Penn CFAR Pilot Grant Program in HIV/AIDS
The major goal of the Developmental Core is the promotion of AIDS- and HIV-related research at the University of Pennsylvania, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and The Wistar Institute by providing a source of funding for pilot projects. The Developmental Core supports short-term (one year) projects in emerging areas of HIV research, including new research related to the recruitment of new investigators, research by established investigators who are turning their attention to AIDS, and research by AIDS/HIV investigators who are undertaking studies that represent a significant departure from their previous work.
The Penn CFAR is not currently accepting applications for the Developmental Pilot Grant Program.
A Developmental Pilot Pre-Application Worshop took place on Thursday, January 17. The video is now online.
Recipients of the Developmental Core Pilot Grants in HIV/AIDS
| Year | Investigators | Title of Project |
| 2013 | Abass Alavi, M.D. (Radiology), Pablo Tebas, M.D. (Medicine/ID) | Assessment of cardiovascular and central nervous system complications of HIV/AIDS by PET/CT imaging |
| 2013 | Katherine Bar, M.D. (Medicine/ID) | Viral Dynamics of HIV-1 Rebound Viremia |
| 2013 | Henry Kranzler, M.D. (Psychiatry), David Metzger, Ph.D. (Psychiatry) | Cognition as a Potential Mediator of Alcohol Use and Poor ART Adherence in HIV+ Drinkers |
| 2013 | Lilie Lin, M.D. (Radiation Oncology), Surbhi Grover (Medicine), Doreen-Ramogola-Masire (Botswana-UPenn) | Impact of HIV infection and treatment on tolerability of cervical cancer therapy |
| 2013 | Deirdre Sawinski, M.D. (Medicine/ Renal), and Emily Blumberg M.D. (Medicine) | Effect of rATG on HIV reservoirs in HIV+ kidney transplant recipients |
| 2013 | Jean Scholz, Ph.D. (Pathology & Lab Med), Michael Cancro (Pathology & Lab Med) | Are potentially broadly neutralizing clonotypes eliminated at peripheral selection checkpoints? |
| 2012 | David Artis, Ph.D. (Microbiology), Gregory Sonnenberg, Ph.D. (Microbiology) | Immune regulation of intestinal barrier function following SIV infection |
| 2012 | Paul Bates, Ph.D. (Microbiology) | NFkB activation by Tetherin |
| 2012 | Haim H. Bau, Ph.D. (Engineering), Changchun Liu, Ph.D. (Engineering), and Robert Gross, M.D., M.S.C.E. (Medicine/ID; CCEB) | Point of Care, Integrated System for Molecular Detection of HIV |
| 2012 | Hans-Peter Kohler, Ph.D. (Sociology) and Iliana Kohler, Ph.D. (PSC) | Mental Health, HIV and Aging in a poor high-risk disease environment: A pilot study in rural Malawi |
| 2011 | Jennifer Cohn, M.D. (Medicine/ID) | Mobile telecommunication solutions to improve HIV patient care at the community level in Kenya |
| 2011 | Ron Collman, M.D. (Med/Pulmonary) and Anjana Yadav, Ph.D. (Medicine); Dennis Kolson, M.D., Ph.D. (Neurology) | Stain modulation of monocyte activation: a pilot study for potential use in NeuroAIDS |
| 2011 | Dennis Dlugos, M.D., M.S.C.E (Neurology at CHOP) and David Bearden, M.D. (Neurology at CHOP) | Risk Factors for Seizures in Children with HIV/AIDS in Botswana |
| 2011 | David Metzger, Ph.D. (Psychiatry) and Sumedha Chhatre, Ph.D. (Psychiatry) | Effects of stress reduction on chronic immune activation and inflammation |
