Announcements

The Translational Science Center (TSC) located on the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University has the goal of facilitating the development and growth of a community of scholars on the Reynolda campus who will bring diverse disciplinary expertise to the study of functional health in aging.

Proposals should consist of a multidisciplinary, translational approach to examine issues important for functional health in older adults, and will be evaluated on the basis of 1) scientific merit, 2) potential for the project to lead to extramural support on the Reynolda campus, 3) relevance to the TSC’s theme of identifying mechanisms underlying functional health or approaches for improving functional health, and 4) interdisciplinary nature of the project as evidenced by investigators from different disciplines.

Projects will be funded up to a maximum of $25,000 for a period of one or two years. Funds are limited and we are seeking to assist as many worthy projects as possible, so please be judicious in preparing budgets. Eligibility is restricted to faculty and trainees associated with the TSC. All proposals must include a Co-PI from the Reynolda Campus.

Proposals are limited to a single page and should include, title, key personnel, paragraph outlining project, a short paragraph describing how the pilot study is likely to lead to extramural funding on the Reynolda Campus, and an approximate budget to the nearest 1K. Candidates may be requested to expand their idea in a more complete proposal. While not required, potential applicants can contact Dr. Laurienti directly to determine how well their idea fits with the TSC’s mission. Address letters of intent to: Paul Laurienti, MD, PhD, Assistant Director TSC Paul.Laurienti@wfusm.edu

The Translational Science Center (TSC) located on the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University (WFU) has the goal of facilitating the development and growth of a community of scholars on the Reynolda campus who will bring diverse disciplinary expertise to the study of functional health in aging. Part of our mission is to support the education and involvement of our student body in research relating to healthy aging.

We will be supporting travel grants for WFU undergraduate students and WFU graduate students whose programs are housed on the Reynolda campus to attend conferences and workshops related to our research mission.

Students may request up to a maximum of $500 each calendar year.
To be eligible for a travel grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Wake Forest student in good academic standing
• Must not be receiving funding from other sources to cover requested expenses
• Presenting a paper/poster or registered for a training workshop
• Presentation or workshop must have a focus on aging research
• Have a faculty sponsor willing to write a letter of support

Funds are limited and will be distributed on a competitive basis. Priority will be given to students presenting original research. To apply, students should complete a travel application. All applications are reviewed by the TSC administrative core. Travel Awards are processed as reimbursements after your travel has been completed.

Travel Application

Please address questions to Paul Laurienti, MD, PhD, Assistant Director TSC at plaurien@wakehealth.edu

We are pleased to announce the 2025 Translational Science Center (TSC) Research Retreat. The TSC is dedicated to bringing new basic research discoveries from multiple disciplines into treatments and programs targeting the functional health of older adults.

This research retreat features outstanding speakers and will be held at Bridger Field House on Friday, March 21 from 1:00 – 5:00pm.

• 1:00 pm Welcome & Keynote Introduction – Daniel Kim-Shapiro, PhD
  • Keynote Speaker – Laura Baker, PhD
• 2:00 pm Moderator for Panel I – Paul  Laurienti, MD, PhD
  • Kristen Beavers, PhD
  • Tina Brinkley, PhD
  • Sarah Lotspeich, PhD
• 3:00 pm Moderator for Panel II – Jeffery Katula, PhD
  • Lara do Amaral Silva, PhD
  • Stephen Baker, PhD
  • Elliott Arroyo, PhD
  • Announce Call for Pilot Grants
• 4:00 Poster Session + Reception (60 minutes)

We are hoping everyone will discuss their research interests and new collaborations will be formed, with potential TSC pilot funding available.

This event is free, but registration is required by March 7^th . [Click here to register]

For questions email shapiro@wfu.edu

An article about the promising technology developed by Wake Forest University researchers and designed to address a common problem in treating critically ill patients with kidney issues has received a grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) to support next steps in research and development.

The novel approach uses light and nitrite to reduce the unwanted blood clotting called “device thrombosis” that often occurs during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a special type of dialysis used in intensive care units.

Professor and Chair of Physics Daniel Kim-Shapiro and colleagues at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found they could use far-red light – close in wavelength to infrared light, but visible to the human eye – to trigger the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide, a process that affects blood flow and clotting.

Dr. Kim-Shapiro was also interviewed by Audrey Biesk of WXII News about this promising new technology.

A new paper in Nature Chemical Biology explains how stabilizing nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that regulates blood flow and platelets, creates a potential new treatment for cardiovascular diseases. Using glutathione, an antioxidant thiol, to bind  NO to heme proteins in the blood, researchers found a NO-ferroheme molecule that increased blood flow in mice and prevented clotting in human blood platelet samples. This discovery was made by Wake Forest physic professor Daniel B. Kim-Shapiro along with collaborators from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Wake Forest research team including Laxman Poudel, Elmira Alipour and Yiyang Jiang of the Department of Physics, and Swati Basu of  the Physics Department and the Translational Science Center.

On Feb.28th, 3:30-5:00 pm at Olin 101, TSC has invited Christina Hugenschmidt, PhD, from the Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Christina Soriano, MFA, Associate Provost for the Arts and Interdisciplinary Programs at WFU to present the results of their pilot study on the effects of improvisational movement to improve the quality of life of older adults with early stage dementia. A brief reception (3:30-4:00) will precede the presentation.

On July 31^st, 3:30-5:00 pm at Foothills Brewing, TSC has invited special guest David Proctor, PhD, Professor of Kinesiology and Physiology, Penn State University to present a seminar on Vascular regulation during exercise in aging humans:  A tale of two sexes.  A brief Center business update will precede the presentation.

Foothills Brewing is located at 638 W 4th Street in Winston-Salem
Phone: 336.777.3348

Congratulations to TSC Director and professor of physics,  Dany Kim-Shapiro,whose proposal entitled “Effects of Nitric Oxide in Sickle Cell Blood” has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number 5R37HL058091-17. Also, his proposal entitled “Exercise, Weight Loss and Arterial Stiffness in Obese, Older Adults” has been funded by the American Heart Association and the WFU Health Sciences (WFU funding agency).