UC College of Medicine Research Totals More Than $115 Million for FY16

CINCINNATI—The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine totaled $115.8 million in research grant holdings during fiscal year 2016, an increase of 30 percent, or more than $27 million, from the previous fiscal year.

”Our faculty have risen to the challenges presented by an extremely tight research funding environment and were very successful in obtaining new research grants during the last fiscal year,” says Melanie Cushion, PhD, senior associate dean for research at the college. Their submissions were very strong which resulted in a success rate that exceeded the national average.”

In fiscal year 2016 faculty submitted 605 proposals with 31 percent being approved for funding exceeding the previous two years which had similar numbers of submissions, but with lower rates of funding.

"Our research faculty are succeeding in a time of decreasing resources by proposing the strongest and most impactful science," Cushion says.

"The accomplishments of our faculty reflect our commitment to the  research programs of our investigators with many programs of internal support and the deployment of new knowledge and therapies that improve lives of patients locally and globally,” she added. "Examples of the impact of our faculty's research success can be seen in advances in the treatment of one the deadliest cancers, glioblastoma, by a novel combination therapy to a newly discovered target in these cancer cells and improvement of stroke victims outcomes as a result of our award-winning stroke treatment program.”

When affiliates are included -- such as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which comprises the College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics – the College of Medicine was responsible for 75 percent of the university’s total research funding of $429.1 million. The $429.1 million university total was the highest research funding for the university since 2010 and the second highest amount in university history.

"The College of Medicine remains the primary research engine for the university,” says William Ball, MD, senior vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine. "These research dollars not only create new knowledge to better treat people, but also helps drive the significant economic impact the College of Medicine has on our region. We are very proud of this increase and owe it to an outstanding faculty who produce superb research. Additionally, much credit must go to the tremendous leadership of Dr. Cushion and her office.”

"Our basic, translational and clinical research activities continue to grow, with thousands of patients offered access to cutting edge research by our physicians each year. Our faculty are increasingly sought after for their expertise in clinical trials, which offer the newest strategies for treatment of many diseases to our area patients,” Ball says.

The college received more than $10.6 million in funding last year for clinical research trials which tested new or approved medications and medical devices. Recent awards will support studies for the prevention of HIV using a new FDA-approved drug, cabotegravir, in susceptible populations and for treatment of lung cancer by training the cells of the patients to respond to and destroy their tumor cells, sparing the patient's other cells.  

The College of Medicine received funding from several different sources: 

• $94 million in 379 grants from federal sources (an increase of 16.6 percent from last year); 
• $1.8 million in 15 grants from industry (15.8 percent increase); 
• $18.9 million in 56 grants from non-profit agencies (294 percent increase); and 
• $783,633 in six grants from the State of Ohio (562 percent increase). 

Federal sources included the National Institutes of Health, Department of the Air Force and the Department of Health and Human Services. Industry grants came from pharmaceutical and biomedical corporations. Non-profit agencies included such groups as the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, American Heart Association, HTIW Coalition and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 

College departments receiving the most funds last year were Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience ($23.8 million), Internal Medicine ($15.8 million) and Environmental Health ($10.9 million).

Cushion noted that there were several sizable awards during fiscal year 2016, including:

• A $13.4 million grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to the University of Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training led by James Heubi, MD, professor of pediatrics and associate dean for clinical and translational research;
• A $12.9 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to Melissa Delbello, MD, professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, for a study looking at treatment of overweight or obese youth with bipolar spectrum disorders;
• A $9.9 million National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant to Carol Rice, PhD, professor emerita of environmental health, for hazardous materials worker health and safety training;
• An $8.4 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to Daniel Woo, MD and Matthew Flaherty, MD, professors of neurology and rehabilitation medicine, for a study on the genetic and environmental risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke; and 
• A $6.3 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Andrew Norman, PhD, professor of pharmacology and cell biophysics, for a study advancing the development of a humanized anti-cocaine monoclonal antibody.