Grant Recipient Impact Statement
Boerger Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders – Elizabeth Davenport
Grant Recipient Year: 2017
MEG Spectral Analysis as a Biomarker in Alzheimer’s Disease
Receiving this foundation award will help me achieve a personal goal of fighting Alzheimer’s disease. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease a few years ago, so I knew I wanted to do something to help future generations from suffering from this disease. This foundation award will help me collect preliminary data towards a goal of a clinically feasible non-invasive bio-marker for AD. With earlier detection, we can provide earlier treatment that will hopefully lead to a cure.
Elizabeth Davenport, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern
ASNR comparative effectiveness award – Timothy J. Amrhein
Grant Recipient Year:
The ASNR comparative effectiveness award has been incredibly important in jump starting my career. This generous and unique funding mechanism provides opportunities not otherwise possible for junior faculty. In my case, it has afforded the opportunity to be principle investigator on my first prospective randomized clinical trial in imaging guided spine intervention. Designing and executing this well-mentored trial has resulted in rapid acquisition of a unique skill set that will be invaluable throughout my future career, particularly as I work toward constructing larger trials. Hopefully these efforts will lead to significant impacts on the field of neuroradiology by informing treatment algorithms for spine pain interventions. The ultimate goal is to maximize treatment effectiveness, thereby improving our patient’s lives. Upon completion of the award period, I plan to use the data obtained to compete for national funding through the NIH. I am extremely grateful to the ASNR and to the donors, and I pledge to maximize the return on their investment in me and in neuroradiology’s future.
Timothy J. Amrhein, MD
Duke University Medical Center
ASNR Research Scholar Award – Jana Ivanidze
Grant Recipient Year:
A major focus of my research is combining advanced CT-Perfusion imaging and molecular biology techniques to develop a multimodal evaluation method to assess blood brain barrier (BBB) damage in patients with aneurysmal hemorrhage. The Research Scholar Award has allowed me to pursue this work in a prospective clinical/translational study and gain insights into the signaling pathways involved in BBB dysfunction in the acute clinical setting, which can serve as a foundation for new therapeutic strategies. Thanks to the vision and generosity of the FASNR, I am able to further develop this emerging translational research area at the intersection of neuroradiology and molecular biology, and apply it to studying BBB dysfunction in other patient populations. As a young attending in my first year of practice, I especially appreciate this opportunity. In the next 12 months, I am planning to apply for an NIH grant using results from the Research Scholar award project as preliminary data. I appreciate the support of the FASNR and hope that donors will continue to support the FASNR in the future, allowing young neuroradiologists such as myself to pursue translational research projects and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for our patients.
Jana Ivanidze, MD, PhD
New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College
FASNR Scholar Award in Neuroradiology Research – Gloria J. Guzmán Pérez-Carrillo
Grant Recipient Year:
Diffusion Weighted Imaging for the Evaluation of Post-Treatment Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Neck: Imaging Optimization and a New Quantative and Qualitative Assessment Metric
The FASNR Scholar Award in Neuroradiology Research has been essential in promoting my career as a clinician scientist. With the allocated funds, I have been able to garner preliminary data that has already resulted in a presentation at the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology. More importantly, the data will result in a publication submission to the American Journal of Neuroradiology, and a R21 grant submission to the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, the award has allowed me to establish meaningful collaborations with faculty in the ENT and other clinical units as well as faculty doing MRI research. These new collaborations resulted in my participation in various federally funded projects as a collaborator. I believe that awards such as the FASNR Scholar in Neuroradiology Research are critical for the development of a young researcher. It gives junior faculty the time to develop essential research skills such as grant and manuscript writing, project development, research regulation navigation, and data analysis. It is hard to acquire these skills in today’s very busy and fast paced academic practices. I am extremely grateful to the FASNR for this opportunity to contribute to the field of oncologic imaging in neuroradiology, and hope that many more after me can benefit from it!
Gloria J. Guzmán Pérez-Carrillo, MD, MSc
University of Arizona
ASNR Research Scientist Award – Cuihua Wang
Grant Recipient Year:
Mapping the in Vivo Relationship between Neuroinflammation and Amyloid Deposition in Alzheimer’s Disease
Neuroinflammation plays key roles in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a key inflammatory enzyme, is associated with beta-amyloid (Aβ) in both animal models and in AD patients. In this study, we developed a specific PET (18F-bis-5-hydroxytryptamide, 18F- BHT) to image MPO activity and report on neuroinflammation in AD. We found that 18F-BHT is able to cross the intact blood-brain barrier, and there was ~70% increased 18F-BHT uptake (p=0.029) in the brains of AD mice compared to those of age-matched wild-type littermates, demonstrating increased MPO activity and inflammation in the AD mouse brains. Therefore, once translated, 18F-BHT can be a useful non-invasive tool to image and track MPO activity and neuroinflammation in AD patients. This ASNR Research Scientist Award made this study possible and based on the result obtained from this study I submitted my NIH K grant this March, which is critical for my transition to become an independent investigator.
