Nearly $50 million supports College of Medicine research, community outreach

Gail Matters, PhD, MS

Kristin Eckert, PhD

Investigator: Kristin Eckert, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and of biochemistry and molecular biology; director, Penn State Cancer Institute Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Core; and Gail Matters, PhD, MS, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, medicine and pharmacology

Grant amount: $318,317 ($1,575,537 anticipated through August 2027)

Awarded by: National Cancer Institute

Goal: Eckert will use the funds to lead Penn State Cancer Institute’s development of a training program that will inspire, train and retain undergraduate students and medical students in cancer research careers. The program aims to not only solidify a comprehensive understanding of cancer prevention, control and treatment, but also foster interest in oncology careers and provide the skills needed for participants to have durable research careers. PROMISE will also recruit a diverse group of students from varied STEM and medical disciplines, including underserved students, and inspire them to pursue advanced training in cancer research or clinical oncology.

Andrew Gardner, PhD

Investigator: Andrew Gardner, PhD, professor and vice chair for research, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Grant amount: $508,443 ($2,542,215 anticipated through August 2027)

Awarded by: National Institute on Aging

Goal: Gardner will use the funds to launch a clinical trial that will compare how a diet and exercise program compares to an exercise-only program in improving health outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease. The condition occurs as a result of the narrowing of blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the limbs, often resulting in pain.

Sergei Grigoryev, MS, PhD

Investigator: Sergei Grigoryev, MS, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

Grant amount: $247,524 ($455,024 anticipated through July 2024)

Awarded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Goal: Certain neurogenerative disorders are caused by mutations of genes that are active in fully mature neuronal cells with abundant condensates of nucleosomes, units of packaged DNA. Such disorders can be partially treated by drugs that inhibit nucleosome condensation and reduce cell maturation to prevent tissue degeneration. Grigoryev’s project will examine the mechanism of nucleosome condensate formation and its reversal by drugs that will lead to new or improved therapies for neurodegenerative disorders affecting mature neuronal tissues.

Mark Hedglin, PhD

Investigator: Mark Hedglin, PhD, associate research professor of chemistry, and of biochemistry and molecular biology

Grant amount: $394,265 ($1,971,325 anticipated through May 2027)

Awarded by: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Goal: Translesion DNA synthesis is the main way human cells replicate damaged DNA. Regulation of this process is critical as dysfunction can create cells with increased occurrences of mutation or other genetic abnormalities that lead to cancer. Hedglin seeks to better understand human translesion DNA synthesis at a molecular level to identify dysfunctions that promote disease.

Andrea Hobkirk, PhD

Investigator: Andrea Hobkirk, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, public health sciences, and neural and behavioral sciences

Grant amount: $396,126 ($785,620 anticipated through July 2023)

Awarded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Goal: Hobkirk will use the funds to investigate if flavor additives in electronic cigarettes influence the ability to become addicted to nicotine through direct actions on the brain. Using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging, Hobkirk will explore how brain biology, flavor chemistry and nicotine addiction intersect. A more thorough understanding of this relationship will influence public health policy and regulations on flavored tobacco.

Suming Huang, PhD, MS

Investigator: Suming Huang, PhD, MS, professor of pediatrics and pharmacology

Grant amount: $520,285 ($2,542,273 anticipated through June 2027)

Awarded by: National Cancer Institute

Goal: Stem cells have the ability to regenerate through a property known as self renewal. When stems cells cannot regulate the self renewal process, tissues cannot thrive and diseases may develop. Huang will explore how biological components (HOTTIP/ β-catenin-HOXA9/PRMT1) interact to either maintain stem cell function or lead to the development of diseases like acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The knowledge gained could provide insight into potential therapeutic targets for AML.

Douglas Leslie, PhD

Investigator: Douglas Leslie, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Public Health Sciences; professor of psychiatry and behavioral health

Grant amount: $378,365 ($1,178,365 anticipated through September 2025)

Awarded by: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Goal: Leslie aims to examine how state policies related to maternal opioid use during pregnancy have changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how these changes have led to changes in patterns of health care service use, maternal and child health outcomes and health care costs. This data could help providers, insurers, health systems and policymakers design treatment processes and policies to provide pregnancy and substance use care to lessen the harmful effects of the opioid and COVID-19 public health crises.

