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Research Awards

Grant Funding Announcement

Title: Fullerenes Counteracting Organophosphorus Threats

Signficance: Organophosphorus (OP) compounds are potent, volatile chemical agents that have been used as agents of terrorism (e.g., their use against the Kurds in Iraq in the 1980s and their release in Japan in 1994 and 1995). The OP nerve agents are chemically similar to OP insecticides and exert their acutely toxic biological effects by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme in the nervous system. Although treatments are currently available for rescue from OP-induced cholinergic poisoning that follows AChE inhibition, they have a limited spectrum of effectiveness. Solubilized carbon-containing ‘buckyballs’ (C60 and C80 fullerenes) supplied by Luna Innovations, Inc., Blacksburg, have properties that provide potential to contribute to counteract severe OP-induced toxicity. The water solubility of these fullerenes will allow them to be easily administered and distributed in the body; properties associated with their carbon cages will allow them to enter cells to exert antidotal action. They are safe, have capability to interact with and inactivate OP compounds, and could counteract OP-induced oxidative stress associated with the severe toxicity that can occur following exposure to nerve agents. The work to be done will examine the effectiveness of C60 and C80 fullerenes to inactivate OP compounds in vitro and effectively antidote OP toxicity in vivo.

PI: Marion Ehrich
CO-I: Bernard S. Jortner; Luna Innovations, Inc. (Roger Van Tassell, Chris Kepley)

Total Award: $946,432 (includes annual subcontracts to Luna Innovations, Inc.)
    Direct: ~$674,435 total
    Indirect: ~$217,728 total

Duration of Award: ~ 3 years; 9/4/08 – 5/31/11

Funding Agency: NIH

Grant Funding Announcement

Title: A chicken model to study HEV pathogenesis

Signficance: The lack of a practical animal model for HEV is a major obstacle for understanding the mechanism of HEV pathogenesis. This project will utilize a novel chicken model system to understand the pathogenesis of HEV, and the data from this project will help devise preventive and control strategies against HEV.

PI: X.J. Meng
CO-I: F.W. Pierson, T. LeRoith, Y.W. Huang

Total Award: $1,266,300
    Direct: $800,000
    Indirect: $466,300

Duration of Award: 03/01/2008 to 02/30/2012

Funding Agency: NIAID, NIH

Grant Funding Announcement

Title: Mechanism of hepatitis E virus replication and pathogenesis

Significance: The lack of knowledge on HEV biology and pathogenesis has greatly hindered the development of a vaccine against HEV. This project will delineate the structural and functional relationship of HEV genes using reverse genetics and animal models, and the results will aid in the development of a live-attenuated vaccine against this important but extremely understudied human pathogen.

PI: X.J. Meng
CO-I: P.G. Halbur, Y.W. Huang

Total Award: $1,561,797
    Direct: $1,000,000
    Indirect: $561,797

Duration of Award: 03/01/2008 to 02/30/2012

Funding Agency: NIAID, NIH