TRI Has Awarded $3.68 Million for Research Since 2009
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UAMS’ Richard Kurten, Ph.D., in his laboratory with living lung samples kept in the incubator pictured, has increased the lung samples’ lifespan from about a week to six weeks, opening the door to new asthma research.
Jan. 10, 2014 | Over the past five years, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Translational Research Institute has provided pilot and strategic investment funds totaling $3.68 million to researchers.
The 62 pilot awards and four strategic investments have helped UAMS researchers advance science in their laboratories and in Arkansas communities. Their work has resulted in 58 publications, five patent applications and generated $3.9 million in additional funding from outside sources.
“We’ve had a healthy return on our investment, and we expect it to grow considerably as work continues on our most recently funded pilot studies,” said Lisa Jackson, J.D., R.N., executive director of the Translational Research Institute.
The UAMS Translational Research Institute’s mission is to help accelerate research that will improve the health and health care of people in Arkansas and across the country. It was established with a five-year $19.9 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2009 and with significant support from UAMS. It is one of 62 NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) recipients. The CTSA program is managed by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
Significant funding support for the pilot program also came from UAMS and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, which is staffed by UAMS faculty researchers.
Early-stage research received the bulk of the pilot awards, with 77 percent going to basic (laboratory-based) sciences and clinical trial studies. The balance has gone to community-based research and policy and outcomes research.
The pilots, which total $3.52 million, include targeted awards for research utilizing UAMS’ Enterprise Data Warehouse, community engagement, and the Western States Collaborative, a multi-institutional project.
In addition, strategic investments were made to four projects totaling $152,998, bringing all pilot and strategic investment awards to $3.68 million. The strategic investment program is used to increase the likelihood of funding success from outside sources; provide targeted supplemental resources that are lacking in research already funded from outside sources; and provide financial assistance that supports federal Food and Drug Administration approval for new drugs, devices or biologics.
More information about TRI’s Novel Methodologies and Pilot Studies Program is at tri.uams.edu.