The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the newest of the NIH funding institutes, will award its first research grants to Yale University School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco and Tribofilm Research, Inc. of Raleigh, NC. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke will join the NIBIB in supporting the Yale University research.

The Yale University project, which will receive $1.4 million in total costs this year, will be headed by Dr. James S. Duncan, who is developing magnetic resonance functional and spectroscopic imaging techniques to study and treat neocortical epilepsy. This grant is part of the NIH Bioengineering Research Partnership program which encourages multi-disciplinary teams of biomedical and quantitative scientists to work on biomedical research problems. This is the first competing research project grant application to be awarded by the NIBIB.

The University of California at San Francisco Cardiovascular Research Institute will receive $330,00 in total costs this year as the first competing renewal research grant awarded by the NIBIB. The project, headed by Dr. Alan S. Verkman, will be developing new optical methods for imaging cellular architecture and dynamics.

The first small business innovation research award was issued to Tribofilm Research, Inc. of Raleigh, NC in the amount of $420,000 in total costs for this year. This project will be headed by Dr. Paul M. Vernon to develop new silicone-free, low-friction coatings for syringes. This project is timely due to the increasing interest in developing alternatives to silicone-based lubricants which are typically used in medical devices.