Frank Beier receives $354,742 in funding from The Arthritis Society
Congratulations to Frank Beier, PhD, professor and assistant chair in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, on receiving $354,742 in funding over three years from The Arthritis Society for his research on osteoarthritis (OA).
This funding will support a project that will determine whether or not using drugs to block a protein called PPARdelta will slow the progression of OA in animal models. The project will also look at whether blocking PPARdelta could prevent not only injury-induced OA, but also arthritis tied to aging and obesity.
“This is one of the most exciting projects we have right now,” Beier said, adding that this fresh insight could lead to new drugs that stop OA from developing.
Beier added that Anusha Ratneswaran, one of the PhD Candidates he supervises, played a huge role in both obtaining the data for the project and preparing the grant.
OA impacts over three million Canadians, and takes a significant toll on families, the economy and the health care system. There are currently no treatments to stop the disease, and its prevalence will continue to rise in the coming decades if solutions are not discovered.
Beier explained that funding from health charities such as The Arthritis Society is crucial as it allows researchers to make progress that they wouldn’t otherwise make.
“We are very fortunate to receive support from The Arthritis Society,” Beier said. “It will allow us to do so much more, faster, while training new researchers in the field.”
