FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2022

KY INBRE funds more than $1 million for biomedical research in Kentucky

(Louisville, KY) — The Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (KY INBRE), a statewide multi-million dollar, five-year renewable grant program funded by The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), is pleased to announce the awarding of a combined total of $1,035,000 to our 2022 Awards grants recipients. A total of 28 awards are being distributed to faculty at six Kentucky institutions: Center College, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University.


KY INBRE Investigator Development Award (IDeA)

The objective of the KY INBRE Investigator Development Award (IDeA) grant program is to provide support to promising junior investigators at Kentucky colleges and universities to establish a research program involving undergraduate students that is competitive for NIH funding. In addition to providing funds for research support, the program requires release time from teaching, training and mentoring in NIH proposal development, and the development of collaborative relationship with a senior scientist (mentor). Each project awards up to $40,000 for one year, with a possibility of applying for a second year of funding.


The 2022 KY INBRE IDeA Award recipients are:

  • Simran Banga, PhD, Western Kentucky University, Bacterial nucleomodulins mediated transcriptome analysis in macrophages during L. pneumophila infection

  • Katrina Burch, PhD, Western Kentucky University

  • Diane Lickenbrock, PhD, Western Kentucky University

  • Laura Rowe, PhD, Eastern Kentucky University

  • Daniel Scott, PhD, Centre College, Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for adaptable paper-based point-of-care diagnostics

  • Catherine “Catie” Shelton, PhD, Northern Kentucky University

  • Emily Shifley, PhD, Northern Kentucky University

  • Jessica Torelli, PhD, Western Kentucky University

  • Lauren Williamson, PhD, Northern Kentucky University, Maternal helminths as a possible anti-inflammatory intervention in a model of neonatal infection

  • Matthew Woodward, PhD, Western Kentucky University

KY INBRE Postdoctoral Fellow Awards

The KY INBRE Postdoctoral Fellow Awards provide partial support (up to 50%) for a postdoctoral research associate for NIH-R15 funded investigators at the primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). The purpose of this program is two-fold: 1) to enhance the productivity of the NIH-R15 funded faculty member during the award period by providing full-time management of the laboratory; and 2) to train and develop new PhD investigators for faculty positions at PUIs. It is expected that this support will increase the PI’s research productivity to enhance the competitiveness of subsequent R15 renewal applications, and will increase the pipeline of biomedical research faculty at Kentucky institutions. If a postdoctoral fellow cannot be recruited, funds may be requested for partial support of a full-time post-baccalaureate trainee. The maximum annual award is $33,000 (total direct cost) for support of a postdoctoral fellow or $25,000 (total direct cost) for a post-baccalaureate technician.


The 2022 KY INBRE Postdoctoral Fellow Award recipients are:


  • Noah Ashley, PhD (Van Thuan Nguyen, Postdoc), Western Kentucky University

  • Ty Brumback, PhD (Heather Kissel, Postdoc), Northern Kentucky University

  • Michael Guy, PhD, Northern Kentucky University

  • Janelle Hare, PhD, Morehead State University, Mechanisms of Action of UmuD in Regulating DNA Damage-Induced Genes in a umuC-Deficient Bacterium

  • Christopher Lennon, PhD, Murray State University

  • Cheri Levinson, PhD, University of Louisville, Personalized Networks and Sensor Technology Algorithms of Eating Disorder Symptoms Predicting Eating Disorder Outcomes

  • Melissa Mefford, PhD, Morehead State University, Telomere and telomerase evolution in S. cerevisiae

  • Juw Won Park, PhD, University of Louisville, Identifying and characterizing translation of circular RNAs using high-throughput sequencing data

  • Erin Strome, PhD, Northern Kentucky University, Characterization of SAM gene mutation impacts on cellular processes and genome instability

  • Jenni Teeters, PhD, Western Kentucky University, Evaluation of an Interactive Mobile Phone-Based Brief Intervention to Reduce Substance-Impaired Driving among Emerging Adults

KY INBRE New Faculty Start-Up Awards

The purpose of the KY INBRE Faculty Start-Up Award program is to facilitate the recruitment of qualified junior faculty at Kentucky colleges and universities who have the background, training, and motivation to establish an externally-funded biomedical research program involving undergraduate students. Eligible institutions may request matching funds (up to $25,000) from KY INBRE to create a first-year research start-up package to offer to potential candidates for tenure-track assistant professor positions in research areas consistent with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) priorities. The recruited candidates will become members of the KY INBRE and will receive additional research and proposal development support through the KY INBRE Mentoring Core.


The 2022 KY INBRE Faculty Start-Up Award recipient is:

    • Brittany Smith, PhD, Northern Kentucky University

KY INBRE Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) Awards

The KY INBRE CUREs Awards provide the opportunity to apply for developmental awards to increase course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Target budgets will be up to $20,000 per year for one to three consecutive years. These awards can be used for faculty salary support for course development and/or supplies/equipment needed for the initial development.


The 2022 KY INBRE CUREs Award recipients are:

  • Natalie Christian, PhD and Rachel Pigg, PhD, University of Louisville, Integrating molecular biology and ecology through a soil microbiome CURE

  • Lili Ma, PhD, Northern Kentucky University

KY INBRE Bridge Funding Awards

The purpose of the KY INBRE Bridge Funding Awards program is to enable NIH-funded faculty to maintain their research program for short periods of time between the lapse of initial grant funding and the start of a new or renewal NIH grant award. Bridge Awards are non-renewable and are limited to a maximum of $50,000 for a one-year period.


The 2022 KY INBRE Bridge Funding Award recipients are:


  • Amy Brausch, PhD, Western Kentucky University, Dimensions of emotion regulation in nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide in adolescents

  • Christine Curran, PhD, Northern Kentucky University, Genetic Susceptibility to Developmental Benzo[a]pyrene Neurotoxicity

  • Rachel Tinius, PhD, EP-C, Western Kentucky University

  • Justin Yates, PhD, Northern Kentucky University