Notable

Victor V. Uteshev, a research scientist at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, has been awarded a two-year federal grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effect of nicotine on the function of histamine in the brain.  The total grant budget is $345,586.

The study will look at histaminergic tuberomammillary neurons which are responsible for regulating the release of histamine in the brain.  The behavioral effects of nicotine and histamine are similar in that they both improve attention, promote alertness and arousal, and inhibit food intake.  Dysfunction of the histamine system is implicated in a number of neurologic disorders.  This research may lead to the development of new treatments for neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, narcolepsy, insomnia and nicotine addition.

Uteshev is an assistant professor of pharmacology. This is the first federal grant awarded for his research, which is focused on understanding the mechanisms that regulate neuronal function and signaling under physiological conditions and how they are changed by using chemical compounds.

Julio Copello, an assistant professor of pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, has been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health, to study the way molecules communicate with each other and function in synchrony.  The total grant budget is $1,264,375.

The study will look at how groups of molecules connect to work in a coordinated way to allow calcium, which is required for heartbeat and muscle movement, to travel from one place to another inside the cells.  This research may eventually lead to the development of new drugs for humans for treatment of heart and muscle diseases. 

This is the first national grant awarded for Copello's research, which is focused on muscle physiology and pharmacology.