CCDA Grants | Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging at PCOM
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Grants 
Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging

A major initiative of the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (CCDA) is to aid in the development of new studies either by providing pilot grants to investigators studying chronic diseases/disorders in the aging process or creating collaboration between CCDA members.

The goals of this initiative are to:

  1. Increase research within the CCDA and Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.
  2. Increase scholarly activity within the PCOM community.
  3. Establish preliminary studies for large grant applications to organizations such as the NIH and NSF.
  4. Provide recognition of the existence of the CCDA as a unique entity supporting basic and applied research into healthy aging and major chronic problems of the 21st century.

Major granting agencies include the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Pilot Research Grants

  • Cathy J. Hatcher, PhD, Associate Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Contributions of a Novel Cardiac Protein to Coronary Vessel Formation”
  • Jocelyn Lippman-Bell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Characterization and pharmacological targeting of the chronic behavioral consequences of early-life seizures in zebrafish”
  • Heather L. Montie, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Generation and characterization of a zebrafish model of SBMA“
  • Lindon Young, PhD, Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “The effects of PKC epsilon activator/inhibitor peptides on nitric oxide release and hypoxia/re-oxygenation induced cell death in human umbilical vein endothelial cells“
  • Cathy J. Hatcher, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Ajap 1 in Congenital Defects of Coronary Vessel Formation”
  • Abigail Hielscher, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Loss of stromal caveolin-1 on chemotherapy responses of breast tumor cells”
  • Jocelyn Lippman-Bell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Investigating dendritic spine plasticity after seizures”
  • Heather L. Montie, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Does activation of AMPK abrogate SBMA pathogenesis?”
  • Mary P. Owen, JD, PhD, Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Novel Mechanism Involved in Rapid Testosterone-Induced Vasodilation of Myogenic Tone in Mesenteric Resistance Microvessels”
  • Srujana Rayalam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Synergistic effects of phytochemicals and immunomodulatory glycan LNFPIII on the beiging of adipocytes: a novel therapeutic approach for obesity”
  • Dianzheng Zhang, PhD, Associate Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “The mechanism of HP1γ-mediated prostate cancer progression through regulating de novo fatty acid synthesis”

No pilot grants were awarded this year.

  • Vishakha Bhave, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Role of bile acid-FXR signaling in hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation”
  • Cathy Hatcher, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “A Transgenic Mouse Model of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy”
  • Abigail Hielscher, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “The role of matrix rigidity on morphological and functional characteristics of human mammary fibroblasts grown in 3D gelatin hydrogels”
  • Huo Lu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Study Cerebellar Nuclei Output to Thalamus Using Autopatch Recording”
  • Heather Montie, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Determining the role of SIRT3 in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy”
  • Mei Xu, PhD, Associate Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Molecular manipulation to promote axon regeneration”
  • Christopher Adams, PhD, Associate Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Bactericidal Implant Surfaces”
  • Vishakha Bhave, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Role of programming factors in trans-differentiation of hepatocytes to biliary epithelial cells”
  • Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “The role of mitochondria in acute hyperglycemia: activation of vascular NADPH oxidase and eNOS uncoupling”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Professor of Bio-Medical Sciences; PCOM – “Development of an in vitro, whole tooth model to study effects of endogenous matrix metalloprotease activity on resin restorations”
  • Xinyu Wang PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Inhibitory effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on multiple myeloma cell growth: Nrf2 and NF-kB crosstalk”
  • Richard White, PhD, Professor of Basic Science; PCOM Georgia– “Mechanisms of androgen regulation of the microvasculature”
  • Christopher Adams, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “The mechanism by which osteoblast maturation regulates calcium and phosphate ion pair-induced apoptosis”
  • Brian J. Balin, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in blood samples: A diagnostic screen for Alzheimer's disease”
  • Marcus Bell, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Physiology, Pharmacology; PCOM – “Infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae alters calcium-associated gene regulations and processes in neuronal cells and monocytes: Implications for Alzheimer’s disease”

    Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Role of acute hyperglycemia in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “Assaying endogenous matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) in acid-etched, dentinal cavity walls of an extracted tooth “
  • Mandana Ghodrat, PharmD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice; PCOM Georgia – “Role of cathepsins D and L as novel markers in acute coronary syndrome in females”
  • Lori Hardy, PhD, Associate Professor of Basic Science; PCOM Georgia – “CaMKIIb regulation of the actin cytoskeleton”
  • Ramadevi Nimmanapalli, D Phil, Dipl ACVM, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Development of heat shock protein 70 inhibitory antibodies”
  • Srujana Rayalam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Vitamin D and phytochemicals for prevention of obesity and osteoporosis”
  • Desuo Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Angiotensin II and glutamate additively or synergistically disrupt the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis of astroglia”
  • Xinyu (Eric) Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; PCOM Georgia – “Inhibitory effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on multiple myeloma cell growth”
  • Mei Xu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “A functional role of IMP2 in axon regeneration in localizing specific MRNAs”
  • Christopher Adams, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “The role of osteoblast maturation in the regulation of calcium and phosphate ion pair-induced apoptosis”
  • Denah M. Appelt, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Physiology; PCOM – “Analysis of autophagy and apoptosis gene regulation in neuronal cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae”
  • Stacy Cahn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology; PCOM – “Predictors of successful weight loss following bariatric surgery”
  • Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “The role of NADPH oxidase and eNOS in acute hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress conditions”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “Effect of BodyJet and VASER liposuction technique on the validity and differentiation of adipose derived stem cells “
  • Yue-Qiao (George) Huang, BSC, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Protein synthesis-dependent NMDA receptor trafficking after dopamine D-1 receptor activation”
  • Frank Jenney, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry; PCOM Georgia – “Amelioration of ischemia/reperfusion injury with an anaerobic enzyme, superoxide reductase”
  • John Kermode, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Meta-analysis of platelet receptor polymorphisms as risk factors for myocardial infarction and stroke”
  • Michael Kuchera, DO, Professor of OMM; PCOM – “Exploring the use of intensive osteopathic lymphatic drainage treatment for loew extremity lymphedema in the elderly”
  • Ramadevi Nimmanapalli, D Phil, Dipl ACVM, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Role of HSP70 in myeloma stromal cell interaction”
  • Eric Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Identification of potential drug candidates for ameliorating oxidative stress involved ischemia reperfusion injury”
  • James Wu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “The design and synthesis of amino acid or peptide prodrugs to improve delivery and targeting of anticancer agents”
  • Mei Xu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “Enhancement of axon regeneration by localizing specific MRNAs”
  • Lindon Young, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “The effect of triascin-C on leukocyte-endothelial interactions by using intravital microscopy”
  • Christopher Adams, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “Effect of liposuction technique on the validity and differentiation of adipose derived stem cells”
  • Yun Bai, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Nerve growth factors intranasal delivery to the CNS for Alzheimer’s disease treatment”
  • Brian J. Balin, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “The role of tryptophan metabolism in C. pneumoniae infected monocytes: Implications for Alzheimer’s disease”
  • Ruth Borghaei, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; PCOM – “Effects of nicotine and glucose on production of inflammatory mediators in response to IL-1 and LPS in human gingival fibroblasts and CAL27 oral cancer cells”
  • Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “The oxidative stress and inflammatory responses under acute hypoglycemic conditions”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy; PCOM – “Novel metalloprotease peptide derivative therapeutics for osteoarthritis“
  • Susan Hingley, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Changes in expression of genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and β-amyloid processing due to infection of neuronal cells by Chlamydia pneumoniae and/or herpes simplex virus type 1”
  • Huo Lu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anatomy; PCOM Georgia – “Optogenetic study of cerebellar circuit”
  • Harish S. Parihar, RPh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Design and synthesis of molecular probes for serotonin type 3 receptors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor architecture and molecular-level function”
  • Avadhesh Sharma, PharmD, PhD, Chair, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Ketamine-mediated modulation of NMDA and opioid receptors in activated platelets”
  • Desuo Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Science; PCOM Georgia – “Dually targeting L-type Ca2+ channel and type 4 phosphodiesterase for treatment of obesity”
  • Adwoa Aduonum, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physiology; PCOM Georgia – “Methamphetamine modulation of synaptic plasticity”
  • Brian J. Balin, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Modulation of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection of THP1 cells following exposure to pDAG"
  • Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “The role of the protein kinase C beta II in acute hyperglycemia induced leukocyte-endothelial interactions by using intravital microscopy”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy; PCOM – “Efficacy of collagenase 3 peptides in abrogation of tissue destruction in an animal model of osteoarthritis”
  • Kerin Fresa-Dillon, PhD, Professor,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Efficacy of a vaccine against C. pneumoniae in prevention of respiratory infection and/or respiratory spread”
  • Susan Hingley, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Investigation of mouse hepatitis virus entry into host cells using siRNA technology”
  • Harold L. Komiskey, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology; PCOM Georgia – “Resveratrol, estrogen, and curcumin effect on manganese-induced toxicity of rat astrocytes”
  • Lindon H. Young, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and dihydrobiopterin (BH2) in leukocyte-endothelium interactions by using intravital microscopy”
  • Adwoa Aduonum, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physiology; PCOM Georgia – “Methamphetamine modulation of synaptic plasticity”
  • Denah Appelt, PhD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Physiology; PCOM – “Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae (Cpn) promotes Ab 1-42 amyloid processing in neuronal cells: A pathogenic trigger for Alzheimer’s Disease”
  • Brian J. Balin, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Analysis of Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection and Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the human olfactory system”
  • Denise Burns, DO, Assistant Professor, Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine; PCOM – “The effects of osteopathic manipulation versus laser treatments on hypothyroidism”
  • Qian Chen, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “PKC isoform inhibition in leukocyte-endothelium interactions by using intravital microscopy”
  • Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; PCOM – “Determination of the physiologically and pathophysiologically relevance of arginase isoforms in NO production by human gingival fibroblasts”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy; PCOM – “The protease sensitive hinge region of LTBP1 is a substrate for MMP-13”
  • Randal Gregg, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM Georgia – “Modeled microgravity effect upon dendritic cell activation of tumor-specific CD8+T cells and melanoma growth”
  • Francis E. Jenney, Jr, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry; PCOM Georgia – “Utilization of a small, hyperstable iron-protein, Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin, as a medical diagnostic and therapeutic tool”
  • Michael L. Kuchera, DO, Professor and director, OMM Research/Human Performance and Biomechanics Laboratory; PCOM – “A multi-center pilot study to evaluate the effect of a pelvic orthotic and OMT protocol to reduce the impact of postural decompensation in L5-S1 isthmic spondylolisthesis subjects with chronic, recurrent low back pain”
  • Michael McGuinness, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy; PCOM – “Estrogen regulation of cell adhesion molecules and their role in Sertoli cell-spermatogenic cell interaction”
  • Mary P. Owen, PhD, JD, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology; PCOM Georgia – “Control of retinal arteriole smooth muscle vasodilation: Exploring the role of glucose, PGI2, BKca channels, and extravascular pressure”
  • Lindon H. Young, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Administration of protein kinase C beta II Inhibitor during extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy reduces free radical production”
  • Denah Appelt, PhD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Physiology; PCOM – “Effects on the apoptotic markers following a Chlamydial infection in neurons and astrocytes: implications for Alzheimer’s disease”
  • Marina D’Angelo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy; PCOM – “Hypertrophic chondrocytes produce a large latent TGFb complex that includes MMP13”
  • Stephanie H. Felgoise, PhD, ABPP, Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Psychology; PCOM – “Quality of life, coping, and psychological well-being in children with LQTS and their primary caregivers”
  • Katherine D. Galluzzi, DO, CMD, FACOFP, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Geriatric Medicine; PCOM – “The physician’s role in death: utilizing SP program to bring issues to life”
  • Susan T. Hingley, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Development of a real-time PCR assay for the investigation of viral entry mechanisms”
  • C. Scott Little, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Forensic Medicine; PCOM – “Development and immune modulation of peanut allergy in BALB/c and C3H/HeJ mice”
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