Winners have been selected for cycle 1 of the Academic Grant Program
Background
In May 2021, Taconic Biosciences invited scientists from the nonprofit sector to participate in a new Academic Grant Program. The Program invited applications for projects focusing on key questions related to four model categories: NASH, the NOG Portfolio, humanized immune system (HIS) mice, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Each applicant was tasked with crafting a 1-2 page research proposal including a summary of their project, a planned timeline for experiments, specific Taconic animal model(s) to be used, and the expected outcome and impact of the project.Taconic received many strong applications from nonprofit researchers across the globe. Each application was evaluated based on scientific merit, technical feasibility, choice of appropriate animal model(s), and the applicant's biosketch. Grants were awarded in the form of Taconic animal models in support of specified research projects.
The Winners
Taconic is pleased to announce the following researchers will receive grants under the Academic Grant Program:| Recipient | Project Title | Model Awarded |
| Ehtesham Arif Medical University of South Carolina | Role of Myo1c in NASH | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Tolunay Aydemir Cornell University | Zinc metabolism in of inflammatory bowel disease model-IL10 knockout mice | Il10 Knockout (BALB/c) (model #15660) |
| Antonis Chatzigeorgiou National and Kapodistrian University of Athens | In vivo imaging for non-invasive characterization of NAFLD/NASH progression | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Paola Dongiovanni Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico | Role of mitochondria in the switch from simple steatosis to NASH and fibrosis | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Arion Kennedy North Carolina State University | Identification of MHC class I associated peptides in a diet-induced mouse model of NASH | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Ji-Young Lee University of Connecticut | CETP-ApoB100 mice as a model for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease | CETP-ApoB100 (model #3716) |
| Jisun Paik University of Washington | Efficacy of ALDH1A inhibition in colitis | Il10 Knockout (BALB/c) (model #15660) and Mdr1a Knockout (model #MDR1A) |
| Connor Quinn Temple University | Proteomic characterization of NAFLD progression using off-the-shelf NASH-B6 model | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Rajan Sah Washington University in St. Louis | Developing SWELL1 modulators for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis | Diet Induced NASH B6 (model #NASH-B6-M and model #NASHCONTROL-B6-M) |
| Arianne Theiss University of Colorado School of Medicine | Adipose tissue influence of colonic inflammation | Il10 Knockout (BALB/c) (model #15660) and Mdr1a Knockout (model #MDR1A) |