Congressman Cohen Announces $1.8 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive three grants totaling $1,820,304 from three National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The first, for $737,231, is for research into race-specific cardiomyopathy risk prediction under the direction of Dr. Yadav Sapkota, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. African Americans have a 2.5-fold higher prevalence of cardiomyopathy (a progressive type of heart disease) than Non-Hispanic Whites after successful treatment of childhood cancers with chest-directed radiation or anthracycline chemotherapies. The aim of this project is to better identify the genetic risk factors underlying the increased propensity to develop cardiomyopathies.

The second, for $628,073, is for mechanistic dissection and targeting of non-cell autonomous tumor promotion under the direction of Dr. Mark Edward Hatley from the National Cancer Institute. The goals of this project are to understand the molecular mechanisms which increase the likelihood for developing cancers in patients with DICER1 syndrome. DICER1 syndrome is a genetic disorder that makes a person more likely to develop certain types of benign and malignant tumors. This work aims to better identify molecular targets for treatment of this syndrome, and reducing the development of cancer.

The third, for $455,000, is for research into antibiotic tolerance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and how antibiotics help the bacteria break itself down (autolysis) under the direction of Dr. Elaine I. Tuomanen from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Her group aims to better understand how the LytA enzyme drives autolysis, especially in response to antibiotics. In response to antibiotics, bacteria develop resistance mechanisms. This work will better help uncover how bacteria develop resistance to the critical threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"I am always pleased to see these federal investments go towards important research at our premiere children's research hospital and I'm impressed with the scope of research underwritten by these grants. I commend Drs. Sapkota, Hatley and Tuomanen, and St. Jude, for their dedication to this life-saving work."

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