Anil Chauhan, MTech, PhD, Associate Professor in Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, has received a prestigious R35 Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) from the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The seven-year, $5.3 million award will fund his project entitled “Targeting pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2): A novel strategy to combat thrombo-inflammation.” The goals of this research program is to better understand how metabolic reprogramming regulates platelet and leukocyte function and whether targeting dimeric PKM2 can inhibit thrombo-inflammation. If successful, this could be developed as a therapeutic strategy toward better management of patients at high risk for acute coronary events and stroke.
Dr. Anil Chauhan is one of the few scientists nationwide, and perhaps the first at the University of Iowa, to receive an NHLBI R35, which was formerly known as the MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award. According to the NHLBI, the R35 EIA promotes “scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility” to an investigator with demonstrated and outstanding contributions to the field. This program allows an investigator to take greater risks and pursue research that may benefit from a longer timeframe. Dr. Chauhan also recently received an AHA Established Investigator Award and has been a chartered member on the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Study Section of the NIH’s Center for Scientific review since 2016.