HONOR SOCIET Y Awards • Grants • Honors BA SIC SCIENCES
Ru Rong Ji, PhD
NIH Research Grant (R01) Dr. Ru-Rong Ji of the Sensory Plasticity and Pain Research Group received a five year, $1,739,065 research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIHDS) for his research project titled “Resolution Pathway of Pain.” More than 30 million Americans suffer from unrelieved chronic pain and it remains unclear how acute pain naturally resolves. Dr. Ji hypothesizes that disruption of local, active pro-resolving processing will result in chronic pain. The overall goal is to investigate how βarr2, a scaffold protein that is classically involved in desensitization of GPCRs, arrests pain and whether PRLMs resolve pain via βarr2. Dr. Ji’s approach combines genetic manipulation (transgenic mice, conditional knockout mice, gene therapy), electrophysiology, and behavioral testing for evoked pain and spontaneous pain (CPP). The study aims to identify a pro-resolution pathway for “pain arrest” and lead to the development of novel pain therapeutics. BA SIC SCIENCES
Boyi Liu, PhD
Spring Core Facility Voucher Award Dr. Boyi Liu has been awarded a one year, $9,200 voucher for his proposal titled “Transcriptome Profiling of Poison Ivy-Induced Allergic Contact Dermatitis by Microarray.” The Core Facility Voucher Program is a joint program with the School of Medicine (SOM), the Duke Translational Research Institute (DTRI) Pilot Program and the Office of the Provost. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a common skin condition triggered by environmental or occupational allergens. The most common ACD in the United States is caused by contact with poison ivy. The objective of this proposal is to perform a genome-wide transcriptome profiling of the skin from healthy, poison ivy and the well-established oxazolone
ACD model by microarray in the two most popular mouse strains for ACD studies (C57BL/6 and BALB/c). This project will be important for the understanding of the mechanisms of the immune, inflammation and pruritus responses in poison ivy-induced ACD. BA SIC SCIENCES
Noa Segall, PhD
AHRQ Health Services Research Project (R01) Dr. Noa Segall received a five year, $1,246,724, project titled “Effect of Monitoring System Design on Response Time to Cardiac Arrhythmias.” To increase the potential for timely detection and treatment of cardiac events, hospitals have implemented a number of different cardio-respiratory monitoring systems for patients who meet at-risk criteria. However, decisions regarding how to structure and staff monitoring systems, have historically been made with little supporting evidence. She proposes to use simulation to identify and test determinants of effective cardiac monitoring. The knowledge to be gained will inform the development of evidence-based monitoring standards. The application of such standards is expected to improve survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest. BA SIC SCIENCES
David S. Warner, MD
2015 Recipient of the FAER Mentoring Excellence in Research Award This award was created to ensure recognition of outstanding people who have sustained career commitment to mentoring and demonstrated a positive impact on the careers of mentees. The award will be presented at this year’s American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting in San Diego. Duke School of Medicine 2015 Research Mentoring Award for Translational Research Dr. Warner has impacted the careers of trainees and faculty at Duke for nearly
21 years.In his first year as faculty, he successfully competed for the first Duke Anesthesiology NIH T32 Training Grant which has been consistently funded ever since. All but one trainee supported by these grants has remained in academic practice with substantial publication and extramural funding histories.Serving as our departmental Vice Chair for Research since 2001, Dr. Warner has set a strong pattern for success in transitioning faculty to independent investigator status.Dr. Warner also directs the Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories where he has served as mentor to more than 80 undergraduates and post-doctoral fellows. Many of his mentees have become independent researchers and/or progressed to leadership levels as division chiefs or departmental chairs. NIHDS Exploratory/Development Research Grant (R21) Dr. Warner received a two year, $793,750 research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIHDS) titled “Xenon as a Therapeutic Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage.” Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a form of stroke and there are little treatment options other than supportive care. Xenon (Xe) is an inert gas which has undergone intensive preclinical investigation in models of brain injury and is currently being investigated as an adjunct to hypothermia for treatment of anoxic/asphyxia brain injury in humans. Dr. Warner explored the effect of Xe in two different mouse ICH models and found that Xe repeatedly improved both histologic and functional ICH outcome and decreased brain water content and microglial activation. The goal of the project is to subject Xe to a sequence of rigorous preclinical studies specifically designed to advance Xe to human ICH trials. BA SIC SCIENCES
Zhen-Zhong Xu, PhD
NIHDS Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award (R21) Dr. Zhen-Zhong Xu, of the Sensory Plasticity and Pain Research Group received a two year, $436,628 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for his research project BluePrint 2015
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