Kirsten Sadler Edepli, NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) professor of biology, has been awarded a research project grant (R01) from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the ageing liver and how it loses its capacity to regenerate over time.
The four-year grant is awarded nearly $1 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – a branch of the NIH. This is the first time the NIH has awarded a grant to a sole principal investigator, an NYUAD faculty member. Research funding from the NIH is extremely competitive, with under 15 per cent of applications being funded in any given grant season. There were more than 2,600 applications for R01 grants in 2022, and 494 were awarded.
The application by Edepli, who is also an NYU global network professor of biology, and vice provost for faculty advancement and engagement at NYU Abu Dhabi, scored in the 12th percentile.
Edepli is a geneticist and cell biologist who has pioneered using zebrafish as a model to study development, disease and regeneration. Her group focuses on the epigenetic regulation of toxicant responses, development and cancer in zebrafish, regeneration in mice and limb regeneration in octopus. She received a BA from Mount Holyoke College, a masters in medical sciences from Harvard Medical School, a PhD in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT.
The research carried out by her team is particularly important given that the risk of liver disease increases during ageing, in part because the liver cannot regenerate in aged adults. The increasing incidence of liver disease in the Middle East is of particular concern. According to a study, by 2030, annual liver-related deaths are estimated to rise by 295 per cent in Saudi Arabia and by 270 per cent in the UAE. Helping the liver regenerate will alleviate this disease’s impact on elderly patients.
The R01 is the original and historically the oldest grant mechanism used by NIH. It provides support for research and development based on the mission of the NIH, which is comprised of institutes and centres that support specific areas of health-related research. This includes the NIDDK, which conducts and supports basic and clinical research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health.
© Khaleej Times
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