The dozen grants awarded for 2019 – the largest group of new projects since the JI’s inception – come from numerous departments and disciplines, including hepatology and cancer, as well as areas new to the JI like dentistry, pharmacy, and ophthalmology.
“We have been intentional about expanding the scope the JI to incorporate more disciplines where both institutions bring complementary expertise,” said Global REACH Director of Asia Programs Amy Huang. “That includes an increasing number of projects in precision medicine and big data, as well as research from other health sciences.”
Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences David Zacks met his PKUHSC counterpart, Dr. Liu Yang, when she toured Kellogg Eye Center last year as part of the 2018 JI Symposium. Their new joint research project, which explores the molecular mechanisms underlying photoreceptor cell death during disease, is the JI’s first study in ophthalmology.
“We realized that we could leverage the strengths of our two labs to gain more insights into mechanisms of cell death, the goal being to ultimately develop therapies to keep the cells alive and improve visual outcomes,” said Zacks, who is headed to Beijing at the end of the month for the 2019 Symposium. “Our work will benefit both institutions tremendously, by allowing for the sharing of information and gaining of knowledge. We look forward to initiating and strengthening this collaboration, and are optimistic that together we can help find new therapies for patients.”
Below is a list of projects awarded for 2019 and their respective U-M PIs. Find full descriptions at the JI website.
Determining genetic and microbiome effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its medical complications in a Chinese population
Elizabeth Speliotes, MD, PhD, MPH
Three-dimensional scaffold with two-stage siRNA delivery to reconstruct periodontal defects
Peter Ma, PhD
LILRA3 as a novel regulator of thrombioinflammation in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)
Jason Knight, MD, PhD
Molecular signatures underlying the progression of intestinal meaplasia: a multi-omics approach
Andrea Tosisco, MD
John Kao, MD
Gaining insight into retinal cell death: rational drug development through vitreous proteomic analysis
David Zacks, MD, PhD
Citrullinated Histone H3: A Mediator and Biomarker of Sepsis-induced Acute Lung Injury
Yongqing Li, MD, PhD
Michigan-Peking Cancer Biomarker Collaborative
Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD
Cancer Stem Cell Dormancy and Epigenetic Regulation
Yali Dou, PhD
EMERALD-HF: Evaluation of MinERalocorticoid antagonists in ALdehyde dehydrogenase type 2 Deficiency
Bertram Pitt, MD
Porama Thanaporn, MD
New Strategy to Identify, Validate, and Eliminate Heterogeneity for Personalized Cancer Therapy of Breast Cancer or Liver Cancer
Duxin Sun, PhD
Deferoxamine in the Treatment of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemmorrhage (DISH)
Aditya Pandey, MD
Building a Learning Health System for Kidney Disease through Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Record Data in Yinzhou China
Charles Friedman, PhD