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Koes NIH-NIGMS R01 Grant

Congratulations to David Koes who received an R01 grant from NIH-NIGMS (National Institute of General Medicine) for his research plan, Core Techniques and Technologies for Advancing Big Data Science & Engineering (BIGDATA).

This research plan will develop scalable virtual screening algorithms that will enable virtual screening on an interactive time scale (seconds to minutes). These interactive algorithms will be deployed both as open-source software and as part of an online drug discovery collaboration environment. This environment will provide immediate access to the large-scale computational and storage infrastructure needed to allow rapid and collaborative online virtual screening. The proposed research will result in novel algorithms and systems for the storage, retrieval, and analysis of chemical data to support the rapid identification of compounds of therapeutic interest.

The algorithms and systems developed will be immediately and freely accessible via user-friendly online tools. The interactive performance of the online tools will support rapid hypothesis testing and experimentation, giving users the ability to submit their own compound libraries for screening, encouraging cross-discipline collaboration. They will also be used as a hands-on teaching aid for high-school, undergraduate and graduate education.

Ayoob & Fishilevich NIH R21 Grant

Congratulations to Joseph C. Ayoob and Elane Fishilevich who received an NIH R21 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the “Eat-Me Signaling Cascade in Apoptotic Cell Engulfment”. To prevent inflammation and autoimmunity, our bodies must remove more than a billion dying cells each day, since defects in the cell removal can upset homeostasis and cause autoimmune disorders and other diseases. By identifying new “eat-me” signals in dying cells, which trigger their engulfment and removal by phagocytic cells, the lab hopes to provide new targets for treatment and drug design.

Pitt Innovator Awardees

Congratulations to Carlos J Camacho and David R Koes, Pitt Innovator awardees. In 2012, the Office of Technology Management (OTM) at the University of Pittsburgh received a record number of 310 invention disclosures for commercial consideration. Those whose innovations were licensed or optioned to industry or start-up companies were deemed Pitt Innovators. The Office of the Provost and OTM celebrate the imagination and innovation of Dr. Camacho and Dr. Koes.