Several UTHSCT Scientists Have Been Awarded Grants

TYLER — Three scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler have been awarded a total of $616,830 in competitive grants. Their research projects could lead to new treatments for diseases such as cancer, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and tuberculosis.

Hua Tang, Ph.D., an associate professor of biochemistry, received a two-year, $382,830 grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how capillaries, tiny, one-cell-thick blood vessels, form from pre-existing blood vessels.

This process is called angiogenesis and is essential in helping tumors grow and spread. Angiogenesis also has been linked to the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that causes cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Tang is studying the role of a natural chemical in the body called protein kinase D2 (PKD2) in regulating the growth of these tiny blood vessels. The idea is that understanding how PKD2 controls blood vessels’ growth can lead to better treatments for cancer and other diseases.

Jian Fu, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biochemistry, received a two-year, $140,000 grant from the American Heart Association (AHA) to examine a specific type of lung injury. He is exploring how a protein called Sirt1 tells lung cells injured by sepsis, a severe illness in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by a bacterial infection, to die.

Each year about 750,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with sepsis, and it is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Hema Kothari, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate, received a two-year, $94,000 grant from the AHA to investigate the role of a protein called tissue factor in the development of tuberculosis.

Proteins are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s cells, tissues, and organs; each protein has unique functions. Hormones, enzymes, and antibodies are all examples of proteins.

Tissue factor is the protein that begins the blood-clotting process. People infected with TB sometimes develop blood clots. The purpose of Dr. Kothari’s research is to determine if tissue factor is involved in limiting the spread of TB bacteria or if it helps TB bacteria survive in the body.

Understanding the relationship between tissue factor and TB could lead to new treatments for this infectious disease, which kills almost 2 million people throughout the world each year.