NIH awards $3.4M to Wayne State University to investigate biomarkers for better reproductive success

A new $3.4 million award to the Wayne State University School of Medicine from the National Institutes of Health aims to overcome the limitations of conventional semen analyses by examining mitochondrial DNA levels in sperm as a novel biomarker of sperm fitness.

Bassam A. Bassam, MD, Receives AANEM’s 2023 Distinguished Physician Award

Rochester, Minn. (Sept. 09, 2023)- The American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) proudly announces Dr. Bassam A. Bassam as the 2023 Distinguished Physician Award recipient for his exceptional contributions to patient care, research, and education in the fields of neuromuscular (NM) and electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine.

Blood biomarker shows “great promise” predicting progression to Alzheimer’s disease in at-risk population

Neuroscience researchers at Wayne State University published a review article that confirms the usefulness of neurofilament light (NfL) blood levels to predict the likelihood and rate of progression of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.

Wayne State University researchers improve environmental monitoring applications

A research team from Wayne State University’s National Institutes of Health-funded Superfund Research Program, the Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR), recently published a paper that describes a new technique they developed that couples the Internet of Things sensor network with Edge Computing (IoTEC) to improve environmental monitoring. The paper, “IoT-based edge computing (IoTEC) for improved environmental monitoring,” was published recently in Sustainable Computing.

Wayne State researcher receives $1.95 million NIH grant to study impact of inositol homeostasis on essential cellular functions

A researcher from Wayne State University’s Department of Biological Sciences has received a five-year, $1.95 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to identify mechanisms that regulate inositol synthesis in mammalian cells and determine the cellular consequences of inositol depletion.

Wayne State University scientist named AAAS Fellow

Miriam Greenberg, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, has been named an AAAS Fellow for her distinguished contributions to the field of lipid function, particularly for elucidating the role of cardiolipin in Barth syndrome (BTHS) and for identifying molecular mechanisms of control of inositol homeostasis.

Wayne State to collaborate with MDHHS on program to expand specialty courts for infants and toddlers in the child welfare system

Wayne State University will collaborate with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and others on a five-year, $3.1 million grant from HRSA to support data-driven continuous quality improvement, evaluate the effort and serve on the state leadership team responsible for developing a statewide and local infrastructure to implement and expand the Safe Babies Court Team approach.

EPA grant to Wayne State to evaluate chemical mixture health risks

There are hidden metabolic health impacts in things that most people encounter every day. From surface cleaners to silicone wristbands, from fracking fluids to wastewater — even household dust — these diverse environmental mixtures have a potential to disrupt human health. A grant from the EPA to Wayne State University will evaluate the risks of chemical mixtures on health.

Wayne State University designated as age friendly

Wayne State University has been named a member of the Age-Friendly University Global Network, an innovative consortium of universities dedicated to promoting equity, inclusion and opportunity for older adults. A strategic focus of the university is diversity, equity and inclusion. The AFU designation confirms that “age” is an important dimension of that strategy.

$11.3 million NIH Superfund award to address environmental health issues caused by VOCs

Wayne State University has received a five-year, approximately $11.3 million award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health to create a new Superfund Research Program, the “Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research (CLEAR).” The Center will be dedicated to understanding and mitigating adverse birth outcomes and serious developmental health problems that have been associated with urban environmental exposure to volatile organic chemcials (VOCs), a special class of pollutant found in the subsurface of post-industrial cities like Detroit.

New NIH research study to investigate psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease risk among urban African American adults

The Biopsychosocial Health lab from Wayne State University has been awarded $3,590,488 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct a project titled “Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Among Urban African American adults: A Multilevel, Mixed Methods Approach.”

From mathematics to medicine: Wayne State medical school and mathematics faculty team up to apply complex mathematics to analyze fMRI data

Research led by a Wayne State University Department of Mathematics professor is aiding researchers in Wayne State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in analyzing fMRI data. fMRI is the preeminent class of signals collected from the brain in vivo and is irreplaceable in the study of brain dysfunction in many medical fields, including psychiatry, neurology and pediatrics.

NIH award to tackle early infant morbidity due to increasing incidences of food allergies

A Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $1.93 million, five-year grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of maternal immunoglobulin D (IgD) transferred to the fetus during pregnancy and its impact on protecting against food allergies.

Wayne State researcher awarded $3.3 million from DOE to advance quantum science and technology

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced recently $73 million in funding to advance quantum information science research to aid in better understanding the physical world and harness nature to benefit people and society. Aaron Rury, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry in Wayne State’s College of Liberal Arts and Science, is the recipient of one of 29 projects funded by the DOE.

Wayne State receives $2.6 million research award from American Heart Association

Black adults have a higher incidence of hypertension (HTN) and a greater risk of HTN-related cardiovascular disease compared to white adults. Even mild elevations in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease; therefore, early interventions for high blood pressure and hypertension are critical to assist in recommendations for lifestyle modification.

