GMDI is pleased to announce that the recipient
of the first GMDI Junior Investigator Research Grant Award is
Nicole McWhorter, MS, RD, LD.
Nicole has been a metabolic dietitian with the University of Kentucky for almost 8 years. She has been heavily involved in the PRISM clinical trials as well as several other small research projects in the Division the past several years. Nicole completed a Dietetic Internship at the University of Kentucky and has degrees from Cornell University and New York University. She currently enjoys working from home using tele-medicine and doing research while being home with her two small children.
Project Title: Microbiome Outcomes in PKU Patients on Palynziq with Normal Diets Compared to PKU Patients Using Traditional Therapies.
Description: Our clinic was a large clinical trial site for PegPals (commercial drug Palinziq) and we have many patients who have been eating a “normal” diet for several years now. This presents a unique opportunity to study the microbiome of these patients compared to traditional PKU patients. Past research has not been able to isolate if the abnormal microbiome found in PKU patients is due to their low protein diets or to the disease itself. Now we a subset of PKU patients not on a low protein diet but who have well controlled phenylalanine levels who we can compare to those on low protein diets with controlled phenylalanine levels to give more light into the origin and possible resolution of the abnormal microbiome.
You can find more information about the GMDI Research Grant program here.
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