MILWAUKEE, April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, has announced that Peter J. Newman, Ph.D., received the prestigious Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This highly competitive award provides Dr. Newman and the six members of his laboratory team $7 million over seven years to advance understanding of how proteins on the surface of human blood platelets become unintentional targets of the immune system, which can lead to devastating bleeding disorders. The research will lead to new diagnostics and novel personalized medicine approaches to treating blood diseases.
Dr. Newman, Vice President for Research, and Associate Director of BloodCenter of Wisconsin's Blood Research Institute (BRI), holds the distinct honor of being the sole recipient of this award from the state of Wisconsin. NHLBI has awarded a total of only 60 Outstanding Investigator Awards to scientists nationwide over the first two years of the program.
The NHLIBI Outstanding Investigator Award was created to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to experienced Program Directors and Principal Investigators whose outstanding record of research demonstrates their ability to make major contributions to heart, lung, blood and sleep research. The award is intended to support a research program, rather than a research project, to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support.
Dr. Newman, who joined BloodCenter of Wisconsin in 1983, is a graduate of the St. Louis University School of Medicine. In addition to serving as Associate Director of the BRI, he is responsible for mentoring and training programs for junior fellows, managing annual Scientific Advisory Board reviews of research, and chairing BloodCenter's Appointments and Promotions Committee. Dr. Newman also serves as Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology & Toxicology and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
BloodCenter's Blood Research Institute, home to more than 120 physicians, scientists, research trainees, and technologists, receives more NIH funding than any other blood center in the U.S. In 2017, BloodCenter of Wisconsin received more than 20 NIH research grants totally more than $14 million. Over the last 10 years, BCW has received 52 awards totaling $104.4 million total costs.
"This prestigious grant awarded to Dr. Newman, and those we've received through the years, are critical to advancing discoveries that will bring new hope to patients, said Gilbert C. White, M.D., Executive Vice President for Research, Blood Research Institute. "Our innovative research has helped patients around the globe in the area of transfusion medicine, heart disease, stroke, cancer, immunology, and stem cell biology."
About BloodCenter of Wisconsin
BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in blood services, organ, tissue and marrow donation, diagnostic testing, medical services and leading-edge research. BloodCenter of Wisconsin is the only provider of blood to hospitals in 29 Wisconsin counties as well as providing support to hospitals and patients across the country. BloodCenter of Wisconsin advances patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. For more information, visit www.bcw.edu.
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Contact:
Fay Spano
(414) 937-6124
Fay.Spano@bcw.edu
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SOURCE BloodCenter of Wisconsin