Laura Carrel, PhD, MA

Dajiang Liu, PhD, MA

Investigators: Dajiang Liu, PhD, MA, professor and vice chair for research, Department of Public Health Sciences, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; Laura Carrel, PhD, MA, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

Grant amount: $682,586 ($3,500,750 anticipated through August 2027)

Awarded by: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Goal: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can be inherited and primarily affects young females. Studies exploring the human genome, or complete set of genes, have identified >190 loci, or specific genetic marks, associated with SLE, but the genetic architecture remains elusive. Liu and Carrel will develop novel informatics and machine learning approaches to the genetic datasets from diverse human populations and perform experimental validations to determine which genetic variants may be causally associated with lupus development in order to improve diagnosis and risk prediction.

Monika Joshi, MD, MRCP

Junxuan Lu, PhD

Investigators: Junxuan Lu, PhD, professor of pharmacology; Monika Joshi, MD, MRCP, associate professor of medicine

Grant amount: $623,285 ($2,908,574 anticipated through August 2027)

Awarded by: National Cancer Institute

Goal: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), achieved through medical or surgical castration, is used when local curative therapies for prostate cancer are unsuccessful. This therapy causes unpleasant side effects, including sexual dysfunction, fatigue and bone fractures and decay. Lu and Joshi plan to launch a first of its kind clinical trial to evaluate an herbal supplement, Angelica gigas Nakai (commonly known as Korean Angelica), to prevent or delay prostate cancer progression as an alternative to ADT.

Craig Meyers, MS, PhD

Investigator: Craig Meyers, MS, PhD, distinguished professor of microbiology and immunology, and of obstetrics and gynecology

Grant amount: $555,849 ($2,700,689 anticipated through May 2023)

Awarded by: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Goal: Men and women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have higher rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) HPV16 infection and persistence, and an increased incidence of head and neck cancers, poorer prognosis of those cancers, and a higher likelihood of cancer recurrences after definitive therapy. Highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART) is a treatment for HIV, but may increase the risk of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers for HIV-infected patients compared to the general population. Persistent HPV infection is a major risk of cancer progression. Long intervals between initial infection and the development of cancer imply cofactors are involved. Meyers will further explore the mechanisms whereby HAART therapy may increase cancer risk for patients living with HIV.

Amanda Nelson, PhD

Investigator: Amanda Nelson, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology

Grant amount: $410,000

Awarded by: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Goal: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, debilitating, inflammatory skin disease that often results in permanent scarring. The biological mechanisms that lead to the development of HS are unknown. Nelson’s lab has observed loss of function of proteins that help skin cells form bonds in samples from these patients. Nelson proposes to determine a mechanism by which this loss contributes to inflammation and tissue disruption in HS.

Elizabeth Proctor, PhD

Investigators: Elizabeth Proctor, PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, pharmacology, biomedical engineering and engineering science and mechanics; Patrick Drew, PhD, professor of engineering science and mechanics and of neurosurgery; Bruce Gluckman, PhD, professor of engineering science and mechanics, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering, director of the Center for Neural Engineering

Grant amount: $776,419 ($3,832,478 anticipated through March 2027)

Awarded by: National Institute on Aging

Goal: The ε4 variant of apolipoprotein E (APOE4) is the strongest and most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, but the underlying reason for this risk remains unclear. APOE4 is also a risk factor for heart disease and is known to cause fatty plaque build-up in blood vessels, as well as impair blood flow. The team proposes to test the idea that impaired blood flow and blood vessel movement caused by APOE4 can affect sleep and interfere with the clearance of waste products from the brain, promoting the brain cell death that causes Alzheimer’s disease.

Bruce Gluckman, PhD

Patrick Drew, PhD

Ziaur Rahman, MD, PhD

Investigator: Ziaur Rahman, MD, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, and of medicine

Grant amount: $563,050 ($2,775,345 anticipated through June 2027)

Awarded by: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Goal: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory disease caused by the immune system attacking its own tissues. Rahman seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism by which a miR-21, a poorly characterized micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) that is strongly associated with mouse and human SLE, drives autoimmune responses and lupus nephritis (which occurs when lupus autoantibodies affect structures in the kidneys that filter out waste). Understanding these cellular mechanisms and signaling process could lead to new therapeutic targets for SLE.

Marc Rovito, MD

Investigator: Marc Rovito, MD, assistant professor of medicine; vice president and physician leader for cancer services

Grant amount: $500,000

Awarded by: Health Resources and Services Administration

Goal: Rovito will use the funds to purchase 3D mammography equipment to expand screening access for underserved populations in Berks County. He plans to collaborate with the Berks Community Health Center, complementing the services provided by the center’s mobile unit. He also plans to use this grant funding to purchase a 3D mammography system for the Penn State Health St. Joseph Downtown Campus in center city Reading and to partially fund a second 3D mammography system for the Penn State Health Spring Ridge Outpatient Center in Wyomissing, PA.