(New York, New York-- June 18, 2008)- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Mental Health for Mount Sinai's research for The Manhattan HIV Brain Bank (MHBB) recently awarded an $8.6 million grant to Susan Morgello, MD, Professor of Pathology and Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

According to a press release, Dr. Morgello said that the new grant award will help Mount Sinai to continue to make scientific discoveries leading to cures for nervous system disorders caused by and associated with HIV/AIDS infection.

"We hope to better understand how HIV impacts the nervous system, and assist other research programs in understanding the pathogenesis of HIV-related neurological disorders. Through this information, we can arrive at better therapies for common HIV-associated problems like dementia and neuropathy," she said.

The press release stated that the MHBB project, which was founded at Mount Sinai in 1998, has three main objectives: where researchers at Mount Sinai will continue to conduct a longitudinal and observational study of how HIV impacts the nervous system in individuals with AIDS; researchers will continue to maintain the infrastructure for an organ donation program where individuals with HIV infection can contribute to NeuroAIDS and AIDS research; and where Mount Sinai will act as a research resource in providing tissues, fluids, and clinical information to other research programs worldwide, as a member of the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC). The grant period runs from June this year to April 2013.

Dr. Morgello said that people with HIV/AIDS could be part of the solution that is, by agreeing to be organ donors for research, in helping to find a cure.
"This project is a true collaboration between people living with HIV and scientists, which is the primary purpose of providing a future benefit to all those infected with HIV. Our goal is to advance understanding of HIV and its effects on the brain and nervous system," said Dr. Morgello.

Mount Sinai Medical Center as an umbrella encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education and ranks among the top 20 medical schools receiving NIH grants.

For more information about MHBB  and NNTC.