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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE microbiology researcher Ling Cao receives $377,000 NIH grant

University of New England Assistant Professor of Microbiology Ling Cao has received a $377,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.  
 
Cao will study the role of infiltrating CD4+ T lymphocytes in neuropathic pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system. This is one of the most devastating kinds of chronic pain, affecting 5 million people every year in the United States. The study will further investigate the role of adaptive immunity in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain and may yield ideas for new non-addictive treatments.
 
Cao received an M.D. in clinical medicine from Beijing Medical University in 1997 and a Ph.D. in toxicology from the State University of New York in Albany in 2002.  She has been at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2007.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.