# Diversity supplement for the SC2 parent grant

> **NIH NIH SC2** · UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT AGUADILLA · 2022 · $7,110

## Abstract

This is a diversity supplement to an SC2 Score grant parent grant entitled: “Hippocampal
astrocytic Kir4.1 channel function in Type 2 diabetic mice: impact on neuronal hyperexcitability”.
The purpose of this request is to provide supplemental funding to support and enhance the
training of Ph.D. candidate, Mr. Luis A. Rojas-Colón. The recruitment of Mr. Luis A. Rojas-Colón
will allow our laboratory to incorporate neuroinflammation studies that will substantially add to the
parent grant and to the laboratory team. With his neuroinflammation Ph.D. training, he will assess
if pro-inflammatory mediators could be affecting the ability of astrocytes to buffer potassium ions
in the hippocampus and if those pro-inflammatory mediators affect neuronal epileptiform activity.
Having Mr. Luis A. Rojas-Colón in the laboratory for the next 2 years would be fitting because of
Luis’ research, talent, and interest in neuroinflammation. Since he would share his knowledge
with our laboratory members, he will be directly enhancing the diversity environment in our
workroom facilitating the qualification of this appointment for a diversity supplement.
Through focused discussions, Dr. Miguel P. Méndez-González (PI of the parent grant) and Mr.
Luis A. Rojas-Colón, together, have developed new specific aims that will take advantage of our
recent published findings and of the parent grant specific aims. In 2020, we published that diabetic
male mice display neuronal hyperexcitability and decreased astrocytic K+ conductance. Also, it
has been shown that TNF-a reduces astroglia potassium conductance (Köller et al., 1998), while
neuronal exposure to IL-1b results in neuronal seizure like activity (Schäfers & Sorkin, 2008). By
using Electrophysiology, they will determine the astrocytic and neuronal electrophysiological
properties in diabetic and non-diabetic female (control) mice. Overall, the developed experiments
in this supplement will provide insight of additional mechanism of how hyperglycemia contributes
to epileptiform activity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10573805
- **Project number:** 3SC2NS124907-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT AGUADILLA
- **Principal Investigator:** Miguel P Mendez
- **Activity code:** SC2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $7,110
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10573805

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10573805, Diversity supplement for the SC2 parent grant (3SC2NS124907-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-02 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10573805. Licensed CC0.

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