NIH grants $502,000 to New York Medical College

New York Medical College in Valhalla has been awarded $502,000 in federal grants to study chronic fatigue syndrome and the strep bacterium.

Adolescents and young adults with chronic fatigue syndrome sometimes are unable to stand for long periods, and they are prone to a fast heart rate, drop in blood pressure and fainting. The National Institutes of Health awarded NYMC a $246,000 grant to test the effectiveness of an oral rehydration solution to reverse these symptoms.

Researchers hope to find a simple and safe way to minimize the symptoms and improve patients”™ quality of life, Marvin Medow, NYMC professor of pediatrics, said in a press release.

The common streptococcus bacterium causes more than 700 million infections a year worldwide, ranging from mild cases of strep throat to life-threatening diseases such as rheumatic fever. A $256,939 NIH grant will allow researchers to explore how the strep bacterium causes serious illness.

“We hope to ultimately improve diagnostics and develop better prevention strategies,” Debra Bessen, NYMC professor of microbiology and immunology, said in a press release.

The grants were announced by U.S. Rep. Nita M. Lowey, New York”™s 17^th District.