News
Foundation awards two grants to study Alpha-1 gene variations, infusion effects on the liver, with Talecris funding
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC and MIAMI, FL — The Alpha-1 Foundation announced today that it has awarded two research grants to study how genetic variations in the alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) gene contribute to lung and liver damage in people with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1). The inherited condition causes emphysema and liver disease. The research will also investigate whether AAT infusion therapy – known as augmentation therapy – minimizes liver damage among those with Alpha-1.
The grants were awarded to Noel G. McElvaney, MD, professor in the Department of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland, and to Cristy Lee Gelling, PhD, in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
The grants were made possible through an unrestricted charitable donation from Talecris Biotherapeutics to the Alpha-1 Foundation.
