The Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair at UT Southwestern Medical Center (TIBIR) awarded its first pilot grants in 2014 totaling $450,000 to fund projects aimed at developing effective treatments for brain injury.

(L-R) Hao Huang, Ph.D., Robert Rennaker, Ph.D. and Craig Malloy, M.D., received TIBIR funding to study the role of white matter injury after traumatic brain injury in predicting motor function recovery. They are using advanced imaging techniques in a rodent model of TBI.

The state-funded Institute is a comprehensive approach to understanding and treating mild, moderate, and severe brain injuries through preclinical and clinical research.

Mark Goldberg, M.D.

“TIBIR is tapping into the expertise on our campus and applying that to the challenge of brain injury,” said Mark Goldberg, M.D., TIBIR Co-Chair and Chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics. “Researchers who are experts in brain injury pathways or someone who is great at imaging, for example, may be willing to put their knowledge and experience to work on the problem of brain injury and repair.”

This year’s projects include research into brain injuries caused by war, sports, and epilepsy.  TIBIR will fund projects ranging from basic science to clinical trials and applications for funding will be solicited twice per year.

Learn more about all five research projects that were awarded pilot grants.