The Pilot and Feasibility Program (P/F) oversees pilot and feasibility award review and funding. These grants seek to stimulate innovative ideas and interactive projects, with a focus on priming the careers of junior investigators; and bringing transformative science into the field of digestive disease research. The program will solicit applications from new investigators seeking initial support or established researchers aiming to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects that are a clear departure from their ongoing interests, as well as investigators from other fields trying to apply their expertise into research in gastroenterology or hepatology. The P/F program seeks to promote DEI, and encourages applications from reseachers identified as underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups; individuals with disabilities; and individuals from disadvantaged backgrouns. In addition to research funds, P/F awardees will also receive discounted CU-DLDRC core services for three years.
- Congratulations to P/F awardee Nandan Nerurkar for his recently awarded grant R35GM142995 “Investigation of a neuromesendodermal progenitor population in the posterior avian endoderm“.
- Congratulations to P/F awardee Nicholas Arpaia for his recently awarded grant R01CA259634 “Treating colon cancer by regulating intestinal immunity through microbial metabolism“.
- Congratulations to P/F awardee Ji-Yeon Shin for her recently awarded AASLD Pinnacle Award “LAP1-torsinA complex in NASH and HCC development“.
Leadership
2023 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
for her project: "Identifying stem-cell-specific metabolic signatures in left and right colon"
for his project: "Engineered Hydrogel Elucidates the Contribution of ECM Properties to Barrett's Esophagus Pathogenesis"
for her project: "An exosome-based delivery platform for liver delivery and treatment of liver fibrosis"
for her project: "Human organoid models of intestinal pathobiont colonization and microbiome – host interactions"
2022 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
for her project: "Identifying stem-cell-specific metabolic signatures in left and right colon"
for her project: "Hepatic Rap1a GTPase and fatty liver disease"
for her project: "Comprehensive interrogation of genes and pathways implicated in toxin-induced biliary atresia using complementary model systems"
2021 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
for her project: "Spatiotemporal Regulation of Insulin Signaling in the Liver”
for his project: “The Role of EPHA2 in SOX2 Mediated Signaling During Esophageal Development”
2020 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
for his project: “A quantitative platform to study the gut-microbiomeimmune system interface in human development and disease”
2019 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
for his project: “Interrogating the relationship between microbial metabolism and mucosal immunity”
for his project: “Preventing multidrug-resistant organism enteric colonization in the intensive care unit”
for his project: “Molecular and cellular basis of intestinal morphogenesis”
