26 medical research projects at Rhode Island universities and hospitals just got a boost

Business admin May 18, 2026 0 Comments

26 medical research projects at Rhode Island universities and hospitals just got a boost

At universities and hospitals across Rhode Island, scientists and physicians are hoping the next big medical breakthrough could come from right here at home.

The Rhode Island Foundation just announced nearly $650,000 in seed funding for 26 research projects, backing everything from AI-assisted breast cancer detection and new concussion treatments to postpartum mental health and the ever-growing world of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

Here’s a breakdown of the projects getting $25,000 grants from the foundation.

🧪 Postpartum mental health research focused on depression, anxiety and suicide risk among new mothers and partners (URI)

🧪 Building AI systems that can better explain and correct errors in breast cancer diagnosis models (URI)

🧪 Testing brain stimulation treatment for adolescents with persistent concussion symptoms (URI)

🧪 Piloting a Type 2 diabetes prevention program for Latina adolescents (Johnson & Wales)

🧪 Studying patient experiences and adherence challenges with GLP-1 weight-loss medications (Miriam Hospital)

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🧪 Research into DNA damage caused by the human LINE-1 ORF2p endonuclease (Brown University)

🧪 Studying the immune-system effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists (Miriam Hospital)

🧪 Improving infectious disease and substance-use services in Rhode Island (Miriam Hospital)

🧪 Research into PTEN signaling in neural circuits tied to feeding and threat avoidance (Providence College)

🧪 Adapting an HIV treatment support model for people leaving incarceration in Uganda (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Improving emergency medicine resident training on genital exams (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Studying tumor biology and Chi3L1 inhibition in chordoma (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Developing multimodal AI for heart failure detection and prognosis (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Creating a rapid cytokine assay to predict CAR-T therapy toxicities (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Testing nerve stimulation treatment for restless legs syndrome during pregnancy (Rhode Island Hospital)

🧪 Research into microbiome editing to reduce bacterial virulence (URI)

🧪 Piloting a positive-affect intervention to improve family mental health outcomes (URI)

🧪 Discovering antibiotics from marine mollusk symbionts (URI)

🧪 Testing pharmacist-supported approaches to improve medication outcomes and healthcare access (URI)

🧪 Studying a non-toxic bacterial therapy for pancreatic cancer (URI)

🧪 Developing AI-enhanced brain-computer interfaces using EEG and behavioral data (URI)

🧪 Creating a browser-based eye-tracking and pupilometry research platform (URI)

🧪 Enhancing self-amplifying RNA vaccines with immune adjuvants (URI)

🧪 Studying how SNAP work requirements affect participation and food purchases (URI)

🧪 Improving personalized cancer mRNA vaccines (URI)

🧪 Research into proton tunneling in photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (URI)

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