New York Medical College Seeks Cure for Emerging Tick-Born Disease with NIH Research Grant
Endemic to the north eastern region of the Unites States and prevalent in the Hudson Valley, Babesia microti has been identified as a major public health threat
Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
jennifer_riekert@nymc.edu
Valhalla, NY - New York Medical College has been awarded $246,000 in federal funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research aimed at developing a new cure for the tick-borne disease Babesia microti. Endemic to the north eastern region of the Unites States and prevalent in the Hudson Valley, Babesia microti has been identified as a major public health threat by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Research. The NIAID, which is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the NIH, is mandated with responding to emerging public health threats.
“This emerging tick-borne disease poses a significant health threat in this region,” says Dana Mordue, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology and project director. “The parasite, which infects red blood cells, has become an important cause of transfusion-transmitted infection. Toward this end, the grant provides funds for collaborative translational research between a physician and a basic scientist, to perform necessary pre-clinical studies aimed at developing a potential novel cure for babesiosis—particularly for the most vulnerable immune suppressed patients.”
New York Medical College
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 1,500 students and 330 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,600 faculty members and 23,200 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, as well as a school of dental medicine and a school of nursing. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners.