Congratulations to Trevor Lentz on receiving NIAMS funding for an R21 through a HEAL initiative call. The project is a collaboration with ATI Physical Therapy to evaluate predictors of health care use and outcomes following early access to PT for musculoskeletal pain. While Dr. Lentz has collaborated with ATI in the past, this represents a significant step in industry partnership with them.
Additionally, Shyni Varghese has received NIH funding on three new grants:
1R01AG074491-01A1 Localization of adenosine to promote fracture healing $502, 532
3 R01AR079189-02S1 Modulation of local adenosine signaling to attenuate fracture pain $66,163
1 RFAG076203-01A1 Understanding the role of senescence on post-operative neuroinflammation $2, 268, 715
Dr. Varghese’s group carries out research in four areas: (1) Smart Biomaterials and interfaces, with a focus on the design and development of synthetic biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering, cell transplantation, drug delivery, and actuators; (2) Miniature Organs, with a focus on organoids and organ-on-chip platfroms as model systems to study organ homeostasis and degeneration; (3) Rejuvenation, with a focus on age-related changes in tissue function, cellular resilience, healing ability, and susceptibility to pain; (4) Bench to Bedside with a focus on innovating efficient and low-cost translatable technologies.