NIH

November 2, 2009 -- Healthy pregnant women mount a robust immune response following just one dose of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to initial results from an ongoing clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.

“For pregnant women, who are among the most vulnerable to serious health problems from 2009 H1N1 infection, these initial results are very reassuring,” says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “The immune responses seen in these healthy pregnant women are comparable to those seen in healthy adults at the same time point after a single vaccination, and the vaccine has been well tolerated.”    » read more »

Findings by Scripps Research Scientists Brighten Prospects of Stem Cell Therapy for Range of Diseases

LA JOLLA, CA – October 15, 2009 A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has developed a method that dramatically improves the efficiency of creating stem cells from human adult tissue, without the use of embryonic cells. The research makes great strides in addressing a major practical challenge in the development of stem-cell-based medicine.

The findings were published in an advance, online issue of the journal Nature Methods on October 18, 2009.    » read more »

October 8, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman announced that research institutes in the San Fernando Valley are receiving nearly four million dollars in combined grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the Stimulus Bill, provides an unprecedented level of funding to the NIH to help stimulate the US economy through the support and advancement of scientific research. The NIH targeted projects that were likely to stimulate the economy, create or retain jobs, and have the potential for making scientific progress in 2 years.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation today announced over $22 million in federal funding for Rhode Island to support cutting-edge medical research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will distribute 91 federal grants to eligible grantees throughout the state. These grants were funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which the delegation supported.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) announced today that the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Wayne State University, Michigan State University, Calvin College, Van Andel Research Institute, and Oakland University received a total of $2,722,910 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“I’m pleased this recovery funding will help support important health care research and training across our state,” Stabenow said. “By investing in health care research at our universities and research institutes, we will help keep our families healthy and help create good-paying jobs in the process.”    » read more »

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Will Invest Over $1.3 Million at Medical Research Facilities in Western NY

June 2, 2009 -- U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will provide a total of $1,346,463 to two research institutions in Western NY through the National Institutes for Health. The University at Buffalo will receive $212,022 and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will receive $1,134,441. This funding will create jobs for those in the field and bolster research efforts on important areas of medicine. A total of $9.9 million will be administered to New York State research institutions.    » read more »

Development May Help Shed Light on Disease in Animals and Protect Human Populations

JUPITER, FL, May 28, 2009—Current tests to identify specific strains of infectious prions, which cause a range of transmissible diseases (such as mad cow) in animals and humans, can take anywhere from six months to a year to yield results—a time-lag that may put human populations at risk.

Now, a group of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute's Florida campus have developed a new method that cuts this critical time lag by several months.

The new research was published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE on May 29, 2009.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson announced today that the National Institutes of Health will be sending more than $1.5 million in funding to Nebraska as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The funds will be used for biomedical research and training.

“These funds will help some of Nebraska’s leading research institutions to stay on the forefront of biomedical research,” said Senator Ben Nelson. “In addition, these grants will provide research opportunities for students who would otherwise not have been able to secure funding.”    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- BOSTON, MA - Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced today that 50 grantees at seventeen biomedical research and research training institutions in Massachusetts have been awarded a total of $9,902,161 in federal funding. The funds come from the National Institute of Health through a program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support biomedical research projects that will stimulate the economy, create or retain jobs, increase student-teacher training opportunities in all aspects of biomedical research, and make significant scientific progress in the next two years.    » read more »

Finding May Lead to Better Understanding of How Body Responds to Mechanical Stimuli

LA JOLLA, CA, May 13, 2009 -- Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated the action of a protein, harmonin, which is involved in the mechanics of hearing. This finding sheds new light on the workings of mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into electrical activity.

Defects in mechanotransduction genes can cause devastating diseases, such as Usher's syndrome, which is characterized by deafness, gradual vision loss, and kidney disease, which can lead to kidney failure.

The research, led by Scripps Research Professor Ulrich Mueller, was published in the May 14, 2009 issue of the journal Neuron.    » read more »

Senate to take up Supplemental Funding Bill next week that includes vital cancer research funds

June 20, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Continuing his intensive work to provide funds for life-saving biomedical research, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds health and education initiatives, today praised the House of Representatives for approving $150 million in additional funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pledged to include and approve the funds on the Senate side.

The House passed the Supplemental Funding Bill late last night that includes the NIH funding; the Senate intends to consider the legislation next week.    » read more »

Will Ensure Continuous Treatment For Sick Children Upon Exiting NIH Studies

February 13, 2008 - Today U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation that seeks to provide continuous care to children as they transition out of research studies with National Institutes of Health (NIH). Nino’s Act (S.2629) will ensure that successful treatments received through the studies are covered under Medicaid if the child’s insurance carrier does not recognize the experimental treatment.    » read more »

Sept. 12, 2007, WASHINGTON - A Sept. 12 signing of a memorandum of understanding marked a key milestone for NASA and the National Institutes of Health in their long partnership to advance scientific discovery. The two agencies entered into an agreement that helps American scientists use the International Space Station to answer questions about human health and diseases. The pact signals to researchers the availability of a remarkable platform on which to conduct experiments.    » read more »

Thursday, September 6, 2007 -- A genetic variation has been identified that increases the risk of two chronic, autoimmune inflammatory diseases: rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). These research findings result from a long-time collaboration between the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and other organizations. NIAMS is part of the National Institutes of Health.

These results appear in the Sept. 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.    » read more »

5-Sep-2007 -- How environmental stress contributes to cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

The study, which follows 523 pairs of twins, is funded by a $1.7 million continuation grant from the National Institutes of Health.    » read more »