The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) in Cayey received a $621,000 federal grant to investigate why headaches They can persist after repetitive, mild traumatic brain injuries.
The research seeks to identify the causes of these pains and explore new alternatives to prevent and treat them, with the aim of improving the quality of life of people who suffer from them.
The funds, granted by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokewill finance a four-year research project led by Dr. Laura Vicente Rodríguezresearcher at the UPR-Cayey.
In a press release, Vicente Rodríguez explained this Tuesday that, together with a group of researchers and students from the UPR-Cayey, he will study how inflammation affects the functioning of areas of the brain responsible for regulating pain. As part of the project, they will evaluate the role of NLRP3 inflammasomea component of the immune system that participates in inflammatory processes, to determine if blocking its activity could help prevent or reverse the alterations that cause pain to become chronic.
He added that the findings could contribute to the development of new strategies to prevent and treat chronic headache associated with traumatic brain injuries..
For her part, the rector of the UPR-Cayey, Dr. Rochellie Martínez Vivashighlighted that the federal grant strengthens the institution’s capacity to develop scientific research that contribute to addressing health problems and offering new training opportunities to their students.
“This grant recognizes the scientific capacity of our faculty and the talent of our students. We are proud that, at the UPR-Cayey, research is developed that can contribute to improving people’s health and quality of life. “We will continue to support initiatives that strengthen research and offer our students opportunities to participate in impact scientific projects.”he expressed.
Meanwhile, the president of the UPR, Dr. Zayira Jordan Condepointed out that the grant reflects the strategic role of research within the university mission and its ability to generate knowledge with concrete applications.
“Research is one of the great strengths of the UPR and this project demonstrates our ability to convert the knowledge generated on our campuses into solutions to specific problems. A federal grant of $621,000 to study chronic pain associated with brain injuries represents resources to produce new knowledge, expand training opportunities for our students and strengthen the presence of the UPR in international research.. That is the University that we want to continue promoting: one that researches, trains and generates results with impact beyond our classrooms,” he said.
Vicente Rodríguez also highlighted that the subsidy represents an important achievement for the institution and demonstrates that, from the UPR-Cayey, competitive research can be developed at an international level.
“Without a doubt, obtaining the subsidy for this project represents a precedent that, at the UPR-Cayey, high-caliber research projects are carried out. Therefore, to serve as an example that we can all take our projects to an international competitive levelsince we have the intellect of first-class professors, with students who are extremely motivated to contribute and with an administrative staff who is always willing to go the extra mile to make things happen,” he stated.
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The project will also strengthen the scientific training of eight UPR-Cayey students, who actively participate in the research program. As part of their responsibilities, they will perform experiments, collect and analyze biological samples, and present the results of their research at scientific meetings.
The research will have the collaboration of the doctor Demetrio Sierra Mercadofrom the School of Medicine of UPR Medical Sciences Campuswho will participate as a co-investigator. In addition, you will receive scientific support from Dr. Yarimar Carrasquilloof the National Institutes of Healthand the doctor Michael Whalenof the Mass General Research Instituteaffiliated with Harvard University.
The project began on September 22 and will continue to develop until August 31, 2030.