SPH Faculty Awarded UMCP/UMB Seed Grants

Congratulations to the two SPH faculty who were awarded Seed Grants this year as a part of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore Research Seed Grant Program, Dr. Eva Chin and Dr. Donald Milton. The awards were celebrated at a reception last Monday.

Dr. Eva Chin was awarded a grant for her study, "The Role of Skeletal Muscle Glycoproteins in Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes." She will work alongside Dr. Andrew Goldberg, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Abstract: Aging and a sedentary lifestyle leading to weight gain result in insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and dyslipidemia. These factors increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes melliltus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance results from defects in skeletal muscle insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and is known to be related to impaired function of mitochondria, reduced mitochondrial oxidation of free fatty acids and accumulation of muscle lipids. We hypothesize that skeletal muscle abnormalities in glucose disposal and fatty acid oxidation in T2DM are compounded by an increase in muscle content of glycosylated proteins and triglycerides, and that exercise training of sufficient duration and intensity will reduce skeletal muscle glycoprotein content, increase expression of proteins involved in mitochondrial lipid metabolism, glucose uptake and insulin signaling to improve glycemic control. We propose to analyze skeletal muscle samples from an ongoing exercise training study in elderly diabetic subjects with a novel technique for isolating and quantitatively measuring skeletal muscle glycoproteins. We will also directly assess the mechanisms by which glycoproteins alter insulin signaling, glucose uptake and lipid metabolism in a human muscle cell culture model. 

Dr. Donald Milton was awarded a grant for his study, "Novel Exhaled Breath Biomarker Detection." He is working alongside Dr. Mark Cowan, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Abstract: We will pioneer the use of immuno-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (IqPCR) for the detection of biomarker proteins in exhaled breath. This technique is a new experimental method that leverages the well-established nucleic acid amplification technique of PCR in order to provide amplification in an immunoassay capable of achieving attomolar detection limits. We will combine this new sensitive assay with new approaches to sample collection and normalization and demonstrate proof of principle for a non-invasive diagnostic tool to quantitatively measure nonvolatile biomarkers (e.g. cytokines) dissolved in respiratory fluid of the lower respiratory tract. We will study patients with chronic lung disease, lung cancer, and normal controls using both our novel exhaled breath collection and analysis system and conventional bronchoalveolar lavage to generate sufficient preliminary data on feasibility and validity to publish ground-breaking high impact results and achieve support for further research and development.

The Seed Grant program was established to foster teams of investigators crossing disciplinary boundaries and campuses, establish specific research foci, generate preliminary data, and submit research proposals to the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, or other federal funding agencies.

The program is also intended to foster collaborations between junior and senior investigators and provide mentorship for new investigators in the art of grant writing and research. For more information about the program visit http://www.umresearch.umd.edu/sgp/index.htm.