| 2011 | Shikata Mudakha, M.D. (Medicine/ID) and Mary Kestler, M.D. (Medicine/ID); Harvey Friedman, M.D. (Medicine/ID) | Developing a TB screening algorithm for coughers presenting for inpatient care in an arear of high HIV prevalence |
| 2011 | Virginia Stallings, M.D. (Pediatrics, CHOP) | Botswana Vitamin D Supplementation Study in HIV/AIDS |
| 2010 | Sita Awasthi, Ph.D. (Medicine/ID) | To establish a humanized mouse model for HSV-2 and HIV-1 Co-infection |
| 2010 | Ron Collman, M.D., (Med/Pulmonary) and Nicola Zetola, M.D. (Botswana) | Alcoholism and MDR TB in HIV patients in Botswana |
| 2010 | Andrea Doyle, Ph.D. (Social Policy & Practice) and Jeffrey Draine, Ph.D., (Social Policy & Practice) | Healthcare engagement of women who test positive for HIV in a vaccine trial |
| 2010 | Robert Gross, M.D., MSCE (Medicine) and Elizabeth Lowenthal, M.D. | Psychosocial Assessments of HIV-infected children and adolescents in Botswana |
| 2010 | Carrie Kovarik, M.D. (Dermatology) and Rahat Azfar, M.D. | The use of mobile telemedicine for remote diagnosis of HIV-infected patients in Botswana |
| 2010 | Daniel Langleben, M.D. (Psychiatry) and Daniel Romer, Ph.D. (Annenberg) | Functional MRI of Brain Response to HIV Prevention Public Service Announcements |
| 2010 | Vincent Lo Re, M.D., (Medicine, ID) and Mary Leonard, M.D., MSCE | A structural approach to bone disease due to Hepatitis C co-infection in HIV |
| 2010 | Zhengyu Ma (CHOP) and Dennis Discher, Ph.D. (Engineering) | Probing the mechanism of HIV TCR specificity using atomic force microscopy |
| 2010 | Jon Merz, J.D., Ph.D. (Medical Ethics) and Francis Barchi, M.S. | Botswana Ethics Training Initiative: Using web-based tools to enhance learning and skills-development in research ethics training of host-country HIV/AIDS |
| 2010 | Andrew Steenhoff, M.D. (Pediatrics) and Nicola Zetola, M.D. | Novel diagnostics for pediatric tuberculosis |
| 2009 | Stefania Gallucci, M.D.(Pediatrics), and David Weiner, Ph.D. (Path/Lab Medicine) | Clonogenic Progenitors of Dendritic Cells as Novel Antigen Carrier in anti-HIV |
| 2009 | Toorjo Ghose, M.S.W., Ph.D. (Social Policy & Practice) | Implementing PATH-India: Reducing HIV Risk Among the Dually Diagnosed in India |
| 2009 | John Kempen, M.D, M.H.S., M.P.H., Ph.D. (Opthalmology), and Maureen Maguire, Ph.D. (Opthalmology) | Pilot Study in Preparation for the Intravitreous Ganciclovir-Valganciclovir Cytomegalovirus Retinitis Trial (GIVCyT) |
| 2009 | Steven Marcus, Ph.D. (Social Policy & Practice), and Julie Cederbaum, M.S.W.,M.P.H. (Social Policy & Practice) | HIV Serostatus and its Influence on Mother Influence Behaviors and Adolescent Engagement in HIV Risk Behaviors |
| 2009 | Doreen Ramogola, M.D. (Women's Health, University of Botswana), and Harvey Friedman, M.D. (Medicine, ID) | Epidemiology of HPV Infection in HIV-infected Women with Precancerous Cervical Lesions in Botswana |
| 2009 | Samir Shah, M.D., M.S.C.E.. (Pediatrics, Epidemiology), and Zsofia Szep, M.D. (Medicine, ID) | Association of Serum Vitamin D Levels and Insulin Resistance Among Patients Infected w/Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
| 2008 | Frederic Bushman, Ph.D. (Microbiology) | The Macaque Gut Microbiota and SIV Infection |
| 2008 | Branch Coslett, M.D. (Neurology) and Kathy Lawler, M.D. (Neurology) | Assessment of HIV-Related Dementia and Depression in Botswana |
| 2008 | Roy Kim, M.D. (Pediatrics) and Ian Frank, M.D. (Medicine, ID) | Effects of Recombinant IGF-I in HIV-Associated Metabolic Disease |
