Singh lands $3.1 million Javits Investigator Award
Inderjit Singh, Ph.D., received the Javits Investigator Award recognizing meritorious research contributions in the field of neurological sciences.
Dr.
Inderjit Singh
The $3.1 million, seven-year award, was based on his ongoing research into the fatty acid mediated pathobiology in X-adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD is a rare, X-linked genetic disorder that occurs in one of every 25,000 to 30,000 boys. One form of the condition was depicted in the movie, “Lorenzo’s Oil.”
The Javits Investigator Award is given to scientists selected by the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council from among competing applicants. Awardees must have demonstrated exceptional scientific excellence and productivity in one of the areas of neurological research supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The award is given to distinguished investigators who have a record of substantial contributions on the cutting edge of some field of neurological science and who can be expected to be highly productive for a seven-year period.
Singh, who is a professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Developmental Neurogenetics, said, “I am fortunate to be working with outstanding associates, postdoctoral fellows and students. Also, I am grateful to Dr. Charles P. Darby, previous chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and to MUSC, for providing us the environment for carrying out this research. The award will enable me to pursue a high-risk, high-reward type of research which has the potential to vastly improve the health and quality of lives of patients suffering from a variety of debilitating conditions.”
Singh’s laboratory investigation into the biochemical events causing an inflammatory response has important implications for the development of therapies for ALD, multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma and Alzheimer’s disease, all of which are triggered by an inflammatory response.
Currently a major multi-center clinical trial, administered by the Clinical Innovation Group of MUSC’s Foundation for Research Development, is under way to evaluate the therapeutic potential of simvastatin, a common cholesterol-lowering drug in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The science behind this trial is based on Singh’s basic research showing the efficacy of statin drugs in reducing brain-damaging inflammation in cell cultures and experimental animals.
In 1983 the Congress of the United States mandated the NINDS to administer the Javits award in honor of the late Senator Jacob K. Javits of New York. Senator Javits, for several years, was a victim of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative neurological disorder, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“This award is a major accomplishment, both for Dr. Singh and MUSC,”
said John Raymond, M.D., associate provost for research at MUSC. “Dr. Singh
is not a clinician, but his research is focused on the practical treatment
of disease. The receipt of a highly competitive award such as this and
other large awards MUSC has received recently is indicative of the extremely
high quality of research at MUSC.”