Howard University News August 20, 2014 NIH Awards Center for Sickle Cell Disease $11 million in Grants The Center for Sickle Cell Disease, a division of Howard University Hospital, has garnered nearly $11 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study HIV resistance in people with sickle cell disease and to support the the development of the new Center for Hemoglobin Research in Minorities, known as CHaRM. "These grants put Howard University in the forefront of advanced research," said Sergei Nekhai, Ph.D., virologist and professor in the College of Medicine. "Howard has strong expertise which allows us to expand HIV and sickle cell research." The NIH awarded Howard about $7 million to develop CHaRM. It is being planned as a center of excellence for the study of hemoglobinopathies, iron metabolism and oxygen sensing. CHaRM will be dedicated to educating and training minority students and fellows by providing research and laboratory experience. CHaRM will also work in collaboration with the HBCU Research Scientist Program at the Center for Sickle Cell Disease. The Center for Sickle Cell Disease received close to $2 million to continue research that indicated people with sickle cell disease may have certain resistance against the HIV virus. The Center also received nearly $2 million to develop new therapeutics for Ebola virus infection that will target Ebola virus VP30 protein. About The Howard Center for Sickle Cell Disease Howard University's Center for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) was founded by the late Dr. Roland B. Scott in 1971 to address the needs of patients and families in the Washington metropolitan area affected by SCD. The Center is committed to a six-fold goal that includes comprehensive medical care, research, testing, education, counseling and community outreach. Recently, the Center has expanded its clinical research program and developed a collaborative consortium with Children's National Medical Center (CNMC), and, in working with Howard University Hospital and NIH, it is the Washington area's leading provider of patient services for SCD. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!