Medical grants headed to Massachusetts

By Jillian Jorgensen, Globe Correspondent

WASHINGTON -- More than $4 million in federal grants for medical research have been awarded to Massachusetts institutions, Senator Edward M. Kennedy's office announced today.

The 16 grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $4,634,625 will fund research at 12 hospitals, universities, and other institutions into medical technologies and diseases, including neurological disorders, cancer, and HIV/AIDS.

Boston University was awarded $1,162,282, coming from five different grants spread between their main campus and medical campus, which operates Boston Medical Center.

Massachusetts General Hospital will receive two grants totaling $755,730 for the hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital was awarded $370,289 to study development, regeneration, and cancer growth in the liver.

Fenway Community Health Center in Boston received $189,483 from the National Institute for Drug Abuse to study the effectiveness of pharmacy-based HIV intervention for intravenous drug users.

“Senator Kennedy commends these institutions on their outstanding achievements in the field of health research,” Keith Maley, a Kennedy spokesman, said in a statement. “Their cutting-edge research is producing vital advances in our understanding and improvement of health care.”

Other institutions receiving grants include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Innovative Chemical/Environmental Tech in Norwood, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts at Worcester.