$10.8 Million for Rhode Island Hospital

Rhode Island Hospital’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Skeletal Health and Repair has been awarded a $10.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will fund studies of cartilage and joint health. This is the second phase of the study–COBRE was awarded an $11 million NIH grant for Phase I in 2007.

“The research conducted at Rhode Island Hospital has a real, translational impact on our patients, ” said Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Lifespan, and Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals, in the September 10, 2012 news release. “Our partnership with the Brown medical school, and our efforts to attract the best and brightest minds have positioned both the hospital and the Lifespan system as leaders in medical research. And this $10.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health recognizes and rewards the caliber of research being conducted at Rhode Island Hospital, and will help us to further our mission.”

The new research projects encompass clinical, biological and engineering research, including analysis of the mechanical loading effects of long bone growth during skeletal development; the process by which joint cartilage degenerates in adult joint diseases; and novel strategies to harvest stem cells from fat tissues to repair bone.

“Rhode Island’s population is aging, due in no small part to the Baby Boomer generation, ” said Qian Chen, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of cell and molecular biology and head of orthopedic biology at Rhode Island Hospital. “In addition to Baby Boomers’ active lives, we also have to take into consideration the obesity epidemic plaguing our country as weight can play a major role in the development of joint and cartilage disease. Strain on joints from excessive weight; injury or overuse of a joint can lead to diseases such as arthritis, osteoarthritis or other issues that may require surgery such as a knee or hip replacement.”

“There is a shortage of new researchers, and this grant will help us to attract, train and mentor tomorrow’s principal investigators, ” said Michael Ehrlich, M.D., chief of the department of orthopedics at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals. “There is a strong multi-disciplinary approach to this research, which is absolutely necessary to develop translational strategies for prevention and treatment of skeletal joint diseases. This very generous grant will go a long way toward helping us attract the best and brightest young researchers, and ultimately to develop treatments for these debilitating diseases.”

Dr. Chen told OTW,

The $10.8 million grant will go a long way toward supporting our research efforts, particularly in three areas. The first is to continue to build up the core facilities that provide state-of-the-art equipment and training necessary for conducting cutting-edge research; the second is to attract and/or retain world-class investigators in the field to perform research in Rhode Island; and finally, we will use these funds to mentor new investigators to obtain extramural funding to sustain their independent research career.