HHS awards KU Med Center with more than $1 million in research

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the University of Kansas Medical Center with more than $1,350,000 to help with three research projects.

With the money, Representative Sharice Davids said the three projects being awarded will work to decrease lung disease deaths, investigate the causes of oral birth defects and uncover solutions to limit the transmission of Lyme disease.

“We are lucky to have such a widely respected and advanced medical research center in our region, and I’m glad to help increase their research capabilities with these new federal resources,” Davids said Thursday. “The three studies being awarded will further contribute to medical research breakthroughs at the University of Kansas Medical Center, keeping our community and the entire country healthy.”

The Lung Diseases Research project will receive $894,333, to identify structure and function abnormalities in the lung that lead to disease. Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation Research will get $232,500, to enhance the public’s knowledge of Lyme disease transmissions. And the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research project will receive $232,500 to investigate specific genetic mutations that lead to structural birth defects, including cleft palates, that can have lifelong issues for eating and speaking.