Announcements

Funding Opportunity – Pepper Center Pilot & Exploratory Studies Core RFA          “Integrating pathways affecting physical function for new approaches to disability treatment and prevention”          Eligibility: Basic science and clinical research projects are encouraged from investigators at Wake Forest Reynolda or Med Center campuses, and can include collaborations with investigators within legacy Atrium Health and other institutions, particularly those with Pepper Centers.          Overall Objective: to promote translational research to assess biological, behavioral, cognitive, genomic, metabolic, and other factors which contribute to age-related physical function decline, or progression to disability.          Major Goal: development and testing in clinical/re-clinical studies of novel interventions targeting age-related decline in physical function to prevent/reverse progression to disability.          Due date: LOI – July 16th     Application – August 27th          Funding: $25,000 for one year with the potential for a partial or full 2nd year.          Additional info:  contact Dr. Tom Register register@wakehealth.edu    Dr. Dalane Kitzman dkitzman@wakehealth.edu    Dr. Jingzhong Ding  jding@wakehealth.edu    Abby Archer aarcher@wakehealth.edu (admin inquiries & LOI)

AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship    The purpose is to enhance the training of postdoctoral applicants who are not yet independent. The applicant must be embedded in an appropriate investigative group with the mentorship, support, and relevant scientific guidance of a research mentor. Recognizing the unique challenges that clinicians, in particular, experience in balancing research and clinical activity, this award mechanism aims to be as flexible as possible to enable applicants to develop academic careers in research alongside fulfilling clinical service commitments.    Funding is on a sliding scale based on years of experience and is for 1-2 year duration.    Full Information: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/application-information/postdoctoral-fellowship

NIAAA: Mechanisms of Alcohol Tolerance (PAR-21-250)    This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) focuses on sensitivity and tolerance mechanisms underlying the development of alcohol use disorder. The intent of this FOA is to: (1) develop hypotheses about cellular, molecular or network mechanisms that regulate sensitivity and tolerance to alcohol, and (2) develop quantitative models to predict the development of tolerance and the progression to alcohol use disorder.    These objectives will be accomplished with a Phased Innovation (R21/R33) mechanism, clinical trial optional, in which secondary data analysis or pilot studies can occur during the R21 phase, and research testing the hypotheses can be expanded in the R33 phase. The transition to the R33 phase will be determined by NIAAA program staff after evaluation of the achievement of specific milestones set for the R21 phase.    Due Date: October 16, 2021    Funding: For the R21 phase, the combined budget for direct costs during the two-year project period may not exceed $275,000 with no more than $200,000 requested in a single year. For the R33 phase, the direct costs should not exceed $500,000 per year.    Full Information: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-21-250.html

NSF Funding Opportunities https://www.nsf.gov/funding/  

NIH Funding Opportunities https://grants.nih.gov/funding/searchguide/index.html#/  

Foundational Funding Opportunities file:///C:/Users/grpate/Downloads/NIH%20Funding%20Opportunities%20(40).pdf

Upcoming Events

Cancer Biology Seminar Date/Time:     Tuesday, June 29th (9am – 10am)             Speaker:         Shih-Ying Wu, PhD (Postdoctoral Researcher) Title:   “The role of microglia/macrophage in brain metastasis of lung cancer progression and treatment” Webex:           https://wakehealth.webex.com/wakehealth/j.php?MTID=mcfbbdf13b274693d58ae7eebe8cb0e19 [wakehealth.webex.com]

Comparative Medicine Research Strategy Meeting Date/Time:     Tuesday, June 29th (3:30 – 4:30pm) Speaker:         Dr. Carol Shively (Professor, Pathology – Comparative Medicine)                         Dr. Koudy Williams (Professor, WFIRM)                         Dr. Brett Frye (Research Fellow, Pathology – Comparative Medicine) Title:   “Psychosocial Stress Effects on Regenerative Medicine Therapies for Lower Urinary Tract Disorders in Nonhuman Primates” and “AD Supplement on Aging and Sleep Quality in Vervets” Webex:           https://wakehealth.webex.com/wakehealth/j.php?MTID=m903535315a31a05d9063c8014c616a2b Meeting #: 1617 32 1341 Passcode: GdN2EJ3N6dx 

SAVE THE DATE Research Symposium: Innovations in Therapeutic Trials, Assessment & Care for Alzheimer’s Disease Date/Time:     Wednesday, July 14th (4:30 – 6:00pm) Hosted by:      Suzanne Craft, PhD (Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center – WFSOM) Oleg Tcheremissine, MD (Research Director, Department of Psychiatry – Atrium Health) Agenda:          TBA Webex:           https://wakehealth.webex.com/wakehealth/j.php?MTID=md03d50cb614d7a2d48c1bc141120d91d Meeting #: 1616 66 8371 Passcode: HqGKNGen626 

Recent Publications

Li W, Justice-Clark T, Cohen MB. The utility of ThyroSeq ® in the management of indeterminate thyroid nodules by fine-needle aspiration. Cytopathology. 2021 Apr 29. [Online ahead of print] PMID: 33914382. https://doi.org/10.1111/cyt.12981  

Cao Z, Wang J-L, McNutt PM, Utkin YN, Shahbazzadeh D, Wulff H, kovacic H, Sabatier J-M. Editorial: Venoms, Animal, and Microbial Toxins. (Editorial) Front Pharmacol. 2021 May 26;12:706573. PMCID: PMC8188234. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc8188234/  

