North Carolina A&T State University News November 7, 2017 N.C. A&T's Dr. Ongeri Awarded $1.42 Million NIH Grant to Study Kidney Disease Dr. Elimelda Moige Ongeri, associate professor in the Department of Biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, has been awarded a $1.42 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medicine (NIGMS) to investigate acute kidney disease initiated by ischemia-reperfusion Injury (IRI), or reduced blood flow to the kidneys and subsequent oxygen deficiency. Acute kidney disease costs tens-of-billions of dollars to treat each year and is associated with extremely high mortality rates due to ineffective therapies. Ongeri's work will focus on determining how meprin metalloproteases or enzymes abundant in kidney tubules influence ischemia/reperfusion-induced kidney injury through increased inflammation and fibrosis. Previous studies by Ongeri's group and other N.C. A&T investigators utilizing meprin have shown that meprins enhance kidney damage associated with IRI. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. This research will advance understanding of kidney disease and the development of effective therapies. This individual research grant was awarded under the Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program. SCORE is a research capacity-building program that seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty at under-resourced institutions with limited NIH R01 funding that have explicitly stated historical missions or historical track records focused on training and graduating students from groups nationally underrepresented in biomedical research. Past SCORE grant recipients at A&T include Dr. Robert Newman, associate professor in the Department of Biology, and Dr. Yeo Heung Yun, associate professor in the Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/