Annual Report 2001 - the University of Massachusetts Medical School

Annual
The
Research
Each year, nearly 1,000
donors contribute unrestricted
support, which is used to
assist research investigators
at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School
as they pursue promising
leads to uncover the causes
of devastating illnesses.
Fund
Gifts of all sizes are made to the Worcester Foundation through the Annual Research Fund, which
includes a growing leadership donor club, the Hudson Hoagland Society. Each year, nearly 1,000 donors
contribute unrestricted support, which funds research scientists at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School as they pursue promising leads to uncover the causes of devastating illnesses.
Since 1998, a total of 40 investigators have received $1.2 million in
ARF funding.The philanthropy provided by the ARF has not only
led to some significant discoveries, but has also proven catalytic in
obtaining millions of dollars of subsequent extramural funding.
The following investigators are recipients of 2000-2001 grants:
Edward I. Ginns, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and director,
Irving S. and Betty Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute:
Mental Health Wellness Genes: Protection From Manic Depressive Illness.
Employing cutting-edge technology to examine DNA from normal
individuals versus people suffering from, or genetically predisposed
to, manic depressive illness, Dr. Ginns is hoping to identify the
genes implicated in this disorder. Once identified, these newly discovered genes can be precisely studied as to their
function and dysfunction.
Lawrence J. Hayward, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology: Mechanisms of Motor Neuron Degeneration in
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Hayward is examining the process of nerve cell degeneration that typifies
diseases like ALS. While such degeneration is the defining attribute of these conditions, it is not completely understood.
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