Chernajovsky Foundation supports BSRA-sponsored PhD studentship to develop novel therapies for age-related bone disease
The BSRA are delighted to announce that member Dr Helen McGettrick has been awarded funding to support a PhD studentship through the Lorna and Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation.
As a charitable organisation with a focus on promoting and funding research into the causes and effects of the ageing process, the BSRA was able to sponsor two applications from its members to the Chernajovsky Foundation’s PhD funding programme. Dr McGettrick’s application to develop a novel treatment for bone diseases such as osteoporosis was selected by the Foundation for funding.
Dr McGettrick is based at the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham. Her team has identified a new molecule called PEPITEM that encourages new bone formation. The Chernajovsky Foundation PhD studentship will investigate whether PEPITEM can be used as a treatment during bone fracture repair – a particular concern in older patients.
Dr McGettrick, Senior Lecturer in Inflammation Biology, said: “It is fantastic news that the Lorna and Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation has agreed to fund a PhD Scholar to join our research teams. We are very excited to start working with the Foundation and the Scholar on developing targeted treatments for older adults with musculoskeletal diseases.”
The Chernajovsky Foundation was established in 2019 to support pioneering research into the creation of new targeted medicines to improve health with a particular focus on autoimmunity, inflammation, infectious diseases and ageing.