Congratulations to Wolfgang Bergmeier who received an AHA award to study the role of blood platelets in inflammation and injury.
Wolfgang Bergmeier associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, won an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association to continue researching hemostasis and the role that blood platelets play in the health of blood vessels during inflammation and at sites of injury.
Hemostasis is a process by which blood stays within damaged blood vessels. In 2013, Bergmeier’s lab characterized the critical role that platelets play in that process. His team found that platelets respond to inflammation differently than they do during injury. That is, there are distinct cellular signaling pathways involved in each condition. The finding has implications for the development of antithrombotic agents, such as bloodthinners.
Dr. Bergmeier, who is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the McAllister Heart Institute at UNC, was also honored with a Contributions to Hemostasis Investigator Recognition Award from the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
The American Heart Association established investigator award supports mid-career investigators who show unusual promise, have an established record of accomplishments, and have demonstrated a commitment to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular science through publications and scientific accomplishments.
The award carries an amount of $80,000 for each of the next five years. Bergmeier will use the money to supplement the salary of a research fellow in his lab, as well as for supplies necessary to conduct research
Media contact: Mark Derewicz, 919.923.0959, mark.derewicz@unch.unc.edu