The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded Eric Krause, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacodynamics in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, a $5.7 million grant to study how manipulating brain activity can relieve the burden of psychological stress and its effects on cardiovascular health. The seven-year award allows Krause’s research team the flexibility and freedom to pursue research studies that can have a major impact on understanding cardio-metabolic disorders.
“Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that psychosocial stress is a major predictor of negative cardiovascular events, and our lab is working to develop novel therapeutics that mimic patterns of brain activity and reduce stress and harmful effects on the cardiovascular system,” Krause said. “The Emerging Investigator Award is a great example of how research can be advanced when there is an excellent fit between a scientist and their institutional environment.”
Krause credits multiple collaborators in helping him secure the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, or NHLBI, award. His research team includes Guillaume de Lartigue, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmacodynamics, and Karen Scott, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of pharmacodynamics, from the UF College of Pharmacy and Annette de Kloet, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physiology and functional genomics, and Marcelo Febo, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry from the UF College of Medicine. In addition, Javier Stern, M.D., Ph.D., a professor from the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University, supports cardiovascular studies originating in Krause’s lab.
Emerging Investigator Awards from the NHLBI are a unique funding source given their length and flexibility they provide. They are awarded to experienced researchers who have earned multiple National Institutes of Health grants and have the ability to make major contributions to heart, lung and sleep research. Krause joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2011 and has secured more than $13.3 million in research funding while at UF.