SALT LAKE CITY, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The ARUP Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision Medicine™ (R&I Institute) today announced the creation of the Sherrie Perkins Research and Innovation Collaboration Grant. The new grant will fund cutting-edge research in laboratory medicine that has the potential to significantly impact patient care.

The grant is designed to foster partnerships within the medical community and may award up to a maximum of $150,000. The grant will be available to industry and academic partners in collaboration with ARUP medical directors and scientists.

"With this grant program, ARUP will fund innovation efforts that focus on improving laboratory medicine while also establishing partnerships with academic or industry collaborators," said Tracy George, MD. George, ARUP's chief scientific officer and president of the Innovation Business Unit, has been a key proponent of innovation at ARUP.

The grant is named in honor of retired ARUP CEO Sherrie Perkins, MD, PhD, who held many key leadership roles throughout her career at ARUP. In addition to serving as CEO until mid-2021, she was chief medical officer, senior vice president for research, and section chief of Hematopathology. Perkins laid the groundwork for an increased focus on innovation at ARUP while serving as a driving force behind Clinical Trials, PharmaDx, and the ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology®, which she codirected.

"Perkins initiated early innovation programs and recognized that ARUP needed to be a leader in research in laboratory medicine. We recognize her leadership in innovation by naming this research grant in her honor," George said.

"This is a great honor," Perkins said. "What ARUP does well is in innovation, discovery, and improvement. This grant reflects ARUP's dedication to innovation and a reenergization of ARUP's core academic mission to drive innovation in laboratory medicine."

The grant is the latest development from ARUP's R&I Institute, which was founded in September 2023 with a core mission to improve the lives of patients by advancing groundbreaking diagnostic and prognostic technologies and innovative tests.

"We want to be sure that we stay true to the mission of R&I—to drive true innovation and cutting-edge research that looks years into the future," said Robert Ohgami, MD, PhD, FCAP, vice president of the R&I Institute. "This grant will provide the resources to foster research that may not otherwise be supported."

Leo Lin, MD, PhD, an ARUP medical director of Immunology, PharmaDx, and the R&I Institute, played a key role in the development of this grant.

"We hope to kickstart collaborations between ARUP Laboratories and other industry and academic partners, especially smaller companies that may not have as many resources," Lin said.

This grant will join the slate of funding opportunities ARUP already provides to medical directors and scientists to advance laboratory medicine.

"ARUP offers a variety of funding opportunities to medical directors and scientists, from the William Roberts fund focused on trainees and medical directors early in their careers to larger funding opportunities such as the Sherrie Perkins Research grant. These research grants reflect the pillars that define ARUP," George said.

To learn more about the R&I Institute and to inquire about the grant, please visit aruplab.com/arup-institute-for-research-and-innovation.

About ARUP Laboratories

Founded in 1984, ARUP Laboratories is a leading national reference laboratory and a nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology. ARUP offers more than 3,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine screening tests to esoteric molecular and genetic assays. ARUP serves clients across the United States, including many of the nation's top university teaching hospitals and children's hospitals, as well as multihospital groups, major commercial laboratories, group purchasing organizations, military and other government facilities, and major clinics. In addition, ARUP is a worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, led by the efforts of the ARUP Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision Medicine™. ARUP is ISO 15189 CAP accredited.

ARUP Media Contact:

Bonnie Stray, bonnie.stray@aruplab.com, 801-583-2787 ext. 2823

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SOURCE ARUP Laboratories