LOMA LINDA, CA — Rep. Pete Aguilar today announced a $3,084,305 research grant for the Mechanisms of Newborn Pulmonary Hypertension Caused by Chronic Intrauterine Hypoxia program at Loma Linda University. This National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funding will be allocated over four years to develop and improve diagnosing and treatments for neonatal pulmonary hypertension.

“Our region is home to world-class research centers like Loma Linda University,” said Rep. Aguilar. “Federal investments like this allow these centers to stay on the cutting edge of the medical field and support good-paying jobs in the Inland Empire. I’m proud to announce this funding, and I look forward to seeing the progress that will be made as a result of this funding.”

Funding for this program will help researchers at Loma Linda University develop cutting edge treatments for congenital lung diseases in newborns.

“It is our hope that understanding how a lack of oxygen reprograms cell signaling on a molecular level will provide clinicians with new tools for the treatment and prevention of neonatal pulmonary hypertension,” said Arlin Blood, Associate Professor of Department of Basic Sciences and member of the Lawrence D. Longo Center for Perinatal Biology. “This award will provide us with the resources needed to accomplish this goal,” 

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the Democratic Congress and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, the committee responsible for funding federal programs and agencies including the NIH.

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