Mississippi Research Alliance awards $75,000 to support CF research at The W
The Mississippi Research Alliance (MRA) has awarded Dr. Ghanshyam Heda, professor of biology and founder of the Heda Lab, a $75,000 grant to support further research on cystic fibrosis (CF) and expand undergraduate research opportunities.
“Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that is common among Caucasians of Northern European origin. We are testing the modulatory effects of some small-molecule compounds on cystic fibrosis–causing mutations,” Heda said. “Using these compounds, students have produced some promising data; however, more confirmatory work is required before we can share our findings with the larger scientific community through publications. This grant came at the right time.”
The funds will allow the Heda Lab to create two student research opportunities for the upcoming spring and summer semesters. In addition, the grant will support a full-time faculty presence during the summer semester, which is essential for training and supervising undergraduate researchers. Chemicals and other routine laboratory supplies will also be purchased with the grant.
Heda’s lab has long served as a cornerstone for experiential undergraduate research, playing a key role in the success of alumni now pursuing medical, doctoral and academic pathways. He first began working with undergraduates in his lab in 2009. In the 15 years since, he has supervised more than 23 undergraduate majors in biology, chemistry, psychology and nursing.
Before joining The W in 2008, Heda worked in academia, industry and government. A tenured faculty member since 2014, he earned a doctorate in genetics from Osmania University in India in 1983 and completed two postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago (1983–84) and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (1984–87). Throughout his career, Heda has traveled widely and established collaborations with scientists in Japan, Portugal, India and the United Kingdom. Besides several university awards, his honors include a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science fellowship (2000), the Stickel Award in podiatric medicine (2009), Fulbright U.S. Senior Scholarship (2018) and a John Tanner award in Human Anatomy & Physiology (2022).
The MRA was established in 2024 through funding from NSF EPSCoR to catalyze sustainable growth of a knowledge-based economy through strategic partnerships, coordination and investments in research and development. The alliance advances this mission by coordinating resources statewide to enhance access and sustainability. To further spur research and development, the MRA offers competitive funding opportunities to Mississippi’s academic researchers.