2009 Grant Cycle Awards
April 16, 2009 - NRFTD Announces 2009 Grant Recipients
The National Research Fund for Tick Borne Diseases, Inc. (NRFTD), a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and funding of research in the field of tick-borne diseases, today announced the winners of its 2009 grant awards. A total of $240,000 has been awarded to four investigators whose projects met our strict scientific standards and demonstrated the most potential to attract long-term funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), or other biomedical agencies. The NRFTD is guided by its desire to transform scientific discoveries into tangible results, such as publication in peer-reviewed medical journals and presentations at scientific conferences. The 2009 recipients and their projects are listed below.
NRFTD GRANT WINNERS 2009
Stephen W. Barthold, DVM, Ph.D
Professor and Director
Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California Davis
Project Cost: $60,000
Project Duration: 1 Year
Project Title: Borrelia burgdorferi Persistence Following Antibiotic
Treatment
Previous work by Dr. Barthold’s laboratory has shown that B. burgdorferi
can persist in an infectious but non-cultivatable state in mice for at
least 90 days after the animals have been treated with ceftriaxone, a
powerful antimicrobial often used to treat Lyme disease in humans. These
bacteria can then be acquired by ticks and subsequently transmitted to
other mice. In his NRFTD project, Dr. Barthold will attempt to verify
these findings with additional strains of the Lyme bacterium and
investigate the long-term fate of these organisms. Special fluorescence
techniques will be employed to discern the morphology and location of
the spirochetes and, hopefully, lay the groundwork for determining
definitively whether these bacteria are capable of causing persistent
disease.
Linda K. Bockenstedt, MD
Harold W. Jockers Professor of Medicine
School of Medicine, Yale University
Project Cost: $60,000
Project Duration: 1 Year
Project Title: Real-Time Imaging of Vector-Borne Borrelia burgdorferi
Infection in Mice
Dr. Bockenstedt’s study will employ multiphoton microscopy, a
cutting-edge form of imaging that permits the visualization of cells and
bacteria in tissues of living laboratory animals. Using this technique,
Dr. Bockenstedt will be able to study the behavior of B. burgdorferi
spirochetes in live anesthetized mice and examine in real-time the
effects of antibiotics on spirochete populations within the infected
animals. These studies will provide insight into how the Lyme bacteria
move between the tick and the mammal, and may yield important
information with implications for the treatment of Lyme disease in
humans.
Melissa Caimano, Ph.D
Instructor
Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center
Project Cost: $60,000
Project Duration: 1 Year
Project Title: Transit of Borrelia burgdorferi through the Ixodes
scapularis midgut occurs in two distinct, but interrelated, phases.
Dr. Caimano’s project will investigate in detail how B. burgdorferi
transits from ticks to mammalian hosts during tick feeding. Recent work
by Dr. Caimano and others has shown that the migration of the bacteria
out of the ticks’ midgut is considerably more complex than previously
recognized: During tick feeding, spirochetes undergo a burst of
replication, forming non-motile networks that adhere to differentiating
tick midgut epithelial cells and only later in the feeding process
become individually motile forms. Dr. Caimano will investigate the
interplay between B. burgdorferi and the tick midgut epithelium; this
work will likely further the long-term objective of identifying
bacterial and tick gene products and regulatory pathways that enable
dissemination of the Lyme spirochete within both ticks and mammals. It
is possible that this work could ultimately lead to novel vaccine
strategies that block the exit of spirochetes from the tick midgut
during feeding.
Gustavo Valbuena, MD, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch
Project Cost: $60,000
Project Duration: 1 Year
Project Title: Humanized Mouse Model of Tick-Transmitted Rickettsia
rickettsii Infection
Dr. Valbuena will develop and test a novel animal model of Rocky
Mountain spotted fever, the most common fatal tick-borne infection in
the United States. His objective is to create a “humanized” mouse model
by transplanting human immunological cells into laboratory mice. This
will make it possible to then transplant human skin into the mice,
expose them to Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of spotted
fever in the United States, and study the pathogenesis of the disease.
Because little is known about the specific processes that determine
disease outcome and severity in Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the
development of a viable animal model that mimics human disease is
crucial for increasing understanding of these mechanisms. An additional
complication in studying spotted fever is that endothelial cells, the
main targets of Rickettsia bacteria, are different in culture than they
are in vivo (i.e., in animals themselves). Dr. Valbuena’s model will
ensure that these cells will remain in their natural state as the
pathogenic processes are investigated.
(see more on past grant winners)
About The NRFTD
The NRFTD was
founded in 1999 to address the critical research needs of persons
afflicted by emerging tick-borne diseases, including those caused by
Lyme disease and relapsing fever Borrelia, Anaplasma, Babesia,
Bartonella and Ehrlichia species. Such needs have grown considerably in
recent years as Lyme disease has spread throughout the country and as
other tick-borne infections have been recognized as public health
threats.
The NRFTD is organized exclusively to promote the
advancement of scientific knowledge regarding tick-borne diseases and to
facilitate the translation of these advances into improved health for
patients. NRFTD is dedicated to sponsoring only the most scientifically
rigorous research at pre-eminent research institutions throughout the
world, adhering to the norms and standards of research projects
currently funded by domestic science agencies such as the National
Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
The mission of the NRFTD is entirely research-oriented,
with the exclusive goal of raising and disbursing funds for scientific
studies. The NRFTD does not engage in patient advocacy issues, nor does
it offer opinions on matters of clinical policy.
Accomplishments
With the generous support of our benefactors,
the NRFTD has raised more than $1.2 million. Our initial efforts focused
on funding research locally. Innovative studies at Columbia University,
including adjunct projects to the National Institutes of Health-funded
Study of Chronic Lyme Disease, were our first accomplishments.
To broaden the scope of our research effort and to make pilot project funding available to researchers at academic centers throughout the United States and worldwide, we established a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in 2005. The SAB, which includes investigators from multiple institutions, assisted the NRFTD in the establishment of an application and review process that would allow for rapid distribution of annual research awards.
Board of Directors
The NRFTD is served by a highly competent Board of Directors who possess
demonstrable experience in the business and professional worlds.
Determined to achieve increased national awareness and to accelerate
scientific understanding, the board intends to establish and develop a
coordinated national research effort. The NRFTD is committed to
expanding its fundraising base to include major donors, foundations and
corporations. This expansion will allow the NRFTD to entertain a wide
array of scientific proposals and to fund multiple research projects.
Scientific Advisory Board
The
institution of both the NRFTD Scientific Advisory Board and a
rigorous scientific review process in 2005 confirms the NRFTD's
commitment to excellence. The Scientific Advisory Board
(SAB), comprised of nationally known researchers in the field of
tick-borne diseases and related areas, advises the NRFTD on a wide
variety of matters concerning overall scientific objectives. The SAB
maintains the highest standards in the selection of the most promising
grants. In addition, the SAB ensures that broad segments of the
scientific community become aware of the NRFTD's activities and goals.
Research Grants
The NRFTD will provide grants of varying
project lengths and monetary levels. A Request for Applications (RFA),
in which project length and funding level are specified, will be issued
by the Scientific Advisory Board before each funding cycle. Applicants
are required in their applications to elucidate the potential for their
work to lead to long term funding by NIH, NSF or other scientific or
biomedical agencies. Emphasis is placed on the transformation of
discoveries into tangible results, such as publication in peer-reviewed
medical journals and presentations at scientific conferences.
NRFTD
P.O. Box 643
Wilton, CT 06897
(800) 728- 7147
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