Nonprofit Announces First Ever Research Award Winner to Advance Treatment of Rare Disease

BELOIT, Wis., June 7, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Team PHenomenal Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of those with pulmonary hypertension, is proud to announce the winner of the first award of $50,000 from the PHenomenal Impact Fund for Global PH Research.

After diligent consideration from our research award committee, Vineet Agrawal, M.D., Ph. D. and mentor Anna Hemnes, M.D., from Nashville,TN. have been selected. Their proposal is titled "A Pathogenic Role for Natriuretic Peptide Receptor-C in Modulating Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction." Dr. Hap Farber, Chair of the Research Committee, shared, "We were extremely impressed with the quality of submissions for this funding opportunity, and we believe Dr. Agrawal's scientific project will definitely contribute to the field."

The PHenomenal Impact Fund opened in January of this year to reward studies of basic science, translational science or clinical research/need in the field of pulmonary hypertension. As such, this program aims to provide an opportunity for individuals to improve the quality of medical care and improve the lives of patients with pulmonary hypertension.

We are thrilled to bring this long time goal of the organization to fruition. Our board President and co-founder, Dr. Patricia George shared, "It would be an understatement to say we are proud to contribute to the advancement of treatment and a cure for pulmonary hypertension. This has been one of our goals since starting this nonprofit. This grant is what our hard work and the contributions of our supporters have lead us to, and we are excited to see how this next step impacts our community." The research fund was initially seeded with money donated from patient and activist, Julia Feitner, who lives with pulmonary hypertension and organized an annual PHenomenal Hope 5K in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It subsequently grew through the fundraising efforts of volunteer Team PH athletes and other event organizers around the country.

PH is a rare disease that causes high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, which puts unnecessary stress on both the heart and then lungs. Currently, there is no cure, and, eventually, it can be fatal. One of the most aggressive symptoms of the disease is shortness of breath, which prevents patients from being able to do ordinary things, such as climbing the stairs, without becoming exhausted.

Team PHenomenal Hope is a nonprofit organization based in Beloit, Wisconsin. As a charity, Team PH seeks to raise awareness of PH, to fund medical research, and to implement programming that focuses on helping patients, including removing patients from isolation, building community, and providing hope.

For more information about Team PH's race toward a cure, or to donate to the cause, visit http://www.teamph.org.

SOURCE Team PHenomenal Hope