Veterans Research Alliance

James R. and Jesse V. Scott Fund for Shingles ResearchThis fund supports the Shingles Research conducted by Dr. Oxman and his team. Dr. Oxman has led the design and implementation of a VA Cooperative Study aimed at developing a vaccine to prevent shingles, a painful viral condition affecting more than a million people in the US each year, including many veterans. As a direct result of his large scale project, the Food and Drug Administration licensed the vaccine and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all adults 60 and over be vacinated against shingles. These VRC held funds are intended to build upon this ground breaking research and to identify genetic differences in patients. Dr. Oxman and his team are trying to learn more about how genes may influence how well the vaccine works, and if genetic differences have something to do with the severity of a patient's case of shingles. This vitally important follow up work is currently unfunded and will only move forward because of this VRC funding.

Renova Therapeutic Infrastructure Support Grant for Dr. HammondThe Renova Fund supports a chronic heart failure gene transfer study and is aimed at helping patient's to regenerate proteins responsible for efficient heart functions. The anticipated study results will lead to a prolonged and healthier life for the 5 million chronic heart failure patients in the US alone. The project enjoys the support of funding of the National Institutes of Health, but the Renova Fund provides important additional funding that significantly contributes to the overall progress of the study.The most frequent diagnosis for veterans treated at the VA San Diego Healthcare System is hypertension, a condition in which the arteries have persistently elevated blood pressure, which if not well controlled, can lead to heart attacks and heart failure.

Breacher Study. Pilot imaging study to gather data accross two of the most advanced imaging methods to detect brain injury from blast exposure in recently retired Navy Seals. TBI is a leading cause of injury in military personnel. However, until recently brain changes that accompany mild TBI have been impossible to visualize using standard imaging methods.