For Immediate Release: October 1, 2024
One of the most invaluable tools to help nurture the research careers of early-stage investigators has been the pilot grant program offered through the HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention (HEALTH-RCMI).
For the Spring 2024 award cycle, two pilot program grants have been awarded to University of Houston researchers, Dr. Maram Quttina, Ph.D. and Dr. Dipali Rinker, Ph.D. through the National Institutes of Health/NIMHD and HEALTH-RCMI.
The recently awarded pilot research project, entitled, "Transcriptional Profiling of Spheroid Formation and Metastatic Potential in Ovarian Cancer,” is led by University of Houston Postdoctoral fellow, Quttina. Quttina’s initiative explores the molecular signatures and biomarkers associated with the aggressive growth of ovarian cancer. The initiative has been funded $50,000 by NIH/NIMHD.
“With ovarian cancer, there is high mortality rate among minority groups, specifically Black women,” Quttina said. “There is an urgent need to develop innovative research initiatives. My project focuses on studying or understanding the molecular metastatic process, by identifying or characterizing specific molecular subtypes related to ovarian cancer.”
Quttina believes the pilot program award offers her a unique opportunity to advance her work and develop research independence. Ultimately, she hopes her research will help build a specific database to find molecular signatures that are linked to ovarian cancer.
“It would be great for the community from the perspective of creating a database for specific biomarkers and molecular signatures,” Quttina said. “This research would help develop a more personalized treatment option.”
Spearheading another innovative pilot project for Spring 2024, Rinker was awarded $50,000 from NIH/NIMHD and HEALTH-RCMI for an initiative on medication-assisted therapies and medications for opioid use disorders. Rinker is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Houston’s College of Pharmacy. Her project is entitled, "Community-Based Assessment of Factors Associated with Medication -Assisted Therapies (MAT) and Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD) in Harris County among Black/African Americans.”
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of drug poisonings, overdoses have increased among Black/African American adults.” Rinker said. “In addition to that, Black/African Americans are less likely to receive treatment. There are a lot of factors involved--including stigma on the part of individuals and their families, treatment providers, politicians, communities.”
In this exploratory study, Rinker has two aims—gathering qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative piece of the study involves interviews in the community which ask participants about interventions that would be most effective to get themselves or their loved ones in treatment and stay in treatment. The quantitative survey involves interviews related to factors, perceptions and beliefs associated with treatment.
“Through my pilot study, we will collect data to elucidate some of those reasons why," Rinker said. "What are the barriers to seeking treatment and what are some cultural differences? Once we figure that out, we can develop interventions at all levels that address that.”
--Alison Medley
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Alison Medley at 713.320.0933 or email aemedle2@central.uh.edu
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