VCOM 2019 Annual Report

Funded Research 2018-2019

VCOMFunded Seed Grants Continuing into 2018 (End date: 6/30/18) Auburn Campus Courtney Gamston, PharmD • VCOM REAP Award: Evaluation of opioid metabolism in chronic pain patients. Jonathan Commander, MD is an investigator on this project. Researchers from a medical center and Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy and College of Veterinary Medicine also serve as investigators. Michael Goodlett, MD • VCOM REAP Award: Biomechanics, biomarkers, and MRI: A three-pronged approach to predicting anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. Kaelin Young, PhD is an investigator on this project. Other investigators are from Auburn University Mechanical Engineering and the MRI Research Center as well as UAB Biostatistics. Josh Hollingsworth, PharmD, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: A mobile health and wellness coaching intervention for weight loss. Courtney Gamston, PharmD and Annie Kirby, PhD, RD are project investigators. Faculty from the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy serve as advisors on the project. Wei Liu, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Biofeedback Tai Chi for knee osteoarthritis: A mechanistic study. A researcher from a software and biomechanics company serves as an investigator on this project. Sara Ziska, DVM, PhD • VCOM & AUCVM One Health Program Award: Assessing the public health risk of Zika virus in Alabama. Dr. Ziska serves as Co-PI in partnership with her collaborator at AUCVM.

Carolinas Campus

Cindy McKinney, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: X-linked cardiomyopathy: Molecular and cellular evaluation of CRISPR generated isogenic models of Danon disease.

Jennifer Berglind, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Effect of the lymphatic pump technique on wound healing in a colitis model of IBD. Zoltan Hajdu, MD and Ron Januchowski, DO are investigators on this study. • VCOM & VMCVM One Health Research Center Award: The contribution of NLR proteins in modulating gastrointestinal inflammation following exposure to wheat gluten. Dr. Berglind serves as Co-PI along with her collaborator at VMCVM. Jillian Bradley, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: The effect of facial effleurage on acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. Matthew Cannon, DO; Alexis Stoner, PhD, MPH; Randy Gregg, PhD and Liang Shan, PhD serve as investigators. Stephan Brown, MD, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Role of LGR5 in adenocarcinoma stem cell survival and proliferation. Jack Caldwell, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Identifying the interaction of sex hormone binding globulin and estradiol receptor- β at the plasma membrane and within the cell. Scott Ochs, PhD; Zoltan Hajdu, MD and Stephan Brown, MD, PhD are investigators on this project. abdominal lymphatic pump technique in enhancing CD8+ T cell responses and adoptive cell therapy for cancer. Jillian Bradley, PhD serves as an investigator on the project. Zoltan Hajdu, MD • VCOM REAP Award: Hematopoietic- derived cells are blocking EMT during heart valve development. Randy Gregg, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Efficacy of

Virginia Campus

Ramu Anandakrishnan, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Identifying the multi-hit combinations of inherited and somatic mutations in childhood cancers. Robin Varghese, PhD, Skip Garner, PhD and Liang Shan, PhD are investigators on this study. John Anstrom, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Bringing precision medicine to anatomy lab. Skip Garner, PhD is Co-PI and Robin Varghese, PhD is an investigator on this study. P. Gunnar Brolinson, DO • VCOM REAP Award (matching funds from VT ICTAS): Gender-specific differences in concussion tolerance. Dr. Brolinson is Co-PI on this study in conjunction with a collaborator at Virginia Tech’s Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. • VCOM & VMCVM One Health Research Center Award: In vivo eccentric loading therapy to treat Achilles tendinopathy. Dr. Brolinson serves as Co-PI with a faculty member from VMCVM. Blaise Costa, MPharm, PhD • VCOM REAP Award: Novel cranial mechanisms for improving brain metabolic waste clearance in Alzheimer’s disease. Hope Tobey, DO and Gunnar Brolinson, DO are VCOM investigators on this project. An investigator from VMCVM is also involved. • VCOM & VMCVM One Health Research Center Award: The role of tri-heteromeric (GluN1/2/3) NMDA receptors in stroke and its mitigation. Dr. Costa is a Co-PI with a collaborator from Virginia Tech’s VMCVM.

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