Natalie Gassman, Ph.D.Two faculty members in the Department of Pathology are recipients of the UAB Presidential Bridge Funding Award. This program aims to sustain research continuity, retain talent, and provide strategic support to faculty during transitions in federal funding cycles, administrative delays, or evolving research priorities.
Natalie Gassman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, will pivot her research into neurodegeneration and aging, applying her damage detection technology to brain samples. This project will deliver a tool to map where and what types of DNA damage accumulate in human brains, possibly enabling a more precise understanding of how DNA damaging events contribute to neuropathology. Additionally, by revealing nuclear and mitochondrial DNA lesion signatures that track with ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease, it may identify new biomarker candidates and therapeutic targets to slow or prevent cognitive decline.
“I am excited to collaborate with neuropathology and use these funds to enhance the experience of my laboratory and create new research opportunities,” Gassman said.
Dario Vitturi, Ph.D.
Dario Vitturi, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, aims to clarify the molecular mechanisms that regulate immune cell signaling and foster cytoprotective responses during infection and non-infectious immunologic activation. Vitturi and his team plan to define the role of Kyn-CKA, a novel cysteine reactive tryptophan metabolite discovered in his lab, in adjusting the function of antigen presenting cells like macrophages and dendritic cells.
“The Presidential Bridge Award will allow us to generate new preliminary data that more effectively align with current NIH funding priorities by including primary human cells and humanized mouse models, as well as exploring novel mechanisms of Kyn-CKA dependent signaling,” Vitturi said.