Research News and Events
NIH Funds BloodCenter Study on Novel Treatment for Radiation Exposure
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Hartmut Weiler, Ph.D.
Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Dr. Hartmut Weiler a grant to study the effectiveness of “Activated Protein C for Treatment of Radiation Combined Injury.” APC has already been shown to reduce sepsis mortality in animal models and human patients, and it is approved for clinical use in the treatment of severe sepsis. Dr. Weiler’s grant provides funding to evaluate the use of recombinant forms of the endogenous activated protein C (APC) molecule for the therapeutic prevention of bone marrow failure, infection, and ultimately mortality as they may occur after incidental whole body exposure to nuclear radiation. Outcomes of the study are expected to validate APC as a safe and effective treatment for victims of nuclear accidents and other threats involving radiation exposure.
$2 million Grant to Study Immunologic Role of Signaling Molecules
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Demin Wang, Ph.D.
Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
Demin Wang, Ph.D. has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study “PLCgs in B Cell Biology and Autoimmunity.” This award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides $2,000,000 over 5 years.
This project seeks to understand the roles of two important signaling molecules, PLCg1 and PLCg2, in the development of lymphocytes, including the removal of autoreactive B cells and the molecular mechanism by which PLCgs regulate these processes. The study may provide new clues to the molecular pathogenesis of autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases, and help identify novel targets for specific therapies.
NIH Funds Study on Autoimmunity Regulation
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Bonnie Dittel, Ph.D.
Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
Bonnie Dittel, Ph.D., has received funding from the National Institutes of Health for her grant, “Role of B Cells in Regulating Autoimmunity.” This award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides $2,000,000 over 5 years to perform this important work.
In the central nervous system (CNS) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, the immune system facilitates the development of inflammatory lesions that result in permanent tissue damage resulting in disability if not resolved. B cells have been shown to regulate this autoimmune inflammation in the animal model of MS. This project investigates the cellular mechanisms utilized by regulatory B cells in the resolution of CNS inflammation, resulting in recovery from disease. Since little is known about how B cells regulate inflammation, these studies can potentially contribute to the development of therapies for a variety of human inflammatory disease in addition to MS.
NIH Grant to Study Natural Killer Cell Activation
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Subramaniam Malarkannan, Ph.D.
Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Subramaniam Malarkannan, Ph.D. a grant to study “Molecular Mechanisms of Natural Killer Cell Activation.” This grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides $1,726,845 over 5 years for Dr. Malarkannan’s studies.
Natural killer (NK) cells are an important component of the immune system because of their ability to recognize and destroy tumor and infected cells. They do this by scanning for the normal expression levels of MHC class I molecules and activating ligands on target cells. Dr. Malarkannan’s Laboratory will examine the interplay between two receptor signaling pathways, one that activates NK cell function and one that inhibits it. His laboratory will also define intricate signaling events that occur inside the NK cells after its activation.
Understanding how receptor signals impact NK cell function will lead to the development of cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies.
BloodCenter Program Project Grant Renewed
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Peter J. Newman, Ph.D.
Sr. Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
The National Institutes of Health has awarded BloodCenter of Wisconsin $12.5 million for the continuation of its Program Project Grant (PPG), entitled “Molecular & Cellular Mechanisms in Transfusion Medicine.” The scientific aims of the PPG are directed at advancing our understanding of the biology of blood and vascular cells and to apply its findings toward treating blood diseases and enhancing the effectiveness of transfusion therapy.
Dr. Peter J. Newman, Vice President of Research and Associate Director of the BRI, is Principal Investigator for this multi-project grant, currently in its 15th year of funding. The latest award provides an additional five years of funding (years 16-20) for the PPG’s four projects and three cores. Core laboratories provide centralized instrumentation and expertise to carry out the studies funded by the PPG as well as other research investigations.
Program Project grants are awarded to institutions that demonstrate the ability to bring together different fields of study to address a particular area of research, forming what NIH calls a “synergistic research program designed to achieve results not attainable by investigators working independently.”
