Alvaro Moreira, MD, MSc, neonatologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at UT Health San Antonio’s Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, received a $652,000 mentored career development grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Moreira will investigate a novel approach to diagnosing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This chronic and costly lung condition affects upwards of 15,000 newborns in the U.S. every year, impairing the lifelong quality of children born preterm.

A capacity audience of 140 residents gathered for lunch last month, eager to welcome back a leading scholar in aging research, Sara Espinoza, MD, MSc, section chief of research at the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. Dr. Espinoza discussed daily living practices that independent-living seniors can do to prevent frailty in their later years. Residents were interested in hearing about clinical trials in which they could participate. Dr. Espinoza provided details on a study evaluating whether metformin can prevent or reduce frailty in adults with pre-diabetes.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is accepting nominations for Research Mentor of the Year. Eligibility criteria is available on the website. Deadline: July 26.

The Long School of Medicine has opened the call for nominations through Aug. 17 to recognize faculty who exemplify scholarly service and scientific discovery that advances the institution’s vision to be a world-class academic health center.

Earlier this year, the research administration team launched the “Navigating the Research Lifecycle” website to provide the research community information about the grant development pathway. To continue refinement of the website to better serve researchers, we are seeking your input. Please click here to complete the five-minute REDCap survey (responses are confidential) by Tuesday, Aug. 3. Survey insights will be shared in a fall issue of the Research newsletter.

The 2021 Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Award recipients were announced last month by the private foundation.  Josephine Taverna, MD, and Lizhen Chen, PhD, were each awarded a $450,000 three-year career grant award and Angelina Vaseva, PhD, received a pilot award. The investigators credit the support they each received from their mentors, and the expertise provided by the personnel at the institutional core labs, supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Ken Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Endodontics and principal investigator of the NIH/NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R01, is proud of the collaboration of 15 scientists leading to the discovery of  a link between a high-fat diet and chronic pain published in the June issue of Nature Metabolism.  The multi-year study was led by first co-authors Jacob T. Boyd, MD, PhD, recent graduate of the Long School of Medicine, and Peter M. LoCoco, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Hargreaves’ lab.

Family and community medicine professor emeritus Claudia S. Miller, MD, and Raymond F. Palmer, PhD, professor, co-authored a paper suggesting a link between exposures to common chemicals and so-called unexplained illnesses. The new paper’s findings are expected to be used by public health scientists, physicians and policymakers seeking to limit harmful exposures and prevent future disease.

After four years in development, the forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool (FISST), which was patented and licensed last year, will be available at H-E-B this fall.

The results on the efficacy of the science-based intervention for hiccups was reported in the research letter published in JAMA Network Open. Since then, inventor Ali Seifi, MD, FNCS, FCCM, associate professor of neurosurgery in the Long School of Medicine, has been widely interviewed by national and regional media. Listen to Dr. Seifi’s Texas Standard interview detailing the global study and why he set out to bring a post-op solution to brain surgery patients.

Are you writing a grant? New descriptions for institutional core lab facilities can be found here. Investigators who require the use and/or services of core lab facilities are encouraged to consult the core director. Customized letters to support the grant proposal narrative are provided at no cost.

Projects supported by the Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science/Clinical and Translational Science Award are required to use appropriate acknowledgement wording for publications, news releases, websites and other communications. This includes projects for which researchers received funding, consulting, clinical research use or other services. KL2 scholars or those receiving pre- or post-doctoral stipends should click here for preferred citation wording.

Are you 60 years of age or older or do you know someone who is? The Barshop Institute is seeking participants for a clinical trial evaluating whether taking a drug called dapagliflozin (brand name FARXIGA) can inhibit aging-related biomarkers in older, obese adults with pre-diabetes.

Living our institutional values of diversity and inclusion, the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, became a founding member of a national coalition lead by Genentech, which aims to increase underrepresented patient populations in clinical trials to improve health equity.   

Barbara Taylor, MD, MS, associate professor of infectious diseases, led the COVID-19 local study site team in partnership with University Health. The Phase 3 global clinical trial enrolled 176 participants here in less than six weeks.

As part of educating the community, plans are underway to fund a multi-site study to test the current standard of care for victims who sustain severe brain trauma in an emergency. Comments for this study are being requested because the normal patient consent process will be suspended due to the unconscious state of the victims. Click here to learn more about the study and complete the community survey.