Led by Kathleen Caron, PhD, UNC School of Medicine researchers earned a Sprint for Women’s Health Award to develop a new therapeutic approach to treating debilitating migraines that affect women.
University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers have been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an awardee of the Sprint for Women’s Health to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations, and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. The UNC School of Medicine will receive $3 million in funding over two years through the Sprint for Women’s Health spark track for early-stage research efforts with the goal of developing “Female Lymphatic GPCR Therapeutics for Migraine Treatment” (FLyGT).
Led by Kathleen Caron, PhD, professor and chair of the UNC Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, the team brings together an interdisciplinary approach to illuminate the genetic and pharmacological differences in meningeal lymphatics between the sexes. With co-investigators Mark Zylka, PhD, Bryan Roth, MD, PhD, and Ben Philpot, PhD, the FLyGT team will use forward genetic screens and innovative drug target discovery to define new avenues for the treatment of migraine. Clinical studies facilitated by cutting-edge brain imaging with UNC School of Medicine researchers Mark Shen, PhD, and Yen-Yu Ian Shih, PhD, will evaluate whether some types of anti-migraine medications might be beneficial in maintaining lymphatic function during migraine.
“Migraine is a debilitating and chronic condition,” Caron said. “Defining new and better treatment strategies that target the meningeal lymphatics will lead to a better quality of life and overall brain health for women who suffer from migraine.”
ARPA-H sought solutions within six topics of interest in women’s health and received an unprecedented number of submissions. ARPA-H launched the Sprint for Women’s Health in February, with First Lady Jill Biden announcing the funding as the first major deliverable from the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
The ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health is conducted in collaboration with the Investor Catalyst Hub of ARPANET-H, the agency’s nationwide health innovation network that connects people, innovators, and institutions to accelerate better health outcomes for everyone. UNC researchers will work with an ARPA-H program manager and the Investor Catalyst Hub over two years to develop their proposed solution, receiving milestone-based payments aligned to research activities and performance objectives.
UNC School of Medicine media contact: Mark Derewicz