Listed below are the projects that make up the PPG.
Project 1, “Molecular Mechanisms of Platelet Activation and Adhesion” – Peter J. Newman, Ph.D. and Debra K. Newman, Ph.D. Studies to further our understanding of the cell surface receptors and associated signaling pathways that regulate platelet activation and adhesion.
Project 2, “Pathogenesis of Thrombocytopenia Induced by GPIIb/IIIa Inhibitors” – Richard H. Aster, M.D. This project investigates pre-existing, “naturally-occurring” antibodies that can cause acute platelet destruction and may have important implications for other immune disorders.
Project 3, “Mechanisms of Vaso-Occlusion in Sickle Cell Disease”- Cheryl Hillery, M.D. In this project, Dr. Hillery seeks to define how blood coagulation pathways contribute to sickle cell-induced organ damage and to explore potential therapies.
Project 4, “Biomolecular Interactions of Factor VIII and von Willebrand Factor” – Robert R. Montgomery, M.D. This project explores the structural requirements for von Willebrand Factor (VWF) biosynthesis that lay the foundation for a novel replacement therapy approach for treating patients with severe hemophilia A.
BloodCenter Scientists to Study How to Improve Vaccines
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Jack Gorski, Ph.D.
Sr. Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Blood Research Institute (BRI) has received a $14 million contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study how the body develops immunity to the flu in children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Jack Gorski, Ph.D., Senior Investigator and molecular immunologist for BloodCenter of Wisconsin, is the study’s Principal Investigator.
The primary goal of the study is to gain an understanding of how to improve vaccine responses. “Researchers are particularly interested in how T-cells, the white blood cells that fight off infections, function in the face of the influenza virus and vaccine,” said Gorski.
This new contract is related to a $12 million five-year grant awarded in 2004, which will give scientists more insight into why some people exposed to the illness get sick and some do not. The ultimate goal of the study is to help determine how the immune system deals with new and related viruses in an effort to provide basic information about population immunity for the government’s bio-defense program.
BloodCenter is the lead center for this contract. Other participants in the study include Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Utah, Tufts University and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
$1.8 million Award to Study Sickle Cell Disease
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Cheryl Hillery, M.D.
Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
Cheryl Hillery, M.D., was recently awarded a 5-year grant by the National Institutes of Health to study “Mechanisms of Vaso-occlusion in Sickle Cell Disease.”
The major cause of death among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is progressive organ damage caused by the inability of sickle red blood cells to deliver oxygen to tissues. It is thought that increased inflammation and increased activity of the coagulation system caused by SCD contributes to a complete stoppage of blood flow, increasing the likelihood of tissue death.
These studies will clarify the interrelated roles of the coagulation system, vascular injury and inflammation in the evolution of sickle cell-induced vascular disease. They will also provide insights into the value of targeted anticoagulant/anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment and prevention of SCD vascular disease.
$4.5 million Program Project Grant Focuses on Bleeding Disorder
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Robert R. Montgomery, M.D.
Sr. Investigator
Blood Research Institute |
Dr. Robert R. Montgomery is the Principal Investigator for the recently awarded NIH Program Project Grant (PPG), “Molecular and Clinical Biology of VWD.” Studies are aimed at developing scientific and clinical understanding of the bleeding disorder von Willebrand Disease (VWD).
Dr. Montgomery’s PPG involves projects located at the Blood Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Queen’s University in Canada. An integral part of the project involves VWD patient samples sent to BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Hemostasis Lab for testing. Samples will come from treatment centers in Atlanta, Detroit, Iowa City, Indianapolis, Houston, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh. BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Comprehensive Center for Bleeding Disorders (CCBD) will serve as the primary collection center.
A Program Project Grant is a funding mechanism that supports a group of investigators with different areas of expertise, forming what NIH calls a “synergistic research program designed to achieve results not attainable by investigators working independently.”
