MUSC leads state in biomedical research funding

The Medical University of South Carolina continues to lead the state in biomedical research with more than $259 million in grant support from outside sources, including more than $109 million from the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to increases in federally funded research, MUSC noted marked increases in corporate-sponsored research since 2014, with this year’s total at more than $70 million.

"This year, our total extramural grant funding topped more than $250 million for the first time in MUSC's history,” said Kathleen Brady, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC vice president of research. 

“The projects funded range from innovative nanoparticle approaches and drug delivery to broad outreach campaigns designed to build healthier communities and determine the best approaches to reach rural and underserved communities with state-of-the-art medical treatment. This is a testimony to the excellence, innovation and hard work of the MUSC research community and its dedication to the health of South Carolina and the nation."

Interesting ongoing research at MUSC includes:

Researchers are cautiously optimistic about a brain cancer treatment involving a virus being tested at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Neuro-oncologist David Cachia, M.D., said he doesn’t want to raise false hope, but he is fascinated by the possibilities.

SmartState Center of Economic Excellence AT&T Distinguished Endowed Chair in Cancer Equity and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences professor Chanita Hughes-Halbert, Ph.D., serves as the contact principal investigator for the MUSC Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center. Hughes-Halbert is also program leader for the Cancer Control Research Program at the Hollings Cancer Center, and is an expert in cancer prevention and control, minority health, and developing and implementing health interventions into clinical and community settings.

Great discoveries do come in small packages. Few know that better than Ann-Marie Broome, Ph.D., who feels nanotechnology holds the future of medicine with its ability to deliver powerful drugs in tiny, designer packages. Her latest research finds the perfect application: targeting cancerous brain tumor cells. Results from her recent paper published online in the international journal Nanomedicine – Future Medicine found that a lipid nanocarrier engineered to be small enough to get past the blood-brain barrier could be targeted to deliver a chemotherapeutic drug more efficiently to tumor cells in the brain.

For more in-depth information about MUSC’s research and programs, visit MUSC Research.