Research and Innovation

FY24 REAP Grant Awardees

April 11, 2024 • REAP News

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Uyen Sa Nguyen Scaled

Uyen-Sa D. T. Nguyen, DSc, MPH
Recipient of the New Investigator Grant Program

“The Viet-American National Databank Pilot Study”

Bio: Dr. Nguyen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Michigan, a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and a Doctor of Science degree in Epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health. She has experience conducting or collaborating on epidemiologic studies on topics ranging from perinatal to geriatric epidemiology, both within the U.S. and at international institutions. Her areas of interest include aging research, and examining pain, function and quality of life in people with rheumatic diseases, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. She also seeks to understand factors associated with health disparities in marginalized, underserved and underrepresented populations, particularly in Vietnamese Americans.

Current Project: “The Viet-American National Databank Pilot Study” The aims are: to translate, validate, and pre-test linguistically and culturally appropriate questionnaires; and to pilot-test these questionnaires in a sample of Vietnamese Americans with rheumatic conditions living in Texas and California, two states with the highest concentrations of Vietnamese speakers outside of Vietnam. With this Pilot data, we hope to apply for and receive R01-type funds to enroll a large cohort of Vietnamese Americans with rheumatic diseases to examine racial/ethnic differences in health outcomes and healthcare utilization.
Heads Up

Ritu Shetty , PhD
Recipient of the New Investigator Grant Program

“Methionine Synthase: A target for novel small molecules to block methamphetamine-seeking behavior”

Bio: Dr. Shetty is a behavioral pharmacologist and a pharmacist by training. She has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to advancing the understanding of substance use disorders through preclinical research. Her research interests span into a wide range of crucial areas in the field of substance use disorders. Dr. Shetty collaborates closely with a team of researchers at UNTHSC on an Addiction Treatment Discovery Program, which receives funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The goal of this program is to identify potential treatments for drug dependence. Moreover, within this team, she also collaborates with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to assess the abuse potential of emerging synthetic drugs. Understanding how these novel substances compare to well-known drugs helps in predicting their misuse potential and guiding regulatory decisions.

Current Project: As an independent researcher, one of Dr. Shetty’s goals is to identify genetic markers associated with drug-liking versus drug-dislike behavior. Genetic insights into such phenotypes could revolutionize our understanding of mechanisms of substance use susceptibility. Thus, paving the way for personalized therapies aimed at preventing dependence.
Yan

Liang-Jun Yan, PhD
Recipient of  Bridge Grant Program

“Generation of renal specific NAD kinase knockout and transgenic mouse models ”

Bio: Dr. Yan’s lab does research on kidney disease, in particular, ischemia- and drug-induced acute kidney injury and diabetic kidney disease. Our goal is to understand how mitochondrial oxidative stress and redox signaling contribute to these kidney diseases, and to identify novel targets for developing potential therapeutics. Students who would like to work in the lab will gain knowledge on mitochondrial dysfunction in kidney disease and metabolic disorders, and will develop skill in biochemical techniques for mitochondrial functional analysis.

Current Project: The goal of our research is to elucidate the mitochondrial mechanisms and pathophysiology underlying kidney disease induced by pharmacological agents and environmental toxins, with an aim to explore novel therapeutic strategies by identifying new targets that can be applied to prevent the development and progression of kidney injury. The target protein in this bridge grant is mitochondrial NAD kinase (also known as NADK2). As the significance of this protein in kidney injury induced by heavy metals or ischemic reperfusion is not known, we propose to explore the magnitude of kidney injuries in the absence or overexpression of NADK2. This exploration would require the generation of NADK2 knockout and NADK2 transgenic mouse models, which is as proposed in the bridge grant.