Lowey Announces $93K NIH Grant to Burke Medical Research Institute in White Plains

Statement

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced a $93,300 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to Burke Medical Research Institute to improve the performance of tests during clinical trials that benefit victims of stroke, trauma, and disease.

"Recovery from serious illness is equally as important as prevention," said Lowey. "This investment in medical research will help victims of stroke experience once again the full-range of motion that many of us take for granted. I will continue to fight for increased investments in medical research that improve lives, and support the Lower Hudson Valley economy."

The grant comes from the Clinical Research Related to Neurological Disorders program within NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. According to Burke, many patients with injury to the brain, such as stroke, trauma, or disease, have difficulty with a hand movement called supination -- turning the hand from palm down to palm up. This motion is important in and of itself, for turning a key, for example, but also for manipulating countless objects in everyday life.

"The NIH has given us support to develop a test of supination in rats. This will enable us to test this meaningful function," said Dr. Jason B. Carmel, Director of the Motor Recovery Laboratory at Burke.

Many promising therapies from basic science laboratories never make it to the market, creating a so-called "Valley of Death." One reason that translation fails is that the measures of function in laboratory animals are not related to important human functions.

"Our hope is that lab studies that show improvement in supination in rats will more likely cross the "Valley of Death' and succeed when the therapy is tested in clinical trial," Carmel added.

Medical research investments improve quality of life, and also help the Lower Hudson Valley economy. According to NIH, every $1 it invests in grants generates $2.21 of economic growth. In the last 10 years, Westchester and Rockland Counties have received roughly $490 million in NIH grants, making the total economic benefit to the Lower Hudson Valley more than $1 billion.

Congresswoman Lowey, as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, has fought to increase investments in medical research. She is a longtime member of the subcommittee that funds medical research, and funding to National Institutes of Health has nearly tripled since she joined the committee.

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