Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 plastic surgery research proposals.
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
The effects of FK506 on Schwann cell populations during nerve regeneration
Alison Snyder-Warwick MD
2019
Washington University in St.Louis
Pilot Research Grant
Peripheral Nerve, Peripheral Nerve
This project investigates Schwann cell (SC) contributions to nerve recovery, both within the regenerating nerve and at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) within the end target muscle. In Aim 1, we will first determine SC-specific models for investigative study. Multiple transgenic murine models will be evaluated for effects in specific SC subpopulations, including myelinating SCs and non-myelinating SCs at the NMJ. Once these transgenic models are characterized, FK506, an immunosuppressant drug, will be utilized therapeutically following sciatic nerve injury in two experimental models in Aim 2. The SC-specific transgenic lines will be crossed with FK506 binding protein-12 (FKBP-12) floxed mice to create conditional FKBP-12 deletion in SCs. Sciatic nerves will be repaired primarily or with an acellular nerve allograft. FK506-mediated effects will be evaluated in SC subpopulations to determine the involved signaling pathways and the contributions of each cell type to nerve recovery after injury. The overall goals of this proposal are to: 1) identify appropriate mouse models that provide the ability to target and monitor either discrete or general SC populations within nerve and NMJs through a Cre-recombinase driven promoter and 2) assess the effect of FK506 and its FKBP-12 signaling pathway on different SC populations in vivo. The results of this proposal may have important implications for SC biology and innovative targets for therapeutic development and translation.
Dr. Alison Snyder-Warwick is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Director of the Facial Nerve Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Snyder-Warwick completed medical school, a research fellowship in Developmental Biology, and surgical residency training all at Wash U. She then travelled to Toronto, Canada for specialized training in pediatric plastic surgery and pediatric microsurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Snyder-Warwick’s main clinical focus includes pediatric plastic surgery and reconstruction for facial nerve disorders, treatment of facial clefts, reconstruction of brachial plexus birth injuries, gender-affirming surgery, and pediatric and adult microsurgical procedures. Her clinical interests have led to pioneering basic science research investigations involving the terminal Schwann cell, a unique glial cell present at the nerve-muscle interface.
Dr. Snyder-Warwick is passionate about helping children and adults with facial paralysis, nerve-related injuries, and facial anomalies and is committed to studying novel techniques of optimizing care for people affected by peripheral nerve pathology and facial differences.