NIH Awards Weiner $1.4M a year for five years
The National Institutes of Health renewed its commitment to provide $1.4 million in funding per year for 5 years to a team headed by Howard L. Weiner, MD, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program, for research into antigen-specific therapy for autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system, including multiple sclerosis. The grant supports a team that includes Weiner, Vijay Kuchroo, David Hafler and Laurie Glimcher. “We’re trying to develop the next generation of therapy for MS and other diseases, including diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis,” Weiner said. The research team is looking to modulate the immune system in a targeted way through work with animal models, new vaccine strategies and human studies. “In the next few years, we’re hoping to do clinical trials on new oral and nasal vaccines for MS,” he said.