New Jersey Health Foundation and The Nicholson Foundation Award $50,000 Innovation Grant To Rowan University Professor Working to Conquer Peanut Allergies

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catherine Yang, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Rowan University, has received a $50,000 Innovation Grant from New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) and The Nicholson Foundation to advance research to develop a novel vaccine that will help those affected by peanut allergies, announced James M. Golubieski, president of NJHF.

"More than three million people in the US are affected by peanut allergies and less than 21 percent of those affected will outgrow it," explained George F. Heinrich, MD, vice chair and CEO of New Jersey Health Foundation.  "We are hopeful that our funding will allow Dr. Yang to advance her work so that the Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine can conduct the initial studies."

Dr. Yang and her team, Dr. Gregory Caputo and Dr. Kingsley Yin, hope to develop a peanut allergy-specific immunotherapy with improved safety and clinical efficacy.

"Within the past 15 years we have seen increasing rates of sensitization, accidental ingestion, anaphylaxis and death in peanut-allergic individuals," explained Dr. Yang.  "With the support of this Innovation Grant we are hopeful that we will be able to help the millions of people who suffer with this dangerous allergy."

For more information, contact Mike Wiley, vice president of Foundation Venture Capital Group, at (908) 731-6612 or [email protected]. 

About New Jersey Health Foundation
New Jersey Health Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports biomedical research and health-related education programs in New Jersey through its matching program, its Grants Program and its affiliate, Foundation Venture Capital Group which makes private equity investments in life science start- up companies in New Jersey headed toward commercialization.

About The Nicholson Foundation
The Nicholson Foundation works to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare for vulnerable populations in New Jersey by transforming how it is paid for and delivered. The Foundation's approach emphasizes partnerships and performance-based grant making; its goal is sustainable systems reform.

About Rowan University
In the past four years, Rowan University created a School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Professions; opened the Camden-based Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; and incorporated the School of Osteopathic Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, making Rowan only the second university in the nation to grant both M.D. and D.O. medical degrees.

SOURCE New Jersey Health Foundation

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http://www.njhf.org/