Dr. Kai Rogers, a resident in the Pathology physician-scientist training program (PSTP), has received an NIH/NINDS grant award through its R25/UE5 funding mechanism. The University of Iowa R25/UE5 program, entitled “Carver College of Medicine Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program (CNS-TP)” is led by Drs. George Richerson and Kumar Narayanan in the Department of Neurology. This program acknowledges the critical need for physicians to be involved in basic research on human brain disease and provides direct support toward this goal. It provides funding for residents in any department if their research is in any area aligned with the goals of the NINDS. Its major purpose is to increase the number of physicians performing disease-oriented neuroscience research, and to decrease the time for physician-scientists to obtain independent funding (K Awards, R01s, etc.).

Stephanie van de Wall, Ph.D. was the lead author of the study. Co-authors include Scott Anthony, Lisa Hancox and Lecia Epping from the Harty lab, Vladimir P. Badovinac Ph.D., also from U. Iowa Pathology as well as Ryan Langlois (U. Minnesota) and Dietmar Zehn (Technical University of Munich). The work was supported by grants from the NIH to VPB and JTH.

Dr. Harty received a new five-year grant from the NIH entitled “Mechanisms of compromised CD8 T cell responses to vaccination in malaria experienced hosts.” The award totals $3,442,760, the project started June 24, 2024 and concludes April 30, 2029.

Nastaran Daneshgar successfully defended her doctoral thesis in early June and graduated from the Experimental Pathology Ph.D. Program. Her thesis, Klotho-Sirt1-CHK2 Pathways in the Regulation of Cardiac Function in Aging and Post-Myocardial Injury, focuses on aging and cardiac function, offering promising insights into potential therapeutic interventions for age-related cardiac diseases. She conducted her thesis work in the laboratories of Dr. Dao-Fu Dai and Dr. Chad Grueter, utilizing a combination of human tissue, mouse models, and human-derived stem cell models.

June's recipients include: Dion Baylor, Bob Rotzoll, and Junalyn Vander Pol.

Dr. Harty received a new 2 year grant from the NIH entitled “Brain T cell interactions in microbial experienced mice.” The award totals $404,300, the project started June 4, 2024 and concludes April 30, 2026.

Cancer researcher Steven Offer, PhD investigates the genetic factors that increase the risk of a toxic reaction to the cancer drug Fluorouracil (5-FU). 5-FU, used since the 1970s to treat many cancers including colorectal, stomach, breast and cervical cancer, can be toxic to certain patients. While many cancer drugs can be toxic, what sets 5-FU apart is that severe illness and death is largely preventable.

Dr. Marco Hefti received a five-year NIH R01 award entitled “A non-canonical role for tau in early human brain development” from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The award totals $561,007 and the project starts May 1, 2024 and concludes February 28, 2029.

April's recipients include: Jennifer Hinkhouse, Kristen Milton, and Ashley Tritthardt.

Rachel Fitzjerrells, a Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD student in the Mangalam Lab, won the prestigious Max Smith Oral Presentation Award at the 71st Iowa Section AADOCR on February 13th, 2024. Her presentation, “Machine Learning Approach Identifies Dysbiotic Oral Communities in Multiple Sclerosis,” explored innovative methods for analyzing the oral microbiome. Rachel's presentation was selected as the best from over 40 graduate student and post-doctoral presentations, demonstrating her excellent communication skills, cutting-edge research, and engaging delivery.