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 http://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. |