Congratulations to Gregg E. Homanics, PhD, who received a Pitt Innovator Award from the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute at their 14th annual Celebration of Innovation on November 20. Dr. Homanics was honored for his work licensing a genetically engineered mouse line to several companies. The mouse line, which was was produced in collaboration with Harbhajan Paul, PhD, owner of Biomed Research and Technologies in Wexford, PA, models the human metabolic disorder maple syrup urine disease. The mouse model is used by various companies to develop therapeutic approaches to treat this devastating disease.
Dr. Homanics was also invited to present “CRISPR Dissection of Alcohol-responsive lncRNAs” at the National Institute on Drug Abuse & National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Frontiers in Addiction Research Mini-Convention on October 18 in Chicago, IL. The annual event provides a forum for presentations and discussions of current topics in neuroscience and addiction research.