits Awards were established by the U.S. Congress to honor the late Sen. Jacob Javits of New York, who for several years battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Javits was a strong advocate for support of research in a wide variety of disorders of the brain and nervous system. 

Previous UM School of Medicine recipients of this award include Chair of the Department of Neurology, Peter Crino, MD, PhD, for his research on epilepsy and autism.