Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Dr. Roshanak Rahimian and Dr. Leigh Anderson receive NIH grant

Dr. Roshanak Rahimian, an associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Dr. Leigh, a professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry received the grant titled "Blood Flow and Salivary Gland Function in Diabetes" from the National Institutes of Health. In May 2009, their collaborative research was recognized to receive a three-year grant in the amount of $196,200. This award is part of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Dr. Rahimian and Dr. Anderson's study looks specifically at the relationship between blood flow and salivary secretion in a model of type 2 diabetes and determining the relative contributions of endothelium derived vasodilatory factors to impaired vasodilatation in the diabetic submandibular glands.

"NIH grants are being used for research that will save lives, cure disease and improve quality of life. We believe that the outcome of our study will significantly increase our understanding of salivary gland physiology in diabetes and a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying microvascular abnormalities will contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of diabetic microvascular disease." said Dr. Rahimian.

Dr. Rahimian is honored to have this collaborative research recognized by the National Institutes of Health, which gives several students from both the School of Pharmacy and School of Dentistry opportunity to be involved in the research. A post-doctoral scientist will join the research group as well.

"We could not have obtained this award if we did not have the support of our deans and our colleagues including faculty and staff in the School and University," says Dr. Rahimian.