$735,000 U.S. grant to assist DNA study
FAYETTEVILLE -- A three-year, $735,000 National Institutes of Health grant will help a UA researcher study ways to alter DNA to treat genetic disease.
Christopher Nelson, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, administers what's known as therapeutic genome engineering to mice.
Previous research by Nelson involved showing the lasting effects of such treatment in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that weakens muscles. In people, the disorder results in the shortening of a life span by decades.
With the grant, Nelson will study a disease known as hemophilia that affects the ability of blood to clot. Nelson aims to examine side effects and immune-system response to what's also referred to as genome editing.
"The immune system may be a barrier to genome engineering's efficiency in humans. Overcoming this barrier will allow genome editing to be successful in the clinic," Nelson said in a statement. He joined the faculty in June.
Special-ed program gains U.S. funding
FAYETTEVILLE -- A $2.4 million U.S. Department of Education grant is funding a program for special-education scholars at UA and the University of Oklahoma.
The grant, from the department's Office of Special Education Programs, seeks to prepare doctoral students by offering instruction on helping students with disabilities transition to life after secondary school.
Students in the Razorback-Sooner Scholars program will have their tuition paid and receive an annual stipend, as well as a new laptop and other support. They will receive certificates in special-education transition services upon completion of four years of the program.
The program is set to enroll students in fall 2020.
In 2018-19, the most recent year with data available for state school districts, there were 61,342 students receiving special-education instruction, about 12.8% of students, according to online information from the Arkansas Department of Education.
Metro on 10/13/2019