Tom Burris, Ph.D., FAAAS, FAHA, Alumni Chair in Pharmaceutical Education and vice president for research at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, recently received grant funds totaling more than $740,000 from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
The funding will support Burris’s research in the Center for Clinical Pharmacology to develop drugs targeting muscle function. Specifically, the research will focus on the creation of therapeutics to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy and muscle loss caused by aging, known as sarcopenia.
Burris will serve as the principal investigator on the project, and will be supported by Bahaa El-Gendy, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at the College, who will serve as the co-principal investigator.
“As we continue our work to examine drug compounds that have the potential to improve muscle function and accelerate muscle regeneration, this funding from Mallinckrodt will be very important,” Burris said. “We’re grateful for this grant, and we look forward to utilizing this funding to conduct research that we hope will result in the creation of drugs that will ultimately positively impact the health and quality of life of those suffering from musculoskeletal disorders.”