NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research

As part of the ARRA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have designated more than $200 million in FYs 2009 - 2010 for a new initiative called the NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research. NIH specifies that the research that will be supported by this new program will address specific scientific and health research challenges in biomedical and behavioral sciences that will benefit from significant two-year jumpstart funds. Over 20,000 applications were submitted for the 200 grants and Rutgers has been awarded three:

Eileen White, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and associate director for basic science at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, for $500,000 to investigate the “Role of Tumor and Stromal Cell Metabolism in Stress Adaptation and Progression;”

Linda Brzustowicz, professor of genetics, for $499,543 to conduct research on “Behavioral and Genetic Biomarker Development for Autism and Related Disorders.”