Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju Wins Prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for Research on Brain Energy Mechanisms
Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) has been awarded the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for her groundbreaking research on how the brain generates and regulates energy.
Jupiter, FL, October 10, 2024 --(PR.com)-- Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju, a Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), has been awarded the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for her research on how the brain generates and regulates energy. The award will provide Dr. Rangaraju with $2.895 million over five years.
This highly competitive award was established in 2007 to recognize outstanding researchers tackling bold and high-impact scientific challenges. Only 10% of researchers who apply for the award are selected. Dr. Rangaraju is the third scientist from MPFI to earn this coveted honor, highlighting the institute’s leadership in cutting-edge neuroscience.
“Dr. Rangaraju’s innovative research is a testament to the groundbreaking work happening at Max Planck Florida and is critical for understanding the many neuronal diseases that are based on energy deficiencies such as neurodegenerative diseases and mitochondrial disorders,” said Dr. David Fitzpatrick, CEO and Scientific Director of MPFI.
Understanding How the Brain is Powered
Dr. Rangaraju’s research focuses on neuroenergetics, the complex regulation of energy supply and demand in the brain. Her work has broad implications for understanding how neurons sustain energy to support essential functions like learning, memory, and brain development. One key discovery by Dr. Rangaraju’s team is the role of the ALS-linked protein VAP in stabilizing mitochondria within neuronal dendrites, helping neurons locally fuel the synaptic plasticity that underlies learning and memory.
“My lab is dedicated to unraveling the core mechanisms that fuel cognitive function and how they are broken in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Being named an NIH Director’s New Innovator is an incredible honor, and I am thrilled that our work on brain energy dynamics is receiving this recognition and support,” said Dr. Rangaraju.
A Track Record of Accomplishment
Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju started her Research Group Leader position at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in January 2020. Prior to this appointment, Rangaraju was an EMBO and Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in the group of Dr. Erin Schuman at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany. During her postdoc, she uncovered the presence of local mitochondrial compartments of energy that fuel synaptic protein synthesis during plasticity.
Rangaraju completed her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Timothy Ryan at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. During her graduate work, she developed a novel optical reporter of synaptic ATP to measure dynamic changes in ATP concentrations and elucidated the link between neuronal activity and ATP synthesis.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Vincent du Vigneaud Award of Excellence, Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Award, the MPIBR Scientific Discovery of the Year Award, the SfN Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award, the CZI Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, and the SfN Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award.
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award supports exceptionally creative early-career investigators who propose highly innovative research projects. Established as part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the award is designed to provide long-term funding for individuals who demonstrate groundbreaking potential in addressing major scientific challenges.
About Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) is a not-for-profit research organization and part of the world-renowned Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization with over 84 institutes worldwide. Since its establishment in 1948, 31 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists. As its only North American institution, MPFI provides exceptional neuroscientists with the resources and technology to answer fundamental brain development and function questions. MPFI researchers employ a curiosity-driven approach to science to develop new technologies that make groundbreaking scientific discoveries possible. For more information, visit https://www.mpfi.org/.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number DP2MH140148-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
This highly competitive award was established in 2007 to recognize outstanding researchers tackling bold and high-impact scientific challenges. Only 10% of researchers who apply for the award are selected. Dr. Rangaraju is the third scientist from MPFI to earn this coveted honor, highlighting the institute’s leadership in cutting-edge neuroscience.
“Dr. Rangaraju’s innovative research is a testament to the groundbreaking work happening at Max Planck Florida and is critical for understanding the many neuronal diseases that are based on energy deficiencies such as neurodegenerative diseases and mitochondrial disorders,” said Dr. David Fitzpatrick, CEO and Scientific Director of MPFI.
Understanding How the Brain is Powered
Dr. Rangaraju’s research focuses on neuroenergetics, the complex regulation of energy supply and demand in the brain. Her work has broad implications for understanding how neurons sustain energy to support essential functions like learning, memory, and brain development. One key discovery by Dr. Rangaraju’s team is the role of the ALS-linked protein VAP in stabilizing mitochondria within neuronal dendrites, helping neurons locally fuel the synaptic plasticity that underlies learning and memory.
“My lab is dedicated to unraveling the core mechanisms that fuel cognitive function and how they are broken in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Being named an NIH Director’s New Innovator is an incredible honor, and I am thrilled that our work on brain energy dynamics is receiving this recognition and support,” said Dr. Rangaraju.
A Track Record of Accomplishment
Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju started her Research Group Leader position at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in January 2020. Prior to this appointment, Rangaraju was an EMBO and Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in the group of Dr. Erin Schuman at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Germany. During her postdoc, she uncovered the presence of local mitochondrial compartments of energy that fuel synaptic protein synthesis during plasticity.
Rangaraju completed her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Timothy Ryan at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. During her graduate work, she developed a novel optical reporter of synaptic ATP to measure dynamic changes in ATP concentrations and elucidated the link between neuronal activity and ATP synthesis.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Vincent du Vigneaud Award of Excellence, Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Award, the MPIBR Scientific Discovery of the Year Award, the SfN Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award, the CZI Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, and the SfN Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award.
The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award supports exceptionally creative early-career investigators who propose highly innovative research projects. Established as part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the award is designed to provide long-term funding for individuals who demonstrate groundbreaking potential in addressing major scientific challenges.
About Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) is a not-for-profit research organization and part of the world-renowned Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization with over 84 institutes worldwide. Since its establishment in 1948, 31 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists. As its only North American institution, MPFI provides exceptional neuroscientists with the resources and technology to answer fundamental brain development and function questions. MPFI researchers employ a curiosity-driven approach to science to develop new technologies that make groundbreaking scientific discoveries possible. For more information, visit https://www.mpfi.org/.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number DP2MH140148-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Contact
Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
Katie Edwards
561-679-7395
https://mpfi.org/
Katie Edwards
561-679-7395
https://mpfi.org/
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