Press Releases
Posted on Monday, June 01, 2009 - General News
Federal Stimulus Money Boosts WSU Vancouver Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6/2/2009
CONTACT:
- Mike Morgan, Department of Psychology, 360-546-9726, morgan@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9602, news@vancouver.wsu.edu
Vancouver, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver Professor of Psychology, Michael Morgan, qualified to receive $148,438 for his two-year, Neural Mechanisms for Enhanced Cannabinoid/Opioid Antinociception project. The grant from the National Institutes of Health is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Morgan's research aims to advance the treatment of pain management.
Morgan's research examines whether administration of cannabinoids, a.k.a marijuana, in conjunction with anti-pain medications such as morphine provides better pain relief then either drug alone. This research could be especially relevant for patients suffering with severe or chronic pain.
Morgan's research was awarded $74,750 from the ARRA on May 15 and qualifies to receive matching funds for the second year of his research. This is the first time ARRA funds have been given to any WSU campus. Morgan's project is uniquely qualified to receive these funds because of its potential to stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs within the community. ARRA also stipulates that this particular project will make scientific progress in two years.
"This research is innovative in the field. Currently there are no other projects that are studying this chemical relationship using these parameters," said Morgan. Phase one is already underway, and Morgan projects starting phase two as early as January 2010.
WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. We offer 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Visit us on the Web at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.
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Image: Morgan in Classroom building lab at WSU Vancouver
Click on thumbnail for high-resolution image.
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