Awards by Sponsor:
May 1, 2017, through May 31, 2017

SPONSOR	NO. OF AWARDS	AWARD AMOUNT
National Institutes of Health	80	$15,606,758
National Science Foundation	26	$2,830,583
Department of Education	3	$587,415
Department of Defense	18	$1,809,373
Department of Energy	10	$1,085,138
Department of Labor	1	$267,685
Department of Agriculture	15	$2,933,873
National Aeronautics and Space administration	10	$540,324
Other Federal	9	$2,045,229
Total Federal	172	$27,706,378
Industry	294	$6,426,376
State of Ohio	4	$1,383,164
Private Agencies	63	$3,869,828
Colleges and Universities	7	$74,060
Other Non-Federal	5	$121,590
Total Non-Federal	373	$11,875,018
TOTAL	545	$39,581,396

Caligiuri receives NCI Outstanding Investigator Award

Michael Caligiuri, director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, has received a seven-year, $6.5 million Outstanding Investigator Award from The National Cancer Institute (NCI). This grant supports research that will advance the development of natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies to treat cancer. The work could result in clinical trials in acute myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma and glioma and lead to prolonged survival of cancer patients. Jianhua Yu, associate professor of internal medicine, is the co-principal investigator on the study.

Studying activity patterns
of urban adolescents

Kate Calder, professor of statistics, has received a five-year, $1.55 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study adolescent health in an urban environment. Calder and her team will work to link geographic locations to health-science research by focusing on “co-location” networks (locations of an individual’s routine activities) of Franklin County adolescents. The team hopes to show that an immediate neighborhood is not the only factor affecting urban adolescents’ mental and physical well-being. Study results will have broad applicability to problems ranging from the flow of information in social networks to the spread of infectious diseases across cities. Co-investigators are Christopher Browning, professor of sociology; Srinivasan Parthasarathy, professor of computer science and engineering; and Bethany Boettner, senior research associate at the Institute for Population Research.

Preventing healthcare-associated infections

Ann Scheck McAlearney, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Family Medicine, received a five-year, $1.89 million award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study ways to reduce and prevent the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in ICUs and medical/surgical units. As part of the “Searching for Management Approaches to Reduce HAI Transmission (SMART) study,” the team will develop a management practice toolkit—the SMART Toolkit—for hospitals and health systems to use nationwide. Patient safety efforts will be benchmarked and guidelines will be established to improve HAI outcomes. Co-investigators are Timothy Huerta, associate professor of family medicine and biomedical informatics; Jennifer Hefner and Cynthia Sieck, assistant professors of family medicine; Courtney Hebert, assistant professor of internal medicine; and Erinn Hade, research assistant professor in the Center for Biostatistics.

Improving cerebral palsy physical therapy treatment

Jill Heathcock, associate professor of health and rehabilitation sciences, received a four-year, $3 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to improve physical therapy treatment for patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Nearly 764,000 children and adults in the United States exhibit CP symptoms of motor and speech impairment caused by damage to specific areas of the brain. Researchers will compare results of intensive periodic therapy with therapy given weekly to determine which frequency works better to improve motor function for patients of different ages with varying severity of symptoms. They will also test cognition, language, play and engagement—all of which are central to child development.

Blocking influenza virus infections with a protein

Jacob Yount, assistant professor of microbial infection and immunity, received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate how interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) blocks influenza virus infections. Yount’s team will characterize a portion of this protein essential for blocking infections. They will also study cellular pathways that control the abundance of IFITM3 in cells. The researchers hope to discover new tools to fight existing and emerging viral diseases, including the Ebola and West Nile viruses. 

Advancing innovative nuclear technologies

Three Ohio State researchers were awarded $1.23 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy University Program which focuses on advancing innovative nuclear technologies. Tunc Aldemir, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will receive approximately $800,000 to develop a computationally feasible and user-friendly process to complement the traditional probabilistic risk assessment approach. Marat Khafizov, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will receive nearly $250,000 to purchase instrumentation to develop advanced sensors and materials evaluation tools and conduct research on the impact of radiation damage. Lei R. Cao, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will receive nearly $185,000 to recommission two of the Nuclear Reactor Lab's neutron beam ports. The Department of Energy awarded over $66 million to 86 projects focused on nuclear energy research and crosscutting technology development and infrastructure. 