| 2008 | Susan Ross, Ph.D. (Microbiology) | Development of an in vivo Model to Study APOBEC3G/vif Interaction |
| 2008 | Courtney Schreiber, M.D. (OB/GYN) | How to Avoid Pregnancies in HIV Prevention Trials: a Case-Control Study and Point-of-Care Questionnaire |
| 2008 | Anne Teitelman, Ph.D. (Nursing); Loretta Sweet Jemmott, Ph.D. (Nursing); Therese S. Richmond, Ph.D. (Nursing); and William Holmes, M.D. (Medicine/Epidemiology) | HIV/STI Risk Reduction for African-American Adolescent Girls: Addressing the Context of Partner Abuse |
| 2007 | John B. Jemmott, III, Ph.D. (Psychiatry) and G. Anita Heeren, M.D., MSc., Ph.D. (Annenberg School of Communication) | HIV/STI Risk Reduction for African American Men |
| 2007 | Shane T. Jensen (Statistics, Wharton) and Jon D. McAuliffe (Statistics, Wharton) | Spatially Varying Evolutionary Models of Viral Escape Response |
| 2007 | Dennis Kolson, M.D., Ph.D. (Neurology) and Julio Martin-Garcia, Ph.D. (Microbiology/Immunology, Drexel) | Neurotropism and Neurovirulence of Subtype C HIV-1 Isolates from Botswana |
| 2007 | Ian C. MacMillan, MBA, DBA (Wharton); Darren Linkin, M.D. (Medicine, ID); James Thompson, MBA, Ph.D. (Wharton); Alan Abrahams, Ph.D. (Wharton); Diana Dickenson, M.D. (Clinician in Gaborone, Botswana); and Peter Ehrenkranz, M.D., MPH (Clinical Scholars, Penn) | A Pilot Study of Cellular Phone Text Message Reminders to Improve HIV Medication Adherence in the Developing World |
| 2007 | Erle Robertson, Ph.D. (Microbiology) and Gregory Bisson, M.D., M.S.C.E. (Medicine, ID) | Identification of an Etiological Basis Associated with Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia |
| 2007 | Guido Silvestri, M.D. (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) and Ian Frank, M.D. (Medicine, ID) | Mucosal Immune Activation in HIV-infected Patients |
| 2006 | Yair Argon, Ph.D. (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) and Stefania Gallucci, M.D. (Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital) | Augmenting the Presentation of HIV Peptides to T cells using an Engineered Chaperone Protein |
| 2006 | Michael Betts, Ph.D. (Microbiology) and Ian Frank, M.D. (Medicine, ID) | Modulation of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell Function and Control of HIV Replication During and After Cessation of HAART |
| 2006 | Arthur Caplan, Ph.D. (Medicine, Medical Ethics) | An Ethical Framework for HIV Vaccine Research |
| 2006 | Sridhar Hannenhalli, Ph.D. (Genetics) and Frederic Bushman, Ph.D. (Microbiology) | Computational Analysis of HIV-1 Integration in the Human Genome |
| 2006 | Nancy Hanrahan, Ph.D. (School of Nursing) | Quantifying Nurse Interventions in the Treatment of Individuals with Serious Mental Illness and HIV |
| 2005 | Randy Cron (Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital) and Pablo Tebas (Penn Medicine, ID) | NFAT Activity in CsA-Treated HIV-1-Infected Individuals |
| 2005 | Stefania Gallucci (Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital) and Terri Finkel (Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital) | Activating Anti-HIV Dendritic Cells by Abnormal Cell Death |
| 2005 | Edward George (Statistics, Wharton) | Exploratory Markov Modeling of Discrete Biomarkers |
| 2005 | David Oslin (Medicine, Psychiatry) | Aging Among HIV-infected Individuals as a Risk for Cognitive Decline and Poor Adherence |
| 2005 | Pablo Tebas (Medicine, ID) | Prevalence of HCV and HBV Among HIV Positive Patients in the Dominican Republic |
| 2004 | Harvey Friedman (Medicine, ID) and Gregory Bisson (Medicine, ID) | Virologic Effectiveness, Predictors of Virologic Failure and Development of a Clinical Prediction Rule for Virologic Success in the Botswana National ARV Program |
| 2004 | John Detre (Neurology) and Beau Ances (Neurology) | Brain Activation Using fMRI in Asymptomatic, Mild Cognitive Motor Deficit, and AIDS Dementia Patients |
| 2004 | Muredach P. Reilly (Medicine, Cardiovascular Division) | Pilot Study of the Genetics of ART-associated Dyslipidemia in HIV |
| 2004 | Hao Shen (Microbiology) | Role of CD4 Help in Heterologous Prime-Boost Immunization |
| 2003 | Li-Wei Chao (Anesthesiology, Children’s Hospital) and Mark Pauly (Wharton) | Educator and Pupil Training in HIV/AIDS in South Africa |
| 2003 | Andrew Dancis (Medicine, Hematology/Oncology) | Roles for Three Distinct Iron Uptake Systems in Mucosal Infections by Candida albians |
| 2003 | Paul Lieberman (The Wistar Institute) | Regulation of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Virus Reactivation |
| 2003 | Gerd Maul (The Wistar Institute) | Improvement for Gag DNA Vaccine Vector by Nuclear Targeting |
| 2003 | Barbara Turner (Medicine) and Kathleen Brady (Medicine) | Unlinked Seroprevalence Testing of Hepatitis C in Inpatients |
| 2002 | Jean Boyer (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) | A Polarized Th2 Immune Response Can Decrease HIV-1 Vaccine Efficacy |
| 2002 | Robert Doms (Microbiology) | Analysis of Envs from HIV-infected Children in Nairobi, Kenya |
| 2002 | J. Kevin Foskett (Physiology) | Interaction of HIV Nef with the Inositol Trisphophate Receptor Intracellular Ca2 Release Channel |
| 2002 | Kaivan Munshi (Economics, School of Arts and Sciences) | Marriage and Sexual Behavior: With an Application to Urban Migrants in Kisumu, Kenya |
| 2002 | James Riley (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) | Control of CCR5 Expression in Primary CD4 T Cells |
| 2001 | Michael Blank (Psychiatry) and Aileen Rothbard (Psychiatry) | Co-Occurrence of HIV/AIDS Among Persons with Severe Mental Illness |
| 2001 | Bruce Freedman (Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine) | Mechanism of HIV-1 gp120 Induced Capping on Primary Human Macrophages |
| 2001 | Samuel Parry (Ctr for Research on Reproduction and Women’s Health) | Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Across the Placenta |
| 2001 | William Swiggard (Medicine, ID) | Interactions of Circulating Human Dendritic Cells with HIV-1 |
| 2000 | Jeffrey Field (Pharmacology) | Role of Pak kinases in Kaposi's Sarcoma |
| 2000 | Stuart Isaacs (Medicine, ID) | Development of Novel Recombinant Vaccinia Virus Based anti-HIV Vaccines |
| 2000 | Robert Ricciardi (Microbiology, School of Dental Medicine) | A Novel Approach for Identifying HHV-8 Anti-virals |
| 2000 | Antonia Villarruel (School of Nursing) | Effectiveness of an HIV Risk Reduction Intervention for Spanish-speaking Latino Youth |
| 2000 | Susan Watkins (Sociology) and Jere Behrman (Economics) | Social Science Aspects of Intergenerational and Intragenerational Interactions Related to HIV/AIDS in a High HIV/AIDS Incidence sub-Saharan Population |