Fellowship directors could be key to increasing diversity among cardiologists, Wayne State-led study shows

Underrepresented minorities, specifically African American, Native American, Hispanic and/or Pacific Island physicians comprise only about 12% of the cardiology workforce. There are cardiology fellowship programs in the U.S. that have never trained an underrepresented minority fellow until recently, said study author Arif Musa, a fourth-year medical student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Detroit startup developing eco-friendly marine coating for ships and boats

Repela Tech LLC, a Detroit-based sustainability tech startup from Wayne State University, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II grant totaling $993,788 for research and development on a patent-pending (WSU Tech ID 20-1601), first-of-a-kind, safe antifouling marine coating.

New Research on MRI Biomarkers May Aid in Evaluating Potential Treatments for Peripheral Nerve Diseases

Jun Li, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, recently received a $246,172 R-21 grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop new strategies for assessing appropriate treatments of peripheral nerve diseases.

Self-reported declines in cognition may be linked to changes in brain connectivity

A team from Wayne State University recently published the results of a three-year study of cognitive changes in older adults who complained that their cognitive ability was worsening though clinical assessments showed no impairments. MRIs at 18-month intervals showed significant changes in functional connectivity in two areas of the brain.

Wayne State awarded $2.5 million NIH grant to grow graduate training programs

Wayne State University recently received an Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) T32 training program grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. This $2.5 million grant will aid in growing Wayne State’s successful IMSD R25 graduate training program in biomedical sciences and behavioral research.

Wayne State physics professor awarded DOE Early Career Research Program grant

Chun Shen, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and astronomy in Wayne State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was awarded a five-year, $750,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program for his project, “Quantitative Characterization of Emerging Quark-Gluon Plasma Properties with Dynamical Fluctuations and Small Systems.”

Move quickly to relax

A team of Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers led by Charles Chung, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology, recently received a $1,894,271 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to address the critical need for new drug targets and diagnostic indexes for diastolic dysfunction using novel biomechanical tests that ultimately can be translated into clinical practice.

Wayne State secures more than $5 million in NIH funding for cerebral palsy research

The National Institutes of Health is supporting a Wayne State University School of Medicine physician-researcher’s work at preventing and treating cerebral palsy in the form of two new five-year R01 grants worth a collective $5.59 million.

Wearable Electronics for Continuous Cardiac, Respiratory Monitoring

A small and inexpensive sensor, announced in Applied Physics Letters and based on an electrochemical system, could potentially be worn continuously by cardiac patients or others who require constant monitoring. A solution containing electrolyte substances is placed into a small circular cavity that is capped with a thin flexible diaphragm, allowing detection of subtle movements when placed on a patient’s chest. The authors suggest their sensor could be used for diagnosis of respiratory diseases.

Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute to host two-day symposium focused on advancing health equity and the impact of COVID-19

Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute will host the “Community-Engaged Research Symposium to Advance Health Equity: The Impact of Coronavirus Now and in the Future,” on Dec. 1 and 2. The virtual symposium is free and open to the public.

MTRAC Innovation Hub for Advanced Computing awards $270,000 to Wayne State University artificial intelligence (AI) projects

The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Innovation Hub for Advanced Computing at Wayne State University recently awarded a combined $270,000 in funding to three transformative innovation research projects led by Wayne State researchers. These projects aim to tackle deep technology opportunities in high impact sectors, such as artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning, augmented reality (AR) and intelligent automation.

Wayne State researchers receive NSF funding to develop COVID-19 risk-prediction system

Due to COVID-19, there is an urgent need for a risk-prediction and update system so that individuals and various entities can be aware of the potential risk of infection when traveling locally, nationally or abroad. Wayne State is working on a system with the help of funding from the National Science Foundation.

Wayne State researchers complete analysis on testing and reopening under COVID-19

A team of Wayne State University researchers has completed an analysis that studied specific industry characteristics as alternatives to guide industry openings in a way that lowers contagion risks and maximizes economic benefits until broader testing becomes available and the efficacy and reliability of immunity testing is achieved. The scope for physical distancing and remote work will vary by industry and region. The team’s study focused on Michigan and metropolitan Detroit, a hot spot for COVID-19.

CFR-Wayne State Election 2020 U.S. Foreign Policy Forum

How can business, labor, and government collaborate to reduce poverty on regional and global bases? Will the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement benefit U.S. workers? How will the trade war with China affect the automotive industry?

Watch an in-depth, nonpartisan conversation on critical foreign policy challenges facing the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Former government officials from Republican and Democratic administrations will discuss issues central to our national security and answer questions about U.S. policy and America’s role in the world.

Study provides first look at sperm microbiome using RNA sequencing

A new collaborative study published by a research team from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the CReATe Fertility Centre and the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides the first in-depth look at the microbiome of human sperm utilizing RNA sequencing with sufficient sensitivity to identify contamination and pathogenic bacterial colonization.