Newswise — (ROCHESTER, Minnesota, Sept. 14, 2018) – Suma Babu, MBBS, MPH, has been selected as the recipient of an AANEM Foundation development grant. Dr. Babu, who is an Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and faculty in the Neuromuscular division of Massachusetts General Hospital, will be using this funding to study the role of inflammation in the spinal cords of people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting more than 15,000 Americans annually.
In her research study, Dr. Babu will be using state-of-the-art imaging techniques – simultaneously acquired Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans of the spinal cord to evaluate neuroinflammation, all without surgery. The PET dye to be used in the study – PBR28 – is specific for activated glia and quantifies inflammation of the central nervous system. Dr. Babu’s research builds on promising preliminary spinal cord PBR28-PET data obtained in ALS subjects showing glial activation in people living with ALS compared to healthy volunteers and seeks to characterize the clinical and biological relevance of this molecular imaging outcome.
“This is a very exciting study which will provide useful insight into the characteristics and patterns of spinal cord PBR28-PET uptake and will quantify spinal cord glial activation in vivo in ALS. The AANEM Development Award is a transformative early career opportunity for me, which will play a critical role in my career advancement in the field of ALS,” explained Dr. Babu. “The data generated by the study will inform the design of future longitudinal studies to understand how spinal cord inflammation impacts strength and function in ALS, and subsequently, clinical drug trials targeting neuroinflammation in ALS subjects with lower motor neuron dysfunction.”
“This award from the AANEM Foundation will help Suma create a niche of her own in ALS research focusing on neuroimaging of spinal cord as a potential objective biomarker and solidify her research skills in neuroimaging,” noted Anthony A. Amato, MD, Vice-Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. “I envision her proposed study to be the first important step of many important future studies developing spinal cord imaging as a surrogate imaging biomarker in ALS.”
“The AANEM Foundation is excited to award Dr. Babu with a development grant to further her research on ALS,” said Shirlyn A. Adkins, JD, AANEM Foundation Executive Director. “Our focus at the AANEM Foundation is to help improve the lives of patients with neuromuscular disease by funding scientific research to help find treatments and cures. Dr. Babu’s research will be significant to patients who are living with ALS and the healthcare professionals treating them.”
Dr. Babu’s research efforts as part of this grant began on April 1, 2018, and will continue through March 31, 2020. Dr. Babu will present the findings of this research at the AANEM Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida in October 2020.
For More Information
Further information about AANEM Foundation development grants is available on the AANEM Foundation website. To help fund future development grants and clinical research fellowships, please consider making a donation to the AANEM Foundation.
About the AANEM Foundation
Based in Rochester, Minnesota, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) Foundation is a nonprofit association that provides funds to help develop the next generation of researchers to advance the science and practice of neuromuscular (NM) and electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine. The ultimate goal in promoting and advancing NM and EDX scientific research and education is to improve the lives of patients with NM diseases.
For more information about the AANEM Foundation, visit www.aanemfoundation.org.
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