Rep. Doris Matsui Announces $1.6 Million in Recovery Funds for UC Davis Medical Center Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

CONTACT: Mara Lee

(202) 225-7163

Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced today that University of California Davis (UCD) School of Medicine will receive over $1.6 million in federal funding for six on-going research projects at their Sacramento campus. The grants being disbursed are part of a larger release of funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support research endeavors at universities across the country working in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Scientific research studies are important because they sit at the crossroads of education and science," stated Congresswoman Matsui. "Sacramento is home to a world-class research facility and academic health center, and I am pleased to announce additional Recovery Act funds will allow student and researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine to continue their commitment to medical advances, breakthrough technologies, and improved care that will benefit not just the people of Sacramento, but families across the country."

One of the UC Davis programs that will receive $615,000 through the stimulus package is a study of alternative therapies for Parkinson's disease. "Our objective is to help fill a gap in the treatment of Parkinson's disease by identifying new therapeutic targets in the brain," said UCD Scientist Elizabeth Disbrow. "If our research team is successful, it will have a significant impact on the daily motor functioning of people with Parkinson's disease. The Recovery Act funds not only help advance that important goal, but also keep a half-dozen people employed in our community."

Because current therapies for Parkinson's disease do not include the evaluation and treatment of the cognitive deficits that affect motor skills, Dr. Disbrow and a team of researchers are using brain imaging techniques to identify abnormal brain function related to deficits in motor planning in Parkinson's disease. Today's announcement of Recovery Act funding supports more than just Dr. Disbrow's individual work; the grant also funds the jobs of six other scientists, technicians and students in the fields of cancer and traumatic brain injury, along with the purchase of much-needed equipment to conduct their studies.

Rep. Matsui stressed that the continued provision of federal funds for NIH studies in the Sacramento area will serve both to support our local economy and increase the quality of life for Americans across the country. "By supporting our universities, we can simultaneously attract bright young people to the area, bring about innovative new discoveries and technologies, and help to ensure that the UC Davis Medical Center continues to provide cutting-edge care to our local community."

The six grants announced today by Rep. Matsui will support the following research at UC Davis School of Medicine, totaling $1,605,466 which will be released immediately:

andbull; Neural Substrates of Switching in Parkinson's Disease - $615,466

andbull; A Metabolomic Approach to Discovering Biomarkers for ADPKD - $350,000

andbull; AR Signal Mediators in Prostate Cancer - $317,304

andbull; Duox2 Modulation of Viral Infection in Airway Epithelium - $263,763

andbull; Molecular Mechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Combined Radiation - $46,448

andbull; Metabotropic Glu Receptors in Traumatic Brain Injury - $12,485