LEoPARD awarded Pilot Award through Vermont Biomedical Research Network

The Laboratory for Evaluation of Pharmacological Agents in Remediation of Disease (LEoPARD) at Saint Michael’s College is proud to announce that it has received a $25,000 Pilot Award (at full request/maximal value of the award) through the Vermont Biomedical Research Network (VBRN). The successfully-funded proposal is entitled “Investigating reversal of insulin resistance in HepG2 cells by vanilloids.” The Pilot Award funds will enable purchase of materials needed for the research, provide summer research stipends for personnel involved, and will permit travel and dissemination of results at upcoming conferences. Funds will further enhance undergraduate research into insulin resistance and metabolic biochemistry begun by previous awards — including a prior $2,000 internal award and $10,000 startup supplement (both from the VBRN), as well as a $15,000 startup package from Saint Michael’s College — totaling $27,000 during the 2022-2023 academic year to which the current $25,000 Pilot Award will be added.

Recently, Jamie Hearn and Jack Macdonald were awarded Trustee Scholar summer fellowships to pursue 8-week research endeavors this summer. Their work will be directly benefitted by this Pilot Award.

Adapted from the VBRN website: The VBRN, formerly the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN), is in its fourth phase of funding with a five-year $19.4 million award from the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health. The mission of VBRN is to build human and physical infrastructure in Vermont for biomedical research. The lead institution, the University of Vermont (UVM), has developed state-of-the-art facilities for Proteomics and Bioinformatics as well as a Professional Development and Education Core to provide to researchers across Vermont the resources they need to carry out world class research and compete for federal funding. To address workforce development and its diversity, UVM builds cultures of research by supporting faculty and student research at its Baccalaureate Partner Institutions (BPIs): Castleton University, Middlebury College, Northern Vermont University (Lyndon and Johnson campuses), Norwich University, and Saint Michael’s College. UVM also works with students in college lab classes throughout Vermont in order to bring cutting edge research resources into their education, including at the Community College of Vermont, Landmark College, and Champlain College.

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Laboratory for Evaluation of Pharmacological Agents in Remediation of Disease (LEoPARD) is a biochemistry-focused undergraduate research group at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT (Burlington metro area). We offer transformative, real-world laboratory experiences to ensure that our hard-working students evolve into our successful alumni! Interested students are invited to read about our research, and consider applying to be a member of our group.