Dr. Steve Lim Awarded $1.52M NIH Research Grant

Dr. Steve Lim, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, recently was awarded a $1.52 million four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study cell signaling that contributes to atherosclerosis, a chronic vascular inflammatory disease.

The Research Project Grant, or R01 grant, is the original and historically oldest grant mechanism used by NIH. The R01 provides support for health-related research and development based on the mission of the NIH. This is Dr. Lim�s first R01 grant, which follows up on early stage funding from the American Heart Association.

�This award will allow us to investigate the detailed mechanisms of how focal adhesion kinase (FAK) regulates the vessel wall response to blood flow and inflammation during atherosclerosis,� Dr. Lim said.

Atherosclerosis is caused by sustained activation of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), a pro-inflammatory transcription factor that drives pro-inflammatory gene expression. Through his research, Dr. Lim found that FAK inhibition blocks sustained NF-kB activity, thus reducing vascular inflammation in atherosclerosis.

�The goal of our study is to better understand the relationship between FAK and NF-kB in atherosclerosis, in the hope of identifying new therapeutic options,� Dr. Lim said. �Millions of people are affected by atherosclerosis in the United States, and it is the underlying problem in most cardiovascular diseases.�

Preventative approaches to reduce conventional risks � such as drugs that lower cholesterol and blood pressure � help slow down the progression of atherosclerosis, but do not eradicate the abnormal vessel wall response to environmental factors that drive atherosclerosis. As an �anti-inflammatory� therapy for atherosclerosis remains elusive, Dr. Lim�s research into FAK-mediated inflammation during atherosclerosis is considered to have high potential in finding a new therapeutic target.

�The research supported by this grant could advance current atherosclerosis therapies from preventative to treatable,� Dr. Lim said. �A FAK inhibitor that stops atherosclerosis progression � as opposed to merely delaying it � would be very beneficial to patients.�

Dr. Lim said the grant will help to establish his research program, expand the research team and upgrade the quality of the current research.

He gave special thanks to his fourth-year graduate student, James Murphy, for his work on the grant. �This R01 grant expands upon James� graduate project, in which he seeks to find the molecular mechanism of FAK mediated NF-kB regulation in the vascular wall.�

Dr. Lim�s collaborative research team is comprised of USA College of Medicine researchers Dr. Richard Honkanen and Dr. Robert Barrington; Dr. Hanjoong Jo at Emory University; and Dr. Yabing Chen at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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