Discovery & Innovation Research Awards – Commitment to Patient Health
This past March, as the country recognized Bleeding Disorder Awareness Month, WNY BloodCare (WNYBC), announced 2023 grant award funding to two research initiatives. WNYBC’s Discovery & Innovation Research Grant Award was established to promote, nurture and amplify scientific discovery and innovation in Western New York and the nation. The WNYBC Discovery and Innovation Award supports basic, translational, and/or clinical research projects that will improve health outcomes, health equity, and/or prevent complications of hemophilia and/or hemostatic or thrombotic disorders.
WNYBC Discovery & Innovation Awards:
Prof. Sriram Neelamegham, State University of New York at Buffalo (University of Buffalo) Distinguished Professor in the Chemical & Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Medicine Schools of Engineering and Applied Sciences Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. In collaboration with Prof. Jun Qu, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Dr. Beverly Schaefer, University at Buffalo, State University of New York will explore the Role for Glycans in Regulating Thrombosis and Hemostasis. “All blood proteins involved in maintaining hemostatic balance are extensively glycosylated. Yet, the role of glycans in regulating thrombosis and hemostasis is not well characterized. The focus of this project is primarily on von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and also other coagulation factors, as each of these is extensively glycosylated,” said Neelamegham. WNYBC awarded this research initiative $450,000 over a three-year period.
WNYBC also awarded Principal Investigator, Thomas Cochran, MD and Children’s Mercy Hospital, a Kansas City, Missouri nonprofit, funding of $187,000 over three-years for research entitled Exploring Inflammatory States Related to Factor Deficiency and the Influence on Hepcidin and Oron Homeostasis in Children with Hemophilia. Dr Cochran’s work focuses on firstly identifying the prevalence of iron deficiency in children with hemophilia, and also understanding the complex interplay between iron metabolism and inflammation which may be seen in hemophilic joint disease.
“The Discovery & Innovation Award initiative has been in the works for several years. It’s an important part of our mission to help support researchers who are pushing our field forward in the understanding and management of rare blood diseases,” shared WNYBC Medical Director, Dr. Beverly Schaefer.
“At WNYBC, we are proud to be able to make these awards to the bleeding disorder research community. It is our desire to fund research projects that can have a positive impact on the quality of life of individuals with bleeding disorders,” said Tom Greico, CEO of WNY BloodCare.
The 2024 Discovery & Innovation grants will be awarded in the late Fall of 2024., with the grant start date January 1, 2025. Learn more about WNY BloodCare’s Discovery & Innovation Awards at https://wnybloodcare.org/discovery-and-innovation-award/.
