APFED & CEGIR Announce Recipient for 2020 Co-funded Pilot Grant Award
June 4, 2020
ATLANTA, GA & CINCINNATI, OH – APFED and CEGIR have awarded a 2020 co-funded pilot grant award to Paneez Khoury, MD, MHSc, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease’s Human Eosinophil Section, for a promising research study that will provide the first examination of gastric motility in patients with eosinophilic gastritis (EG).
APFED is providing $25,000 in funding for 2020 while CEGIR will provide funding for 2020 and 2021.
Dr. Khoury’s project will examine if allergy mediated inflammation causes fibrostenotic changes in the stomach tissue to contribute to commonly experienced EG symptoms, such as bloating and early satiety, and if it causes a slower emptying of stomach contents into the small intestine. This important work will influence the selection of drugs that will be studied in future EG clinical trials.
Established in 2020, the APFED/CEGIR II Co-funded Pilot Grant is the result of a collaborative effort between APFED and CEGIR to enable investigators from a variety of disciplines to initiate projects relevant to eosinophil-associated diseases, with a focus on the development of new and inventive ideas that are likely to lead to future external funding and better patient outcomes.
“Over the last six years, APFED has collaborated with CEGIR to advance research for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. The partnership of patient advocacy groups with clinician-investigators, as offered through the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), facilitates this type of targeted study,” said APFED President Dr. Wendy Book. “Gaining a better understanding of the motility issues impacting patients diagnosed with EG is important, and we are pleased to support Dr. Khoury’s project.”
Principal Investigator Dr. Paneez Khoury said, “The selection of this proposal by APFED/CEGIR co-funded Pilot Grant is critical to understanding the natural history and pathogenesis of gastric dysfunction below the esophagus. The funding and prioritization of this research will provide the ability to explore whether persistent gastrointestinal symptoms in EG may be related to gastric motility problems and provide insights into the patient experience of disease, disease pathogenesis, as well as long-term impacts of eosinophilic gastritis.”
APFED’s competitive research grant program, the Hope on the Horizon Research Fund, is supported entirely by donations. For more information, please visit apfed.org.
About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)
The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy.
About the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR)
CEGIR (U54AI117804) is a part of the NCATS Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN). RDCRN is an initiative of the Office of Rare Diseases (ORDR), NCATS, funded through a collaboration between the NCATS, the NIAID and the NIDDK. CEGIR is also supported by patient advocacy groups including APFED, CURED and EFC.
www.rarediseasesnetwork.org/cms/cegir/