CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brain Research Foundation (BRF) today announced that its Scientific Review Committee has selected Jean Hebert, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Brian Litt, M.D., Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, to receive its 2013 Scientific Innovations Awards. Dr. Hebert and Dr. Litt will receive two-year grants totaling $150,000 each.
This is the second year the BRF has awarded SIA grants to researchers working in institutions across the United States. By selecting ideas from distinguished investigators for this award, the BRF supports novel approaches that are so innovative they may not yet be considered for additional sources of funding.
The goal of Dr. Hebert’s proposal is to develop an approach for introducing new, widely dispersed neurons in the adult neocortex, providing a paradigm for testing whether they can functionally integrate and eventually provide the substrate for improved cognitive function. Dr. Litt proposes a new, cutting edge technique to treat brain network disorders with nanodevices that can deliver medications, genes, electrical stimulation and other treatments directly to the affected cells without disturbing other areas of the body.
“The role of the BRF is to help fill the funding gap through our research grant programs so breakthrough projects like these can get off the ground,” said Terre Constantine, Ph.D., BRF Executive Director. “Our ultimate goal is to facilitate the discovery of new scientific knowledge that will result in improved treatments and cures for neurological diseases.”
About the Brain Research Foundation
The Brain Research Foundation is a national organization that supports cutting-edge neuroscience research that will lead to novel treatments and prevention of all neurological diseases in children and adults. We deliver this commitment through both research grants that provide initial funding for innovative projects, as well as educational programs for researchers and the general public.
For more information, visit our website http://www.theBRF.org. You can like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brainresearchfoundation and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/theBRF
SOURCE Brain Research Foundation
