SAVANNAH — Mercer University School of Medicine professor Raghavan Chinnadurai, Ph.D., has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research the characteristics and potency of rare stem cell populations from patients with inflammatory bowel disorders and their devastating complication, perianal fistula.
The $387,616 grant was awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through the NIH’s Research Enhancement Award Program for health professional schools and graduate schools. The funding amount may increase pending NIH’s final appropriations.
“Inflammatory bowel disease is a major health problem in the United States, and this research will eventually inform avenues for a new stem cell therapy for patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases,” Dr. Chinnadurai said. “Exposure to these cutting-edge cellular therapy technologies in biomedical science will substantially enhance the knowledge of Mercer School of Medicine students, helping them implement these treatments in rural medicine.”
In partnership with the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease led by Dr. Subra Kugathasan at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dr. Chinnadurai’s lab has already published four significant publications related to inflammatory bowel disease translational science and cellular therapy. Continuing this research partnership will offer additional opportunities to Mercer medical students to visit and conduct research at Children’s as visiting scholars. The NIH funding will strengthen students’ exposure to collaborative translational research.
“This research is cutting-edge science and very important in assuring health,” said Jean R. Sumner M.D., FACP, dean of Mercer School of Medicine. “We are very proud of the work Dr. Chinnadurai and his team are doing. Mercer is committed to the improving health of rural Georgians while finding sustainable models that will work in other areas of the globe.”
“This project holds immense significance for Mercer University School of Medicine, as it propels us to the forefront of innovative medical research and strengthens our commitment to advancing health care solutions for Georgia’s rural and underserved populations,” said Sherrie Williams, L.C.S.W., P.M.P., director of Mercer School of Medicine’s project management office. “For the American public, this research has the potential to revolutionize cellular therapy, offering new hope and improved treatments for those battling inflammatory bowel diseases. We are excited about the positive impact this will have on public health and the well-being of our communities.”
“I am excited that Dr. Chinnadurai received this NIH R15 REAP grant, which will boost educational and research opportunities for students at the School of Medicine,” said Biomedical Sciences Department Chair Christy Bridges, Ph.D. “Our department is excited to be welcoming the inaugural class of Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences students, and grants like this one will enhance the visibility of that program.”
“As a currently funded REAP awardee, I can speak from experience as to how valuable NIH funding is for the Savannah campus,” said Robert Visalli, Ph.D., associate dean of biomedical sciences and director of student research on the School of Medicine’s Savannah campus. “The deployment and application of advanced technologies such as stem cell medicine could have a major impact on improving rural health care outcomes, and our students should be prepared to understand and employ these therapies. Rural and underserved populations are often the last to benefit from new treatment options. Exposing our medical and graduate students to Dr. Chinnadurai’s research on cutting-edge stem cell therapy will enhance their knowledge of future translational applications of such strategies and how they might be employed to improve health outcomes in rural Georgia”.
About Mercer University School of Medicine (Macon, Savannah, Columbus and Valdosta)
Mercer University’s School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Today, more than 60% of graduates currently practice in the state of Georgia, and of those, more than 80 percent are practicing in rural or medically underserved areas of Georgia. Mercer medical students benefit from a problem-based medical education program that provides early patient care experiences. Such an academic environment fosters the early development of clinical problem-solving and instills in each student an awareness of the place of the basic medical sciences in medical practice. The School opened additional four-year M.D. campuses in Savannah in 2008 and in Columbus in 2021, and a clinical campus in Valdosta in 2024. Following their second year, students participate in core clinical clerkships at the School’s primary teaching hospitals: Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon; Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah; Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus; and SGMC Health in Valdosta. The School also offers master’s degrees in preclinical sciences and family therapy and Ph.Ds. in biomedical sciences and rural health sciences.
