Pharmacy School Continuing Research Program With UH-Manoa

The pharmacy school at the University of Hawaii at Hilo has received a $4 million federal grant to continue a joint biomedical research program with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The funding from the National Institutes of Health involves a 10-year effort by the IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy will receive more than $800,000 annually for five years to continue its participation, the school said in a press release today.

“This is important because it’s a competitive renewal, which means the grant wasn’t automatically extended. We had to compete with top research facilities throughout the country,” said John Pezzuto, dean of the pharmacy school.

Pezzuto leads the UH-Hilo effort, and works with UH-Manoa Principal Investigator Robert Nichols, professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, and Program Coordinator David Easa, both at the John A. Burns College of Medicine.

Pharmacy school officials said past INBRE projects involving the network included possible applications in drug development to fight malaria, ways to slow the growth of cancerous tumors and synthesis of new compounds using natural products.

The grant also supports researchers and student enrichment programs at Chaminade University, Honolulu and Hawaii Pacific University, Kaneohe.

It also funds projects and programs at outreach institutions Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu, Leeward Community College, Pearl City, UH Maui College, Kahului, and Windward Community College, Kaneohe.