FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Steve Paris
Public Information Officer
OCAST
405-319-8405
The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) this week awarded more than $3.6 million for 29 health research projects that will take up to three years to complete. Health Research is the first program put in place by the state’s science agency when it began operations 26 years ago as Oklahoma began a long-term economic diversification effort.
Winning applications were chosen from a field of 147. Projects range from a new anti-colon cancer strategy to finding new treatments for retinal disorders and include, but are not limited to, research about diabetic nephropathy, infestation and dispersal of bed bugs, genomics, understanding health issues for the aged and lipid metabolism on insulin resistance in the heart.
Research funded under the program investigates the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases and disabilities and facilitates the development of innovative health care products and services.
Many of the successful applicants will attract private and federal research dollars to Oklahoma. Improved health, high-wage and high-skill jobs are follow-ons to this investment.
OCAST’s Health Research program is designed to: (1) strengthen the competitiveness of Oklahoma health researchers for national research funds; (2) recruit and retain outstanding health research scientists for the state; (3) improve health care for Oklahomans and (4) strengthen the state’s health care industry.
Successful applicants and their organizations follow:
University of Tulsa
- Warren Booth
- Michael Keller
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Oklahoma City)
- Jian-xing Ma
- Lauren Zenewicz
- Hariprasad Gali
- Xin Zhang
- Jason Larabee
- Ferenc Deak
- Krysten Farjo
- Robert Welliver Sr.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (Oklahoma City)
- Hon Chen
- Roberto Pezza
- Scott Plafker
- Jianxin Fu
- Kenneth Humphries
Oklahoma State University (Stillwater)
- Jeff Hadwiger
- Ashish Ranjan
- Tingting Chen
- Antonius Oomens
- Alex Bishop
- Thad Leffingwell
- Barry Lavine
University of Oklahoma (Norman)
- Ari Berkowitz
- Jun Li
- Vassilios Sikavitsas
- Susan Schroeder
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (Weatherford)
- Timothy Hubin
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (Tulsa)
- Gerwald Kohler
Laureate Institute for Brain Research (Tulsa)
- Yoon-Hee Cha
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