Six of the 10 largest UW-Milwaukee research projects of 2018 had a physical or mental health focus, ranging from environmental effects on brain development to new treatments for asthma.
UWM had $58 million in research expenditures last year, with more than half of that amount coming from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Psychology researcher Krista Lisdahl is receiving $3.8 million over three years from the National Institutes of Health for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. This ongoing project is the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the country, according to UWM.
The study will draw data from more than 11,000 children starting around age 10, and going into early adulthood. Lisdahl is studying 384 students in Wisconsin through interviews, behavioral testing and brain imaging. She and colleagues are hoping to determine how early-life experiences can shape brain development.
Three physics researchers are receiving $3.1 million over the next five years from the National Science Foundation and the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Abbas Ourmazd, Marius Schmidt and Peter Schwander are getting an unprecedented look at the activity of proteins and viruses. They are creating three-dimensional “movies” showing, for example, how viruses can infect healthy cells.
Psychology researcher Christine Larson is using a $3.1 million NIH award to study factors related to long-term post-traumatic stress disorder. The goal is to get ahead of the disorder for those who’ve recently experienced a traumatic event. Larson will be working with patients at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Scott Strath, a kinesiology professor, is receiving $2.9 million over three years from NIH. He’s rigging study participants with sensors to track their movement. By combining that information with a measurement of energy expenditure, researchers are hoping to better understand the link between physical activity and health. They’re also aiming to evaluate various physical therapies.
Public health researcher Amy Kalkbrenner is receiving $2.4 million over five years from NIH, to study how air pollution from cars might be linked to autism and attention deficit disorder. She will investigate the link between exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and problems with brain development. She will also explore how certain genes can affect that relationship.
Chemistry professors James Cook, Alexander Arnold and Doug Stafford are using $2 million from NIH to develop a new asthma drug in pill form. The work builds on previous research from Cook, altering a compound he first created to treat anxiety. The new asthma medication reduces inflammation and relaxes certain muscles in the lungs.
The pill would replace the commonly used steroid inhalers, which UWM says could cut down on side effects of long-term steroid medication use.
Aside from the health-focused projects, other researchers are studying things like the energy potential in kelp, complex drug manufacturing, the formation of astronomical bodies and more.
See the full list of UWM’s largest research projects of 2018: http://uwm.edu/news/uwms-10-largest-research-grants-for-2018/
