06/15/2021
GMI Postdocs Receive National Hemophilia Foundation Fellowship Awards
Vishal Srivastava, PhD, and Yuan Zhang, PhD, postdoctoral fellows in the lab of Bin Zhang, PhD, have each been awarded a 2021 Judith Graham Pool Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF). Established in 1972, NHF’s premier research fellowship program provides support for basic science and preclinical research in bleeding disorders. Drs. Srivastava and Zhang will each receive $104,000 over two years for their projects.
Both projects will study factor VIII (FVIII), a blood-clotting protein encoded by the F8 gene. F8 mutations result in defective or deficient FVIII, leading to the genetic bleeding disorder hemophilia A (HA).
Dr. Srivastava’s project will study the role of small molecule drugs and compounds in correcting FVIII impairment in HA patients. The long-term goal of this project is to develop innovative, personalized treatments for HA based on a patient’s mutation.
Dr. Zhang’s project will harness molecular biology methods and preclinical models to explore the function of the B domain (a distinct unit of the FVIII protein) in regulating FVIII synthesis and secretion. Successful completion of this project should help guide the development of effective therapeutic strategies for HA, including recombinant FVIII production (FVIII manufactured in a laboratory) and gene therapies.
Image: Vishal Srivastava, PhD (left) & Yuan Zhang, PhD (right)
