Three promising research projects at UMass Medical School are being funded in the latest round of University of Massachusetts President Robert L. Caret’s Science and Technology Initiatives.
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| Arthur Mercurio, MD | |
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| Vivian Budnik, PhD | |
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| Marc Freeman, PhD | |
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| Paul Thompson, PhD |
Describing faculty research and scholarship as work that “distinguishes us as a university and is essential to our quest for a better and richer future,” President Caret announced the awarding of $1.17 million in grants to UMass faculty members at all five campuses. The President’s Science and Technology Initiative Fund this year is awarding $914,000 to support nine promising research projects. The President’s Creative Economy Initiatives Fund provides nearly $260,000 for nine projects aimed at enhancing the quality of life in communities across the commonwealth.
Including this year’s awards, the President’s Office has provided $11 million in funding for nearly 90 projects that have helped to accelerate research on all five UMass campuses.
“Faculty research not only expands the boundaries of human understanding and supports the state’s innovation economy, it also enriches the academic experience of students who learn from professors undertaking cutting-edge work in their fields,” Caret said.
The projects at UMMS include:
- Integrating Physical Sciences and Oncology: Vincent Rotello of UMass Amherst and Arthur Mercurio, MD, professor of molecular, cell & cancer biology at UMMS. This project represents a unique combination of the physical sciences at UMass Amherst (e.g., polymers, chemistry) with molecular biology at UMMS to help develop new diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer.
- Establishing a Core Facility for Genome Engineering in Model Organisms: Vivian Budnik, PhD, the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair and chair and professor of neurobiology; and Marc Freeman, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and professor and vice chair of neurobiology at UMMS. This award will support the development of a new core research facility that will enable the characterization and understanding of nearly any human genetic disease through new tools such as high throughput sequencing and gene editing, thus enabling scientists to better understand the pathogenesis of disease.
- Developing a Chemical Screening Initiative: Paul Thompson, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology and director of the program in chemical biology at UMMS. This initiative focuses on the identification of small molecule targets for therapeutics by taking advantage of new advances in synthetic and combinatorial chemistry. The combined capabilities of genome engineering and chemical screening at UMMS will significantly enhance the ability of UMass faculty to pursue translational research and development opportunities, move their research toward the development of therapeutics and collaborate with industry.
Additionally, UMMS faculty will participate in two other intercampus initiatives—a Marine Bioprospecting Initiative focused on sustainable bio-prospecting of marine resources for applications in pharmaceuticals, biofuels, cosmeceuticals and biomaterial; and a Concussion Prevention and Diagnosis Initiative to improve the understanding of concussions to drive improvements in protective equipment, rules and standards in various sports, and protocols and treatment.
