{"74571":{"#nid":"74571","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Faculty Receives Breakthrough Award for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJulie Champion, assistant professor in the School\nof Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, and Andrew S. Neish,\nprofessor of pathology at Emory University School of Medicine, are the\nrecipients of one of two Breakthrough Awards launched by The Kenneth Rainin\nFoundation (KRF). Their research project on bioengineering bacterially derived\nimmunomodulants for a novel treatment of inflammatory bowel disease received\n$100,000 in funding.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Breakthrough Awards Program is designed to provide\nextended support to existing KRF-funded Innovator Award recipients to further research\non Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and increase the likelihood of a\nbreakthrough discovery. Last year, the team\u2019s proposal received one of the\ninaugural Innovator awards given by the foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOver the course of the next year, the team\u2019s\nresearch will focus on developing effective therapeutics that harnesses the\nimmunomodulatory properties of bacterial molecules for the treatment of IBD. By\nexploiting the inherent ability of intestinal pathogens to control inflammatory\nsignaling pathways in the human body, the researchers hope to adapt bacterial\nregulatory molecules and use them as an immunotherapy.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\nintend to develop a new therapeutic paradigm that utilizes bacterial\nimmunoregulatory mechanisms and engineers a nanoparticle delivery strategy\nessential for clinical viability,\u201d says Champion. Immunomodulators\nare agents that alter the immune response by suppression (immunosuppressive) or\nenhancement (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com\/immunostimulant\u0022\u003Eimmunostimulant\u003C\/a\u003E). \u201cOur research\nfocuses on exploiting the inherent abilities of intestinal bacteria to\nattenuate the symptoms of IBD,\u201d she says.\u003Cbr \/\u003EIBD is a group of\u0026nbsp;inflammatory\u0026nbsp;conditions of the colon\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;small intestine, including the major types of IBD known as\u0026nbsp;Crohn\u0027s disease\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;ulcerative colitis. Although\nthe causes of IBD are unknown, medical experts believe the most likely cause is\nan immune reaction the body\u0026nbsp;has against its own tissues in the intestine. Approximately\nfive million people worldwide suffer from some form of IBD, with symptoms that\ninclude pain, bleeding, and debilitation. Current therapeutic options for\npatients are largely limited to the use of anti-inflammatory steroids applied\neither systemically or locally for the treatment of the symptoms, and removal\nof the colon is the only cure at this time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a private family\nfoundation that funds inspiring and world-changing work. \u0026nbsp;The Innovator Awards Program for IBD Research\nencourages collaboration in the hope of finding new and better treatments, and\nultimately a cure, for ulcerative colitis and Crohn\u2019s disease. The key\ncomponents for funding consideration include innovation, collaboration,\nscientific merit, and a high potential for success.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJulie Champion, assistant professor in the School\nof Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, and Andrew S. Neish,\nprofessor of pathology at Emory University School of Medicine, are the\nrecipients of one of two Breakthrough Awards launched by The Kenneth Rainin\nFoundation (KRF).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2011-12-16 16:59:49","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:53","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"74641":{"id":"74641","type":"image","title":"Julie Champion","body":null,"created":"1449178046","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:27:26","changed":"1475894688","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:48","alt":"Julie Champion","file":{"fid":"193788","name":"0000053898-champion3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/0000053898-champion3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/0000053898-champion3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1258945,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/0000053898-champion3_0.jpg?itok=WrZpxU2s"}}},"media_ids":["74641"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/faculty\/champion.php","title":"Julie Champion"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"15621","name":"College of Engineering; School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Julie Champion; breakthrough award; IBD"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}