8 in state receive $2.32M for biomed research

DERBY — Biomedical research into illnesses caused by tobacco use received a major boost from the state Department of Public Health.

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, announced recipients of grant awards for eight biomedical research projects in the state.

Crisco made the announcement in a press conference at Griffin Hospital recently. Several hospital and state officials attended, including Norma Gyle, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Health.

A total of $2.32 million from the Biomedical Research Trust Fund was awarded to eight researchers in Connecticut.

Crisco sponsored legislation in 2000 that established the fund, which diverts tobacco settlement revenue for scientific studies. The research being funded delves into causes and potential cures for tobacco-related diseases. According to state health officials, tobacco-linked disease is the most preventable cause of death.

The funds will go to researchers at Yale University, the University of Connecticut and Wesleyan University.

Dr. Manju Hingorani of Wesleyan is one of the recipients, being awarded $165,083. Hingorani said she is “deeply grateful to the Biomedical Research Trust Fund.” She said with “biomedical research it is so important to invest in Point A, to get to Point B.”

Hingorani said the project she started at Wesleyan involves “working on a DNA repair system to minimize the damage done by tobacco smoke.” She is studying how the “body protects itself from cancer-causing things in the environment.”

Griffin Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Charmel said the hospital has “a large commitment to research.” He said he was “glad to see research funds going to preventive health care.”

Other grant recipients are: Drs. Laijun Lai, Joel Pachter, Quing Zhu, Richard Everson and Kimberly Dodge-Kafka, all of the University of Connecticut Health Center; Dr. Richard Bruno from the University of Connecticut; and Dr. Smita Sampath from Yale.

Source: Nhregister