CTSI Translational Pilot Studies Program awards 11 new grants for 2019-20

The University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has awarded 11 new grants to support promising translational research projects in Western New York.

The pilot studies program provides seed money to investigators to help them develop and test new approaches to solving translational research problems including advancing new technologies and therapeutics from the conceptual stage to clinical studies. In addition to supporting innovative, high-impact, clinical-translational science, the program emphasizes projects that foster cross-disciplinary collaborations and mentoring relationships. Pilot studies results greatly enhance a proposal’s chance of attracting outside funding for further testing.

Recipients of the 2019-20 Translational Pilot Studies Program awards are:

• Just-in-Time Technology for Supporting Patients with Severe Obesity and Binge Eating

Principal Investigator: Laura Anderson, PhD, School of Nursing

Co-Investigators: Arindam Sanyal, PhD, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Jung Hun Seo, PhD, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Joseph Caruana, MD, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Peter Elkin, MD, Jacobs School; Leslie Heinberg, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine; Chantal Nederkoorn, PhD, Maastricht University; Albert Titus, PhD, Jacobs School and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

• Improving adherence to a diabetic diet with a grocery shopping intervention

Principal Investigator: Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, PhD, Jacobs School

Co-Investigators: Leonard Epstein, PhD, Jacobs School; Lucia Leone, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions

• The role of extracellular adenosine pathway in age-driven decline in polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) anti-pneumococcal responses

Principal Investigator: Elsa Bou Ghanem, PhD, Jacobs School

Co-Investigator: Sanjay Sethi, MD, Jacobs School

• Real-Time Dynamics of Drug-Induced Nephrotoxicity

Principal Investigator: Lee Chaves, PhD, Jacobs School

Co-Investigators: Ciprian Ionita, PhD, Jacobs School; Rabi Yacoub, MD, Jacobs School; Marilyn Morris, PhD, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brian Tsuji, PharmD, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Development of deep-learning tools for translation of neuroimaging biomarkers to clinical routine use

Principal Investigator: Michael Dwyer, PhD, Jacobs School

Co-Investigators: Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, Jacobs School; Peter Elkin, MD, Jacobs School

• Advancing the Translational Science of Real-World, Real-Time Data Capture

Principal Investigator: Larry Hawk, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences

Co-Investigators: Julie Gass, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences; Martin Mahoney, MD, PhD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

• Blood-based T-cell Biomarkers for Prediction of Treatment Response and Early Diagnosis of Immune-related Adverse Events to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Principal Investigator: Fumito Ito, MD, PhD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Co-Investigators: Marc Ernstoff, MD, Roswell Park; Brahm Segal, MD, Roswell Park; Kristopher Attwood, PhD, Roswell Park

• Water Immersion and Objective Biomarkers for Concussion Management

Principal Investigator: Blair Johnson, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Co-Investigators: John Leddy, MD, Jacobs School; Barry Willer, PhD, Jacobs School; Brian Bratta, PhD, UB Department of Athletics; Jeffrey Miecznikowski, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions

• Early Detection of Respiratory Compromise to Prevent Harm of the Hospitalized Opioid Treated Patient

Principal Investigator: Carla Jungquist, PhD, School of Nursing

Co-Investigators: Lora Cavuoto, PhD, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Varun Chandola, PhD, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Manoj Mammen, MD, Jacobs School

• The Pathway to Sleep Health Disparities in Middle-aged and Older Adults: The Role of Social Determinants

Principal Investigator: Rebecca Lorenz, PhD, RN, School of Nursing

Co-Principal Investigator: Yu-Ping Chang, PhD, RN, School of Nursing

Co-Investigators: Ling Bian, PhD, College of Arts and Sciences; Heather Orom, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Varun Chandola, PhD, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Chin-Shang Li, PhD, School of Nursing

• Interaction between meal composition and weight status on feeding- and stress-related hormones

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Mietlicki-Baase, PhD, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Co-Investigator: Naomi McKay, PhD, Buffalo State College

Funding for the CTSI Translational Science Pilot Studies Program is provided by: UB’s Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research and Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the deans of UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions, and School of Nursing.