A chemistry professor could help control a debilitating birth defect thanks to funding from a non-profit organization.

James Hougland, an assistant professor of chemistry at the College of Arts and Sciences of Syracuse University, received $150,000 to fund his research for two years to analyze the causes of a birth defect that causes insatiable hunger.

The non-profit organization, March of Dimes, awarded Hougland with the Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, which is designed to support professors early in their independent careers, he said.

Hougland said the March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and resources for research into the treatment of birth defects and early childhood diseases. He added that the organization awarded him the grant for his research in the causes of the birth defect Prader-Willi Syndrome, or PWS.

PWS is a rare genetic disorder that occurs in one out of every 15,000 births, in which diagnosed children are incapable of feeling full after eating, making PWS one of the most common genetic causes for childhood obesity, according to the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research’s website.

Ghrelin, an enzyme known to increase hunger, is one of the chemical causes of PWS that Hougland has been researching, he said. From his current studies, Hougland has noticed that people diagnosed with PWS have an increased amount of the ghrelin enzyme.

In the next two years, Hougland plans on researching how to manipulate the enzyme.

“If we can inhibit the hunger signaling through ghrelin, we may be able to block the insatiable appetite associated with PWS,” he said.

Hougland said one of the current options that are considered to address PWS is through gastric bypass surgery.

“Particularly with children, you don’t want them to have to rely on a surgical option, so we want to develop a pharmaceutical option to go alongside it,” he said.

Manipulating the ghrelin enzyme will not fix the genetic disease, but it will cure the symptoms, Hougland added.

James Kallmerten, a professor of chemistry, said Hougland has some groundbreaking ideas about ghrelin, because if he discovers how to regulate metabolism, Hougland could assist in preventing symptoms of other diseases involving obesity and diabetes as well.

Robert Doyle, an associate professor of chemistry, said Hougland’s research is cutting-edge and shows promise for a future in a whole field of science.

“Professor Hougland is the only person who has developed essays to allow us to study and explore ghrelin in a way that allows potential for drug development, which offers hope to a whole community of patients, and that’s why the March of Dimes has chosen to fund him,” Doyle said.

When Hougland began his research in fall of 2010, he said he received funding from SU for two to three years to begin collecting preliminary data that would be used to earn future grants, such as the March of Dimes award.

Kallmerten, who is also the interim chair of the chemistry department, said the grants, such as the March of Dimes award, will help build Hougland’s credibility in his research and sends a message to the community that his work is worth an investment.

Said Kallmerten: “We’re very proud of Jimmy (Hougland), and our young faculty. There is an institutional advantage when our scholars achieve national attention. Everyone at the university benefits.”

Published on February 5, 2014 at 12:53 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu