Davidson awarded new NIH grant
Dr. Beverly Davidson, UI professor of internal medicine, neurology, and molecular physiology and biophysics, and Roy J. Carver Biomedical Research Chair in Internal Medicine, is among the first group of scientists to receive a EUREKA award from the National Institutes of Health.
The new funding program, called EUREKA for Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration, aims to support exceptionally innovative research that could have a large impact on many areas of science. In this first round of funding, 38 scientists will share $42.2 million for projects that test new, often unconventional hypotheses or tackle major methodological or technical challenges.
Davidson will receive approximately $200,000 per year for up to four years to develop an RNA-based strategy for getting material into the brain without the need for a direct injection.
Preliminary work from Davidson’s lab has shown that certain RNA-based molecules, injected into the tail vein of a mouse, could reach the brain. Davidson hopes to build on this approach, in collaboration with Dr. James McNamara, UI associate in internal medicine, to deliver RNA-based molecules to targeted areas of the brain.
Davidson’s project is funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the NIH. NINDS awarded five EUREKA awards in this first round of funding.