LSU Health Shreveport Receives Over $5 Million in Grant Funding for Research on Infectious Diseases and Cardiovascular Diseases

Two LSU Health Shreveport researchers, Ana-Maria Dragoi, MD, PhD and Shenuarin Bhuiyan, MD, PhD, have recently received a combined total of over $5 million in grant funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH). The grants were awarded for their research efforts in infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Ana-Maria Dragoi, an assistant professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, was awarded an R01 grant totaling $1,788,500 over five years from the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Her project, “Mechanism of macrophages colonization in gonorrhea,” aims to study how the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae interacts with the immune system to evade natural immune responses in those infected with gonorrhea. This research could lead to new ways of combating and treating the disease.

Shenuarin Bhuiyan, an associate professor of Pathology & Translational Pathobiology, was awarded an R01 grant totaling $3,301,740 over five years from the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. His project, “Novel mitophagy regulatory mechanism in heart failure,” investigates the role and mechanisms of Sigmar1-mediated activation of essential cellular processes macro-autophagy and mitophagy in protecting against heart failure. Bhuiyan’s hypothesis is that Sigmar1 can prevent heart failure by activating macro-autophagy and mitophagy, making it cardioprotective.

LSU Health Shreveport stated that these grants are among 31 active R01 grants awarded to researchers at the institution. These grants will further important research being done in the field of infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. To subscribe to The Times