Mayfield Foundation Makes Big Investments in Neuroscience, Awards $117k in Pilot Grants

CINCINNATI -- The Mayfield Education & Research Foundation announces the awarding of three pilot grants totaling nearly $117,000 to local scientists. The grants support innovative ideas that could eventually provide a cure for brain cancer and prevent brain damage following stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Founded in 1978, the Mayfield Foundation has undergone a revitalization during the last two years and has awarded over $500,000 in grants to support local neuroscience research during that time. The grants have supported initiatives involving 14 primary investigators and research teams that included 47 physicians, fellows, medical students and scientists.

In keeping with its mission to bring grant-making to a new level of commitment, the Foundation also announces the release of its first Report to the Community. The report, which includes grant profiles, financial statements and a list of supporters, can be found at www.mayfieldfoundation.org.

"Today marks two important milestones for the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation," says William Tobler, MD, Chair of the Foundation and a Mayfield Clinic neurosurgeon. "We have surpassed the half-million dollar mark in our accelerated efforts to match research dollars with the brainpower of our most creative and innovative local neuroscientists. These investments in research can and will have benefits worldwide, emanating from the work we do right here in Cincinnati. Also, to mark this exciting occasion, today we open a public window to our efforts with our first Report to the Community."

These grants are only the beginning, adds Mario Zuccarello, MD, Chairman of the UC Department of Neurosurgery and the Frank H. Mayfield Chair for Neurological Surgery. "As the Mayfield Foundation continues to develop, it will award increasing numbers of grants to the most promising neuroscience researchers. Cincinnati, already an incubator of neuroscience discovery, will become even better positioned to play a role in life-saving discoveries."

Among the new grants, $50,000 was awarded to Atsuo Sasaski, PhD, Assistant Professor in the University of Cincinnati's Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Sasaki will work with Richard Curry, MD, a neuro-oncologist at the Brain Tumor Center at the UC Neuroscience Institute, and Ronald Warnick, MD, a Mayfield neurosurgeon and Medical Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center. The physicians will work collaboratively with the Molecular Therapeutics Program at the UC Brain Tumor Center and UC Cancer Institute to further develop a promising new cellular therapy for malignant brain tumors. This particular project will focus on cancers that metastasize to the brain from another part of the body.

Two grants totaling $76,686 were awarded to Cyrus King, MD, and Jennifer Kosty, MD, junior physicians (residents) in the UC Department of Neurosurgery. Drs. King and Kosty will work under the mentorship of Jed Hartings, PhD, Research Associate Professor in the UC Department of Neurosurgery and Dr. Zuccarello. Their projects focus on the secondary brain damage that often occurs after traumatic injury, cerebral stroke, or aneurysm. Utilizing custom micro-electricorticography grids manufactured in the UC College of Engineering, Dr. King will test a proposed new method of measuring these secondary complications for patients in the neuroscience intensive care unit, in hopes of identifying patterns and signals that signify such occurrences. Scientists could then use this information to develop ways to prevent and minimize additional brain damage in the critical days and weeks following the initial trauma. In a separate but related study, Dr. Kosty will investigate the potential benefits of minimally invasive surgical removal of the "at-risk" brain tissue that surrounds cerebral hemorrhages, with the intention of protecting the brain against further injury.

The innovative, ground-breaking research supported by the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation can have enormous implications on how patients are treated for some of the deadliest and most life-altering diseases and disorders. The Foundation is particularly supportive of research that is collaborative across specialties, utilizes new technologies, and/or offers opportunities for experienced neurosurgeons to mentor new physicians and scientists.

About the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation

The Mayfield Education & Research Foundation exists to advance the care of patients with brain and spine disorders through leading-edge education and research. The Mayfield Education & Research Foundation supports and sustains the legacy of the Mayfield Clinic by promoting innovative research and development alongside accessible, relevant education for physicians, residents, and fellows, patients and their families, and the community at large. Established in 1978, for thirty years the Foundation supported the research and education of local physicians and residents with modest grants. In 2008 the Mayfield physicians determined that the fund held great potential to more widely serve the community, and began donating a percentage of their income to build the Foundation's endowment. The Foundation is taking an increasingly more visible role as it expands its grant making and impact on the local community. For more information visit www.mayfieldfoundation.org.