Young PH Researchers Boosted by Foundation Partner Grants

The ATS Foundation Research Program and Pulmonary Hypertension Association have announced the 2019 recipients of their partner grants, totaling $210,000, for young researchers dedicated to scientific discovery and better patient care in the field of pulmonary hypertension.

An $80,000 Foundation Partner grant was awarded to Rahul Kumar, PhD, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who will use the grant to support his research project, “Crosstalk Between Bone Marrow Compartment and Inflamed Lungs in Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension.”

Another $50,000 was awarded to Jason Boehme, MD, also at UCSF. His research project is titled “Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Metabolic Reprogramming in Congenital Heart Disease.”

With support from partners of the ATS Foundation Research Program, the grants are awarded to researchers from around the world to advance disease-specific research.

In addition, Ke Yuan, PhD, a researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, received the 2019 Aldrighetti Research Award for Young Investigators, which is given to young researchers investigating pulmonary arterial hypertension. This $80,000 award ($40,000 per year for two years) is sponsored by Actelion Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. Yuan’s research project is titled “Pericytes as a Source of Smooth Muscle Cells in PAH: Role of HIF2a/CXCL12 Signaling.”

“The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is pleased to partner with the ATS Foundation to promote pulmonary hypertension research,” Elizabeth Joseloff, PhD, vice president of quality care and research at the association, said in a press release.

“Advancing innovative science and supporting the next generation of researchers align with our mission to extend and improve the lives of those affected by [pulmonary hypertension],” she said.

Dean Schraufnagel, MD, chair of ATS Foundation and professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, added: “Not only do these grants boost basic research to understand pulmonary hypertension, they also help develop young investigators’ careers — essential ingredients in building a better tomorrow.”

Since its launch in 2004, the ATS Foundation Research Program has granted $19.3 million to 263 researchers, in the United States and other countries. These scientists have later received $330 million in federal funding, which represents a return on investment of $17 for every dollar that was awarded.

The applications will re-open for the next cycle of grants in the spring. To apply for a grant or to find out more information, visit the ATS Foundation website.