Engineering next generation trans-catheter heart valves

Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, associate professor of biomedical engineering, has received a $150,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health Center for Accelerated Innovations at Cleveland Clinic to support development of a durable, cost effective trans-catheter artificial heart valve. Dasi and his team have created a hyaluronan enhanced polymeric trans-catheter heart valve that has been shown to be highly hydrophilic, anti-thrombogenic and anti-calcific in addition to demonstrating a high degree of strength and durability. Development of a fully synthetic valve could make trans-catheter aortic valve replacement safer and more broadly available to patients. NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovations were established to accelerate translation of scientific discovery into commercial products that improve health for patients. 

Two students named 2017 Tillman Scholars

Ohio State students Gretchen Klingler and Michael Nelson have been named 2017 Tillman Military Scholars. Klingler, majoring in anthropology and Arabic, is Ohio State’s first undergraduate student to receive the award. She served six years and two deployments in the Air Force as a tactical systems operator and is fluent in the Iraqi dialect of Arabic. Nelson, who is earning a PhD in educational studies, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed once to Iraq. Klingler and Nelson will receive scholarships from the Pat Tillman Foundation, created to honor Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who left his playing career to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. Tillman served as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before being killed in active service in 2004. Klingler and Nelson are two of 60 scholars selected from over 2,100 applicants.

NIH funds training program in molecular biophysics

Ralf Bundschuh, professor of physics; Jeff Kuret, professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology; and Thomas Magliery, professor of chemistry and biochemistry; have been awarded a five-year, approximately $850,000 grant from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to establish an interdisciplinary Molecular Biophysics Training Program at Ohio State. Ohio State becomes one of 23 NIH-supported Research Training Programs in the nation. 

Flying into the future: Riding a blimp to work

A team of Ohio State aerospace engineering students won second place in the inaugural University Student Design Challenge sponsored by the NASA Glenn Research Center. Thirteen student teams from across the country designed concepts for using aeronautics vehicles as a means to travel within city limits. The goal was to design a vehicle that reduced traffic congestion and fuel emissions, while providing reliable transportation to the general population. The Ohio State team designed a “lighter-than-air” vehicle designed much like a blimp, with a seating compartment attached underneath. Propelled by electric motors, the aircraft is designed to carry 192 passengers to and from Honolulu in 10 minutes, significantly shortening commute time. 

Studying gene mutations in tRNA

Anita Hopper, professor of molecular genetics, has received a four-year, $840,000 National Institutes of Health grant to support her research on gene mutations in transfer RNA (tRNA) biology, which can lead to a variety of diseases, including cancer and metabolic and neuromuscular diseases. The project expands decades-long studies of functional tRNAs essential to decode genomes in all organisms and gene products. Hopper's research will impact multiple facets of gene expression, quality control and issues important to human health.

The Smith Lab "Pop-Garden"

The InFACT Discovery Theme has partnered with the Sustainable Growing Club at Ohio State (GrOSU), the Knowlton School of Architecture, the Department of Anthropology and Ohio State University Landscape Services to create the Smith Lab "Pop-Garden.” The project consists of two 20 x 20 plots that will grow a variety of attractively colored corn that can be popped, and that can serve as food, pollinators and for aesthetics. By growing organic and non-GMO varieties of corn, as well as lesser-known grains like millet and amaranth, the GrOSU students hope to make an educational statement about the state of modern agriculture.Through productive use of the university’s resources, both land and people, the InFACT program aims to pioneer new physical, ecological and cultural models of food systems that promote health while balancing technology, ecological capacities, economics, justice and equity. 

NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative

To ensure the long-term stability and strength of the U.S. biomedical research enterprise, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the Next Generation Researchers Initiative to bolster support for early-stage and mid-career investigators to address longstanding challenges faced by researchers trying to embark upon and sustain independent research careers. NIH plans to take a multi-pronged approach to increase the number of NIH-funded early-stage and mid-career investigators and stabilize the career trajectory of scientists. Learn more.