Mongraw-Chaffin M, Hairston KG, Hanley AJG, Tooze JA, Norris JM, Palmer ND, Bowden DW, Lorenzo C, Chen Y-D I, Wagenknecht LE. Association of Visceral Adipose Tissue and insulin Resistance with Incident Metabolic Syndrome Independent of Obesity Status: The IRAS Family Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2021 May 17. [Online ahead of print] PMID: 33998167. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23177  

Gao C, Jin G, *Forbes E, Mangala LS, Wany Y, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Amero P, Bayraktar E, Yan Y, Lopez-Berestein G, Broaddus RR, Sood AK, Xue F, Zhang W. Inactivating Mutations of the IK Gene Weaken Ku80/Ku70-Mediated DNA Repair and Sensitize Endometrial Cancer to Chemotherapy. Cancers (Basel). 2021 May 20;13(10):2487. PMCID: PMC8160817. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc8160817/  

*Zimmerman K, Langefeld CD. Hierarchicell: an R-package for estimating power for tests of differential expression with single-cell data. BMC Genomics. 2021 May 1;22(1):319. PMCID: PMC8088563. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc8088563/  

Regua AT, Aguayo NR, Jalboush SA, Doheny DL, Manore SG, Zhu D, Wong GL, Arrigo A, Wagner CJ, Yu Y, Thomas A, Chan MD, Ruiz J, Jin G, Strowd R, Sun P, Lin J, Lo H-W. TrkA Interacts with the Phosphorylates STAT3 to Enhance Gene Transcription and Promote Breast Cancer Stem Cells in Triple-Negative and HER2-Enriched Breast Cancers. Cancers (Basel). 2021 May 12;13(10):2340. PMCID: PMC8150921. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc8150921/

CPM Faculty Member Highlights

Dr. Tony Reeves received his B.S. in Biology and was commissioned as an U.S. Army Ordnance Officer from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX.  After active duty he returned to Tarleton State to earn a M.S. in Molecular Biology by developing recombinant baculovirus and genotyping aquatic insects.  He earned his PhD in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, where he engineered thermodynamically stabilized enzymes for use as organophosphate nerve agent countermeasures [1].  Dr. Reeves completed his postdoctoral training at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD, where he worked on multiple projects creating therapeutic antibodies, enzymes and small molecules using a variety of animal models [2, 3].  After completing his postdoc, he moved to the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, TX.  At SwRI Dr. Reeves served as a Principal Scientist and the Manager of the Biochemistry and Medicinal & Process Chemistry sections of the Pharmaceuticals and Bioengineering Department and earned his MBA from Texas A&M University San Antonio.  As Manager he oversaw numerous early phase drug discovery projects [4] and business development efforts.  He came to Wake Forest School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Section on Molecular Medicine and his current work includes developing therapeutics for cholestatic itch with collaborators at Duke University and UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico [5], nanoparticle formulated enzymes to treat nerve agent intoxication with the Ohio State University (NIH R21NS084899) and development of novel, specific PET tracers for cannabinoid and norepinephrine receptors with Winston Salem State University (NSF EIR 20-542).  He is also using molecular modeling for repositioning of FDA approved compounds in Lupus (Langefeld, W81XWH-20-1-0686) and chlorine exposure (Attala, BAA-18-100-SOL-00003).  He has had two recent pilot studies funded.  One to develop an in utero PET imaging model that uses co-registered MRI data as a method to asses efficacy of novel opioid overdose countermeasures (NCTIC Pilot) and a second to design novel FABP4 inhibitors in conjunction with a knock out mouse model being developed by Atrium (CTSI Translational Research Initiative). 1.        Reeves TE, Wales ME, Grimsley JK, Li P, Cerasoli DM, Wild JR.  Balancing the stability and the catalytic specificities of OP hydrolases with enhanced V-agent activities. Protein Eng Des Sel, 2008. 21(6): p. 405-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/protein/gzn019 2.       Bharate SB, Guo L, Reeves TE, Cerasoli DM, Thompson CM. New series of monoquaternary pyridinium oximes: Synthesis and reactivation potency for paraoxon-inhibited electric eel and recombinant human acetylcholinesterase. Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2009. 19(17): p. 5101-4. PMCID: PMC2728166. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2728166/ 3.       Cerasoli DM, Armstrong SJ, Reeves TE, Hodgins SM, Kasten SA, Lee-Stubbs RB, Cadieux CL, Otto TC, Capacio BR, Lunz DE. Butyrylcholinesterase, a stereospecific in vivo bioscavenger against nerve agent intoxication. Biochem Pharmacol, 2020. 171: p. 113670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2019.113670 4.       McHardy SF, Bohmann JA, Corbett MR, Campos B, Tidwell MW, Thompson PM, Bemben CJ, Menchaca TA, Reeves TE, et al.  Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel, nonquaternary reactivators of GF-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase. Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 2014. 24(7): p. 1711-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2014.02.049 5.       Chen Y, Wang Z-L, Yeo M, Zhang Q-J, Lopez-Romero AE, Ding H-P, Zhang X, Zeng Q, Morales-Lazaro SL, Moore C, Jin Y-A, Yang H-H, Morstein J, Bortsov A, Krawczyk M, Lammert F, Adbelmalek M, Diehl AM, Miliewicz P, Kremer AE, Zhang JY, Nackley A, Reeves TE, et al. Epithelia-sensory neuron crosstalk underlies cholestatic itch induced by lysophosphatidylcholine. Gastroenterology. 2021 Apr 2;S0016-5085(21)00576-X. [online ahead of print] https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2021.03.049