Dr. Milena Bogunovic, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine, has received a Kenneth Rainin Foundation Innovator Award. This $100,000 award supports proof of concept research that is potentially transformative to diagnosing, treating and curing inflammatory bowel disease.
Bogunovic’s research is looking at if inflammation in the intestine causes death and regeneration of nerve cells and alters gastrointestinal function. This change in function could worsen symptoms like pain and altered bowel movements, reducing the quality of life even when inflammatory bowel disease is in remission.
The mission of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation is to enhance quality of life by championing and sustaining the arts, promoting early childhood literacy and supporting research to cure chronic disease.