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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | |
For
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Contact: Ray Fleming (301) 496-8190 |
NIAMS Funds New Centers of Research Translation
Bridging the gap between bench and bedside is the goal of four new Centers of Research Translation (CORTs) funded by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CORTs are designed to bring together basic and clinical research in a way that helps translate basic discoveries into new drugs, treatments and diagnostics.
The four new centers are:
- Center for Translating Molecular Signal Pathways to Orthopaedic Trauma
Care, headed by Randy Rosier, M.D., Ph.D., chair of orthopaedics at the University
of Rochester, N.Y. This center will study the biological basis of fracture
healing and the efficacy of a potential new treatment, teriparatide, an injectable
form of human parathyroid hormone that stimulates new bone formation.
- Center for Lupus Research, headed by M. Virginia Pascual, M.D., at the
Baylor Research Institute in Dallas, Texas. This CORT will study the role
of different cell types in the origin and development of lupus, will develop
markers of disease activity and severity, and will look for new targets for
treatment. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of the
body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart and/or brain.
- Center for X-Linked Hypophosphatemic Rickets Research, led by Thomas O.
Carpenter, M.D., at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. This center will
study the various molecular contributors to this genetic form of rickets
and work toward developing new treatments.
- Center for Research Translation in Scleroderma, headed by Frank Arnett,
M.D., professor of internal medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the
University of Texas Medical School at Houston. This center will study the
molecular basis of scleroderma to understand its underlying causes using
functional genomics and gene networks. Studies will involve a multiethnic
cohort of scleroderma patients, as well as two mouse models of fibrosis recently
developed at this center. Scleroderma involves the abnormal growth of connective
tissue, which supports the skin and internal organs.
CORT grants are a new funding mechanism for NIAMS, and require centers to encompass at least three projects, including one clinical and one basic research study.
The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For more information about NIAMS, call the information Clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS Web site at www.niams.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.