



The Kenneth Rainin Foundation recently announced that it has granted $2.9 million for research projects in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that comprise, for the first time, studies examining the impact of nutrition and diet on patients with the disease. Award recipients were nominated from an international and competitive pool of candidates for research projects that have the potential to produce new discoveries and further understanding of IBD. "There is an inherent element of risk when scientists introduce innovative projects and creative ideas for research. Our grants underscore our commitment to investing early in novel approaches, and our belief that collaboration among investigators and across disciplines can have the greatest impact in research," said Dr. Jennifer Rainin, CEO of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, in a press release. "We remain more focused than ever on the big picture: Finding a cure for IBD." The Foundation's three health award research programs — Breakthrough Awards, Innovator Awards, and Synergy Awards — offer financial grants for a wide range of clinical and scientific projects usually not qualified for financial support from more conventional funding sources because of their pioneering nature. "We're broadening and expanding our portfolio of research projects, and for the first time awarded funding for projects that focus on diet and nutrition," noted Dr. Averil Ma, chair of the Rainin Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of California, San Francisco. "Patients with IBD can be quite sensitive to changes in their diets, and we want to encourage more research in this area to better understand when and how diet changes the course of IBD." Three nutrition and diet-related pro