PHenomenal Impact Fund to Make 4th Year of Awards for PH Research
Team PHenomenal Hope’s research fund, the PHenomenal Impact Fund for Global PH Research, will help finance pulmonary hypertension (PH) research for the fourth consecutive year.
“Team PHenomenal Hope [Team PH] actively seeks ways to improve the quality of life for those with Pulmonary Hypertension by building community, providing patients with a voice, [and] raising money for care and medical research,” according to the nonprofit’s “About Us” webpage.
PH is a rare disease that causes high blood pressure in the vessels that supply the lungs, which strains the heart as well as the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, and chest pain, which make it difficult to do normal, everyday activities.
The PHenomenal Impact Fund for Global PH rewards proposals focused on novel concepts in PH that have the potential to change the field.
Letters of intent for the fund will be accepted until Feb. 1, according to a press release. Finalists are expected to be notified on Feb. 12 with the winner announced on June 11.
This research fund was created by Team PH with the help of its cycling athletes and patient community. It provides awards of $50,000 to investigators over the course of a 12-month period.
The awardees are selected by a steering committee based on numerous factors, including scientific merit, originality, project feasibility, and clinical applicability to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with PH.
The projects are not limited to any specific PH group, or adults or children.
Eligibility includes U.S.-based teams, along with other countries with established Team PH presence, including Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and South Africa.
Team PH hopes to continue advancing research toward better treatment and ultimately a cure.
“This program will provide an opportunity for individuals to affect the quality of medical care and improve the lives of patients with pulmonary hypertension,” the Impact Fund webpage stated.
Over the past years, Team PH has received numerous proposals from researchers across the globe targeting clinical applications in translational science.
Previous awardees include a 2019 project by Vineet Agrawal, MD, PhD, who had been studying natriuretic peptide receptor C in the development and progression of PH and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a condition where the heart’s ability to pump blood out to the body is impaired.
The 2020 award was granted to Paula Menezes, who planned to focus on the needs of the 22,600 people affected by PH in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru, and to better understand their quality of life and outcomes.
In 2021, the awardee was Nicole Ruopp, MD, who received the funds to support a proposal for a clinical trial testing a mechanical circulatory device in PH.
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