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ACP News
Albany College of Pharmacy Professor Receives $231,000 Grant
from the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Carlos Feleder to Study the Role of the Spleen in Managing Fever
ALBANY , N.Y. – April 28, 2008 – Carlos Feleder, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a three year research grant totaling $231,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Feleder, with the assistance of ACP students, will study the effects of the spleen in managing fever.
Fever plays a critical part in the body's natural healing process by helping fight germs and infections. Prematurely lowering body temperature to normal levels through medication and other measures can interfere with the body's ability to eliminate pathogenic agents.
However, fevers must be closely monitored because when body temperature exceeds a certain level (approximately 39° C / 102° F), the harmful effects of high fever, such as delirium, convulsions, seizures, dehydration or other disorders increase dramatically.
Dr. Feleder's research indicates that the spleen plays an important role in managing fever by releasing a chemical that effectively sets the fever's upper limits, thereby ensuring the beneficial effects of mid-range fevers, while preventing body temperature from escalating to dangerously high levels. The goal of the research grant is to identify the chemical or ‘factor' being produced by the spleen during fever and study its mechanism of action.
“Most research in this area has focused on the liver as the key to managing fever,” said Dr. Feleder. “Our initial findings show that the activity of cells in the liver during fever is, in fact, influenced by chemicals produced in the spleen. If we understand how the body sets upper limits on temperature and learn to influence this process, we can allow the body to enjoy the benefits of fever and minimize the potential threats, thereby accelerating the recovery process.”
“NIH funds approximately 10 percent of applicants seeking this type of grant, a fact which underscores the scope of the accomplishment and the potential implications of Dr. Feleder's research,” said Mehdi Boroujerdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Dean of Albany College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Feleder joined ACP in 2005. He received his M.D. the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in Argentina . He later received his Ph.D. from The Frauenklinik fur Experimentelle Endokrinologie, University George-August, Gottingen , Germany and Department of Physiology, School of Medicine , University of Buenos Aires , Argentina .
The entire research project is being funded with federal money.
About Albany College of Pharmacy
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy is a private, independent institution dedicated to the improvement of health. The College has educational programs and research activities spanning the full spectrum of pharmacy and health sciences – from drug discovery and development to patient counseling and health care to studying health outcomes. More than 1,400 ACP students are pursuing a wide range of career pathways in the health care field through degree programs in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical technology and health and human sciences.