Three VCU Faculty Awarded Wright Center Grants
Three VCU faculty members recently received Wright Center awards supporting projects from the School of Medicine and the colleges of Engineering and Health Professions.
Ranging from $40,000 to $50,000, the awards from the Wright Center Endowment Fund support the collection of pilot data for clinical and translational science research projects – to be collected within 18 months.
Soma Dhakal, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded funding for his research titled “Enabling ultrasensitive and high-confidence detection of nucleic acid biomarkers.”
Vitaliy Avrutin, Ph.D., an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded funding for his research titled “Microneedle-based wearable biosensor platform for real-time continuous health monitoring.”
And Virginia Chu, Ph.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy, was awarded funding for her research titled “Development of proprioceptive assessments for early childhood.”
Pilot data are crucial data accrued during a small-scale preliminary study that researchers can use to evaluate the long-term feasibility and improve upon study design before a full-scale research project.
Supported by the A.D. Williams Trust Fund and the Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences, the Wright Center Endowment Fund supports research that applies discoveries generated in the laboratory and preclinical studies to the development of clinical trials. The fund also supports proposals that seek to understand the biological basis for clinical manifestations.
Congratulations to the researchers!
Categories Funding, Research