Rep. Doris Matsui Announces $2 Million in Recovery Funds for UC Davis Medical Center Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
CONTACT: Mara Lee
(202) 225-7163
Rep. Doris Matsui Announces $2 Million in Recovery Funds for UC Davis Medical Center ResearchGrants to Support On-Going Studies of Autism, Cirrhosis, and Cardiovascular Disease
Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that University of California, Davis (UCD) will receive over $2 million in federal funding for four 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).
"I have been pleased to watch the UC Davis Medical Center establish itself not only as a regional leader in health care research, but as a world-class institution," said Rep. Matsui. "Sacramento's families benefit from having cutting edge technology at hand to help treat their loved ones, while the local economy is stimulated by the injection of federal funding."
One of the UC Davis programs that will receive almost $100,000 through the stimulus package is being planned by Dr. M. Eric Gershwin, whose research focuses on the factors that appear responsible for causing a form of liver disease known as primary biliary cirrhosis: a chronic, debilitating condition primarily affecting women.
"There is evidence to suggest that this type of liver disease could be caused by environmental toxins or drugs, what we call xenobiotics," said Eric Gershwin, Professor and Chief of the UC Davis Health System's Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology in Sacramento. "This grant is important because it allows our laboratory team to continue working on very promising research that could ultimately provide important benefits to patients who otherwise might face the possibility of liver failure."
UC Davis will also receive over $1 million to fund the study of autism amongst at-risk infants. "Not only is Autism a disability that affects a number of newborns, it is also one of the fastest-growing developmental disabilities found in children," said Congresswoman Matsui. "This will not only benefit the children and families of Sacramento, but future generations across our country."
These grants come in addition to a recent announcement that the UC Davis Medical School will receive stimulus funds to assist students with financial need. "In addition to supporting research ranging from autism risks in infants to cardiovascular disease, this latest round of awards is especially valuable because it can help reduce disparities in the health professions work force by providing scholarships for talented but economically disadvantaged students who otherwise might not be able to afford medical school," said Frederick J. Meyers, Executive Associate Dean, who oversees research and education within the university's School of Medicine.
These four grants, totaling $2,021,303 will support the following research at UC Davis School of Medicine:
andbull; Infants at Risk of Autism: A Longitudinal Study - $1,022,289
andbull; Cardiovascular Research Program - $685,500
andbull; Biomarkers of Exposure to Hazardous Substances - $213,515
andbull; Xenobiotics and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis - $99,999
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