Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) Director of Research Angelika Niemz has been awarded a four-year, $3.6 million collaborative research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The research effort will focus on developing assays and devices to diagnose multi-drug resistant tuberculosis at the point of care in developing countries where diagnostic resources are limited.
Diagnostic instruments currently on the market that perform similar functions are prohibitive in terms of size and cost for use in remote areas, according to Niemz, KGI's Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor. The project's goal is to develop a handheld device that can be built for less than $100.
"This grant gives us the opportunity to work with others on complex problems that require multidisciplinary expertise," says Niemz. "As an interdisciplinary institution, KGI is uniquely qualified to lead this project."
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from multiple institutions will be working on this effort, led by Niemz and KGI professor Ali Nadim, along with Robert Doebler, PhD, founder and president of Claremont BioSolutions, and Gerard Cangelosi, PhD, affiliate member of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. The effort further involves consultants at the Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH) in Seattle, and testing of clinical specimens that will be collected at tuberculosis clinics in Seattle and in the Philippines.
This R01 grant, the second that Niemz has received as lead investigator, will allow KGI to bring in new doctoral and postdoctoral students, purchase new equipment, and expand its collaborative research network.
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