Hampton Professor Receives $1.2M Lung Disease Research Grant

Hampton University Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor Neelam Azad recently received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research effects and treatment for pulmonary fibrosis, a typically fatal form of lung cancer.

Dr. Azad, who also serves as department chair, will test the potential of provisionally patented drugs developed by her group in mitigating disease progression. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and usually fatal disease of the lung. Approximately, 130,000 people in the United States and five million people worldwide suffer from this disease, and the mortality rate among African Americans is twice as that of Caucasians.

“Due to major challenges in both diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in pulmonary fibrosis, it is important to continue investigating novel drug targets that may help achieve viable therapeutic outcomes against this incurable disease,” she said in a release.

The four-year NIH grant is Dr. Azad’s second federal funding award in seven years.  

“Congratulations to Dr. Azad on her very deserving grant award,” said Hampton University President Dr. William R. Harvey. “We are very proud of her and are excited to see our professors receiving awards, and serving as great mentors for our hardworking Hampton University students.”