Translational Medicine Consortium Grants $1.9 Million for MS Research

Patricia Silva, PhD avatar

by Patricia Silva, PhD |

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Strategic Pharma-Academic Research ConsortiumThe Strategic Pharma-Academic Research Consortium for Translational Medicine has awarded its first grants totaling more thanĀ $1.9 million to supportĀ research projects dedicated to autoimmune diseases. Among theĀ recipients is researcherĀ Yanjiao Zhou, Ph.D., who is leading a study at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL)Ā focused on multiple sclerosis (MS), as announced in aĀ press release.

The research team led by Dr. Yanjiao Zhou willĀ study the functionĀ performedĀ by gut bacteria within MS.Ā Also working on the project are assistant professor of neurologyĀ Laura Piccio, M.D., Ph.D., and associate professor of microbial infection and immunology at Ohio State UniversityĀ Amy Lovett-Racke, Ph.D.

The initial grants were awarded by the consortium in collaboration with its industry partners Eli Lilly and Co. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc. to five research projects fromĀ medical research universities inĀ the Midwest. Each awardee was givenĀ $400,000 for a two-year investment in accelerating research concerningĀ not only for MS but alsoĀ lupus, Crohn’s disease,Ā dermatomyositis and scleroderma.

“There’s a true wealth of expertise on autoimmune disorders across our membership, but there really was not a large-scale group in the region focused on the topic until the creation of this consortium,” explained Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., theĀ director of the Indiana CTSI, associate dean for translational research at the IU School of Medicine and associate vice president for university clinical affairs at IU.

“We’re eager to help these scientists advance their critical work on these diseases — many of which are poorly understood despite their impact on millions in the U.S. and worldwide — and hope they may quickly translate into meaningful advances in treatment and therapy,” added Shekhar, as the consortium is dedicated to advancing research into autoimmune diseases with unmet medical needs.

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In addition to Yanjiao Zhou’s research team, the recipients of the PARC grants selected by an independent governance council include Anthony R. French, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of pediatrics, pathology, immunology and biomedical engineering at WUSTL, and professor of pediatrics-rheumatology at Northwestern University,Ā Lauren M. Pachman, M.D., who are bothĀ working onĀ juvenile dermatomyositis.

Gwendalyn Randolph, Ph.D., professor of pathology and immunology, immunobiology and internal medicine at WUSTL, and theĀ associate professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University Razvan Arsenescu, M.D., Ph.D., were also awarded for Ā their research onĀ intestinal fibrosis caused byĀ Crohn’s disease.

The Strategic Pharma-Academic Research Consortium supports translational medicine thatĀ focuses on translatingĀ medical research findings from the lab and clinic into novel treatments, strengthening both public and private scientific sectors.