The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences said Monday that a team of researchers received a $2.97 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases.
The team will use the money to investigate a possible treatment for the long-term health effects from injury caused by exposure to high levels of radiation.
According to UAMS, the project is one of the next steps in research performed for many years by Martin Hauer-Jensen and other investigators in the Division of Radiation Health in the College of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Marjan Boerma, an associate professor in the Division of Radiation Health, is one of the team's three principal investigators.
"Between the strong team in the division and the substantial expertise of the other investigators, I'm confident we will build on that legacy to find some answers to questions we all have about treating the delayed effects of radiation injury," Boerma said in a news release.
The research centers on a drug called activated protein C, which researchers think could fight delayed health effects that can show up months or even years exposure to a high levels of radiation. Specifically, the study will focus on how activated protein C might improve the health of the vascular system in the heart and brain.