Cuihua Wang, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Leo P. Sugrue
Grant Recipient Year:
As a neuroscientist and neuroradiologist my long term career goal is to bridge these fields by developing new techniques for imaging and modifying brain activity, and translating these tools from the realm of research to the prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric disease. The Foundation of the ASNR award has allowed me to take the first steps toward this goal, enabling me to collect the preliminary data I need to apply for long term NIH funding. One of the greatest challenges faced by clinician scientists in neuroradiology, particularly at the junior faculty level, is obtaining suffi cient time to pursue meaningful long-term research projects. Through the generous support of this FASNR award I have been able to secure protected research time to advance this project through its early stages. Continuing to create and support such opportunities for junior faculty is crucial if neuroradiology is to play a meaningful role in translating new brain imaging technologies to clinical practice.
Leo P. Sugrue, MD, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
ASNR Trainee Research Award – Thien Huynh
Grant Recipient Year:
The Foundation of the ASNR Trainee Research Award has allowed me to gain invaluable research experience. The data we have collected through the support of the Foundation will serve as the basis for future high-impact publications and grants with the goal of establishing myself as an independent investigator in the field of neurovascular imaging. Through the support of The Foundation of the ASNR, I am better able to achieve my goal of becoming a leading diagnostic and interventional neuroradiologist. The Award has helped to facilitate utilization of advanced vessel wall MRI of intracranial aneurysms closer to clinical use. Our imaging research team is honored and grateful to be the recipient of this prestigious award and to be able to contribute to the exciting on-going advances in neuroimaging.
Thien Huynh, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Nicolaas A. Puts
Grant Recipient Year:
The funding predominantly supported the application of an exciting new MRS technique (HERMES, Saleh et al. Neuroimage, 2016) allowing for faster edited MRS of both GABA and Glutathione, never before performed in ASD. These new experiments will provide us with substantially more information on the inhibitory system in ASD. Moreover, receiving this award has allowed me to manage my own project, apply for other funding, take on a postdoctoral fellow and to take the next steps towards an independent research career studying inhibition in Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Through receiving this award from The Foundation of the ASNR, I will be able to establish myself more fully as an independent investigator, as well as starting to build my own research group. This project allows for a multi-modal approach to studying GABAergic inhibition in ASD by combining novel and complimentary techniques. I am incredibly grateful to the FASNR for providing me with this opportunity to advance the fi eld of autism research and research into GABAergic inhibition in general.
Nicolaas A. Puts, PhD
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Women in Neuroradiology Leadership Award – Amy L. Kotsenas, MD
Grant Recipient Year: 2016
Receiving this award has been tremendously beneficial in advancing my career as a neuroradiologist and as a leader in healthcare. I am extremely grateful to The Foundation of the ASNR, ACR and AAWR for this honor and for the exciting opportunity to enhance critical leadership skills. Furthermore, I am truly thankful these organizations are committed to developing the next generation of female leaders in radiology. I am confident the skills I learned at the 2016 RLI Summit will allow me to ensure our specialty remains vibrant and that the needs of our patients remain at the center of all that we do.
Amy L. Kotsenas, MD
Mayo Clinic
Foundation of the ASNR Grant Program – Raag D. Airan
Grant Recipient Year:
This award has provided a launch pad for my career. It has given me start-up funds that I have used to generate preliminary data that will soon result in a publication in Nano Letters, and that I have used for several grant applications for more sustained funding from federal sources. Additionally, that preliminary data has formed the focus of my new lab, and has allowed me to make bridges with both the basic science community and with my clinical colleagues in other disciplines. Receiving a Foundation award, especially after just finishing fellowship was truly critical. There aren’t too many funding sources that are available to clinical trainees as we transition to a faculty appointment. These funds from the Foundation are among the only mechanisms out there that I could have availed myself of and have now put me on a path to success. Thank you FASNR!
Raag D. Airan, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins Medical Institution
The CER Award – Falgun H. Chokshi
Grant Recipient Year:
A major focus of my research is using data science methods (e.g. machine learning) to extract meaningful information from radiological images, radiology reports, and electronic health records to investigate the impact of imaging on patient outcomes and costs. The CER Award has allowed me to pursue this work further and the results from this project will be used in a forthcoming NIH R21 grant proposal being submitted summer 2017. The vision and generosity of the FASNR are amazing. With increasing scrutiny on the value of imaging, concerns about costs, and the surge in data science techniques, the FASNR has shown strong leadership and forward thinking by investing in investigator-initiated projects such as ours. Donors should continue their support of the FASNR because their contributions are helping to shape the present and future of our field in ways that will positively affect many ASNR members.
Falgun H. Chokshi, MD, MS
Emory University School of Medicine
Foundation of the ASNR Grant Program – Joseph Young
Grant Recipient Year:
The Foundation grant program is extremely valuable, particularly for a junior investigator, by providing the resources to have dedicated research time under the mentorship of a senior advisor… The Foundation has had a significant impact in my growth as a junior investigator. During the grant period, I have strengthened my grant writing abilities and research methodology, which will be invaluable in any future research endeavors that I undertake. Under the guidance of my mentor, I have also learned how to accomplish aims more efficiently and write scientific articles more effectively. In addition, I have also learned how to assume more of a leadership role in research projects. All of these skills will serve me well in future and was only made possible by the generosity of the Foundation of the ASNR. And for that, I am extremely grateful.
Joseph Young, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University