NIH Award Winners

The National Institutes of Health is having a busy week as they present a batch of new medical research funding to contributors across the country. The bulk of this funding comes from the 79 awards totaling $143.8 million being distributed through three different research programs designed to promote innovative research: the NIH Director’s Pioneer, the New Innovator, and the Transformative Research Project. As if that wasn’t enough, NIH also announced the recipients for the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative Medication Development Research. The two winners, Dr. Kosten of Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Burkhard of University of Connecticut, will each receive $500,000 per year for five years to support their projects. Dr. Kosten is developing a human methamphetamine vaccine, which would limit the amount the drug that reaches the brain and therefore prevent the user from getting high. This vaccine wouldn’t prevent someone from becoming addicted to methamphetamine, but it could revolutionize drug treatment by limiting the withdrawal symptoms that can lead to relapse (It could also ruin “Breaking Bad”). Dr. Kosten’s group is aiming to begin clinical trials within the next five years. Dr. Burkhard is working on a new type of vaccine that would create a strong immune response against nicotine without requiring costly chemical enhancers. Instead, this new vaccine will use cutting-edge peptide nanoparticles to trigger the cellular immune response. This vaccination method is also being researched for the treatment of several common and rare diseases. Dr. Burkhard is also expecting to begin clinical trials within the next five years. For more information on NIH awards, including a full list of recipients, read the official announcement here. View the release on the NIDA Awards here.