MTF Announces 2010 Research Grant Recipients

EDISON, N.J., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) has announced it will award over $2.4 million in grants this year, continuing the non-profit organization's historical support for research to expand the science of transplantation. Since 1987, MTF has been at the forefront of tissue research, with close to $24 million awarded in grants through 2009.

"MTF is dedicated to providing quality allograft tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families. Our mission values research, and our support for grants, fellowships and educational efforts has been consistent and generous over the years," noted MTF president Bruce Stroever. "We are very pleased to announce these grant recipients for 2010."

The 2010 grant recipients approved for funding are as follows:

PEER REVIEW – INVESTIGATOR, MULTI-YEAR AWARDS

Kathleen Derwin, Ph.D., Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine-CWRU, Biocompatibility and Efficacy of Reinforced Fascia ECM for Augmentation of Rotator Cuff Repairs in a Canine Shoulder Model.

Valentina Grishko, Ph.D., University of South Alabama, Effect of Hyaluronic Acid on Chondrocyte Viability and Function During Prolonged Cold Storage.

David Sachs, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital, Induction of Tolerance to Composite Tissue Allografts.

D.R. Sumner, Ph.D., Rush University Medical Center, Stem Cell Mobilization to Enhance Bone Regeneration.

PEER REVIEW – INVESTIGATOR, SINGLE-YEAR AWARDS

Yusuf Khan, Ph.D., University of Connecticut Health Center, Functionalizing Allografts with Polymer-Based Bioactive Coatings.

Brandon Santoni, Ph.D., Colorado State University, Effect of Systemically Injected Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells on Segmental Bone Allograft Osteointegration.

Alexander Shin, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Neovascularization, Axonal Regeneration and Return of Motor Function Following Processed Allogeneic Nerve Grafting: A Study of the Effect of Nerve Blood Flow and Neoangiogenesis on Functional Recovery After Allograft Reconstruction of Segmental Sciatic Nerve Defects.

PEER REVIEW – DERMAL TISSUE

B. Todd Heniford, M.D., Carolinas Medical Center, Evaluation of the Tissue Incorporation of Triclosan-Coated Human Dermal Grafts and Lysostaphin-Coated Human and Xenogenic Dermal Grafts and Their Effectiveness to Resist Infection with Staphylococcus Aureus.

J.R. NEFF AWARD

Jay Lieberman, M.D., University of Connecticut Health Center, Progenitor Cell Response to Bone Graft Substitutes in Bone Repair.

OREF (Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation) AWARD

Quanjun Cui, M.D., University of Virginia, Stem Cell-Based Angiogenic and Osteogenic Gene Therapy to Enhance Bone Defect Repair.

CHARLES HERNDON RESIDENCY AWARDS

Thomas Keller, M.D., University of Virginia, A Novel Scaffold for Growth Factor Delivery – An Alternative Graft for Tendon Repair.

Mara Schenker, M.D., University of Pennsylvania, In Vivo and In Vitro Integration of Engineered Nanofibrous Scaffolds in Meniscal Defects.

For more information on how to apply for a research grant, contact Hans Burchardt, Ph.D., Vice-President, Scientific Affairs (570-496-3434 or [email protected] ), or go to the MTF website.

About MTF

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation is a national consortium comprised of academic medical institutions, organ procurement organizations and tissue recovery organizations. Since our inception in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 80,000 donors and distributed more than 4 million grafts for transplantation.

SOURCE Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation