NC TraCS Awards First “Improving Human Health” Grants to Projects Developing New Biomarkers

The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute has awarded the first round of $100,000 grants to two teams of UNC-Chapel Hill investigators who are developing new biomarkers for chronic diseases.

The new grants, known as the “Improving Human Health” awards, are designed to support research into the development of novel diagnostics, treatments, policies or observations that could rapidly be translated to make people’s lives better.

“Our mission at NC TraCS is to accelerate the progress of science to improve health in individuals and communities,” said John Buse, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at UNC and Director of NC TraCS. “The two proposals we funded are very different and very exciting with great potential to meaningfully improve human health in the next two years, here in North Carolina and around the world. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to assist these investigators at this critical juncture in their studies.”

One of the recently funded projects will study whether measuring the unique properties of mucus can provide a useful biomarker for the life-threatening genetic condition cystic fibrosis. An imbalance of salt and water in patients with cystic fibrosis makes their lungs clog up with sticky mucus that is prone to infection. The study will look for biochemical signatures in coughed-up mucus secretions that indicate when new therapies are successful at “rehydrating” the airways of patients.

The research team includes Dr. Brian Button, Research Assistant Professor of Medicine; Dr. Richard Boucher, Director of the Cystic Fibrosis & Pulmonary Diseases Research & Treatment Center; Dr. Scott Donaldson, Associate Professor of Medicine; and Dr. Michael Rubinstein, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

The other funded project is exploring new ways to assess the seriousness of lesions associated with chronic kidney disease, a progressive condition that causes lasting damage to the kidneys. Over 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease, and millions more are at increased risk. UNC researchers are testing that ability of a new imaging technology, called contrast-enhanced ultrasound, to accurately diagnosis kidney cysts and malignant cystic masses in kidney disease patients.

The study will be led by Dr. Emily Chang, Assistant Professor, Medicine; Dr. Wui Chong, Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Radiology; Dr. Paul Dayton, Director and Professor of Biomedical Engineering; and Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell, Professor of Medicine.

NC TraCS is now actively seeking applications for another round of funding for the “Improving Human Health” awards. Whereas the first round prioritized proposals that focused on the later stages of biomarker development, this second round is broader and will consider any proposals with high potential for clinical implementation to improve human health.

As these awards are individually the largest investment of NC TraCS funds to date, Buse suggests that interested investigators seek the advice and support of the Institute’s “Strategic Initiatives” to strengthen their applications.

NC TraCS is the academic home of the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) at UNC Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). The mission of NC TraCS is to transform clinical and translational research by creating new programs and pathways that make it easier for such research to be performed at UNC-CH, our partner institutions, the state and worldwide.