Foundation Success

The AGA Foundation raises money to fund young investigators research digestive diseases. The AGA Foundation provides nearly $2 million annually in research grants and has funded over 570 researchers. View past AGA Foundation award recipients

Recent Awards Bring AGA Foundation Research Funding to $38 Million

Since 1984, the AGA and its foundation have awarded more than $24 million to fund 169 research scholar award recipientss, part of $38 million in total grant funding during the same period. The foundation’s work benefits all professionals who share the goal of improving treatments and finding cures for digestive diseases.

2008 Translational Research Awardees Hope to Replace Endoscope with Swallowed String in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Diagnosis

Steven Ackerman of University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine and Dr. Glenn Furuta, his colleague at the University of Colorado Denver, 2008 AGA Foundation Translational Research Award Recipients, are investigating eosinophilic esophagitis, an inflammatory disease in which defense cells called eosinophils mistakenly attack the esophagus, which causes it to narrow until food can't pass.

For more information on Dr. Ackerman and Dr. Furuta's research.

Funderburg Recipient Recieves Highest Government Honor

2005 Funderburg Recipient Jean-Marie Houghton, MD, PhD recently received the PECASE award (The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers), which is the highest honor by the US government to scientists beginning their independent research careers. She received the award for “outstanding research showing that Helicobacter infection induces an inflammation within the stomach that attracts bone marrow derived stem cells, which differentiate inappropriately into meta- and dys-plastic epithelial cells and eventually act as cancer initiating cells.”

For more information about the PECASE award and Dr. Houghton's project, visit the PECASE Web site.