UCF assistant professor of medicine receives $2.75 million research grant

Orange County, Florida: (University of Central Florida, UCF): Hung Nguyen, UCF assistant professor of medicine, received a $2.75 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study graft-versus-host disease.

GVHD occurs after a bone marrow transplant when the donor cells attack the recipient’s cells. Bone marrow transplants are a treatment option for people with blood cancers or diseases, Nguyen said.

Nguyen and his team are looking at how metabolites such as medium-chain fatty acids found in milk and coconut oil affect the immune response and how this information can be used to create new treatments for GVHD.

“The understanding of chronic graft-versus-host disease is limited due to the model, due to the long-term follow up with the disease,” said Nguyen, who has a doctorate in biochemistry. “So, it’s been very challenging to produce new therapy.”

Devin DaPonte, lab manager and bone marrow transplant survivor, gave a presentation on GVHD at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences on Sept. 29. After receiving a bone marrow transplant, DaPonte battled GVHD, he said.

Peeling skin along with painful rashes, mouth sores, stomach pains and difficulty breathing are some of the symptoms of GVHD, DaPonte said.

“Being here in this lab is a way to give back to the bone marrow transplant community,” DaPonte said. “It’s kind of my way of working towards the goal of making sure that no one else has to go through the experiences that I had.”

DaPonte said his medication plan included high doses of Corticosteroids, which wreaked havoc on his body. Corticosteroids are a common treatment for GVHD and can have long-term side effects, he said.

Nguyen said he stayed up late in his office many nights working on the highly competitive NIH grant application.

“We have many students in the lab,” Nguyen said. “So, now they have the chance to grow using this kind of funding for the long run in the lab.”