Nine LLUH research teams earn internal grants

Loma Linda University's office of Research Affairs recently announced that nine pairs of research teams received internally funded grants to support research projects designed to receive larger externally funded grants.

The awards are for Grants for Research and School Partnerships (GRASP) Awards and Grants to Promote Collaborative and Translational Research (GCAT) Awards.

"We're strongly committed to investing in projects that we view as promising for generating data that will secure additional externally funded grants. These studies will be vital to our efforts to bring solutions to the medical and public health communities, both here in the United States and around the world," said Travis Losey, MD, vice president of Research Affairs for Loma Linda University Health.

These researchers each received a $75,000 award for a 24-month period for GRASP awards:

Wanqiu Chen & Ike C. De La Peña for their study: Mechanisms of Craving and Relapse Vulnerability in Fentanyl-Xylazine Co-Use.

Adina Achiriloaie & Richelin Veluz Dye for investigation of: Brain Imaging Changes in Patients Receiving ECT as Predictor of Outcome.

Tandis Soltani & Alex Dubov for researching: Optimizing Early Hemorrhage Control through Rapid Transport and Prehospital Blood Transfusion Strategies.

The following are GRASP International awards:

Susanne Montgomery & Dorothy Awuah to study: Exploring the Link Between HIV Prevalence and Risky Sexual Behaviours Among Young Adults in Suburban and Rural Mining Communities: A Case Study of the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Brandie Richards & Gilny Rantung for their research of: Nurse Retention and Faith-Based Care Delivery: A Cross-Cultural Phenomenological Study in Adventist Health Institution.

Monita Baba-Djara & Lillian Mutesu Silavwe for their project: Combating the Spread of Malaria: Establishing Community-Based Surveillance and Behavioral Interventions for Improved Malaria Control in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

These researchers each received a $75,000 award for a 24-month period for GCAT awards:

Eugene Lui & Hansel Fletcher for their research: Understanding the Emergence of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus in Liver Transplant Patients

Desislava Doycheva & Promod Pillai for their study: Enhancing Neurovascular Protection Through Delayed Recanalization and Intra-Arterial Neuroprotectant Delivery in a Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO) Rat Model.

The following is a $100,000 award for a Strategic, Innovative and Meaningful Science (SIMS) grant.

Rameshwar Patil & Alireza Najafabadi for their research: Microneedle-Based Delivery of Immunotherapeutics for Local Immune Activation in Malignant Glioma.