Pilot Grant Program

Request for Applications: Pilot and Feasibility Grants

Purpose and Research Focus

The purpose of the Joint Penn-CHOP Center for Digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine is to facilitate research, educational, and clinical programs involving issues related to the transition from childhood to adulthood, designated as transitional medicine. The large number of such patients provide unique opportunities for basic and translational research. One of the most important aspects of this effort is the funding of Pilot/Feasibility Projects.

The Joint Center is seeking Pilot/Feasibility Projects proposals in clinical, basic science, and/or translational research projects related to inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, nutrition, obesity, liver diseases, pancreatic diseases and endoscopy. All projects should either involve both pediatric and adult patients in these areas and/or focus on a research question that is relevant to these areas that involve the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Currently, it is anticipated that three applications will be funded each with a one year budget of $25,000. This is a one-time request for applications. There will not be an opportunity to resubmit applications or renew a funded grant for additional funding beyond the first year as future RFAs will be in different themes or topics. Consideration will be given to interdisciplinary applications, and those that span CHOP and Penn investigators. Recipients who have received pilot grants through the Joint Center in the last 3 years are not eligible.

Eligibility

All faculty members of the Penn and CHOP scientific community who meet the eligibility requirements below are invited to submit proposals. Applicants must be US. citizens or have permanent residency.

1. New investigators who have never held extramural NIH support (R29, RO1, PO1)
2. Established investigators in other areas of basic biomedical and/or clinical research who wish to apply their expertise to one of the seven topics listed above in a manner that is relevant to the mission of the Penn-CHOP Joint Center
3. Established clinical or basic digestive disease investigators who wish to study an area relevant to the cited areas and the mission of the Penn-CHOP Joint Center that represents a significant departure from currently funded work

Proposal Preparation

1. Submit all documents, in the format below, as one PDF to kimmeyer@mail.med.upenn.edu.
2. Format
   1. Cover page: Includes abstract of up to 400 words (including a statement of how the proposal is relevant to the mission of the Penn-CHOP Joint Center) and list approved or pending IACUC/IRB protocols
   2. NIH biographical sketch
   3. NIH other support (provide full information)
   4. Budget and justification: one year, $25,000; one page only
   5. Background, preliminary results, research plan, and future directions; up to four pages total
   6. Senior Investigators should indicate how this project represents a new direction in their research
   7. References: one page only
   8. Appendix: pertaining to preliminary data only, no reprints

For additional information, please contact: The Joint Penn-CHOP Center for Digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine,

Telephone: 573-4264
Fax: 573-2024
Email: kimmeyer@mail.med.upenn.edu.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Gary D. Wu, MD
Petar Mamula, MD
David Piccoli, MD
Anil K. Rustgi, MD

* Application Instructions (PDF Version) *

Pilot Grant Awardees

2014 - 2015 Pilot Grants

Antonella Cianferoni, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Immunoregulatory response in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: differences between children and adults

Trajectory of IBD Self-management in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults

*sponsored by the Lustgarten Foundation

Effect of matrix stiffness on esophageal fibroblasts during human maturation in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)

Elizabeth Prout Parks, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Facilitating Accomplishments through a Community Experience: Social Media and Adolescent Weight Management

2012 - 2013 Awardees

The mechanisms of KLF5 protection in colitis

Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD, PhD
Research Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Director, Cell Culture Core
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology

Autophagy and mitochondria in eosinophilic esophagitis

Paula M. Oliver, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Cell Pathology

Activating ubiquitin ligases to limit inflammation

2011 - 2012 Awardees

Joshua R. Friedman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Gene expression and miRNA regulatory pathways in EoE

Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Chief, Allergy Section
Co-Director, Center for Pediatric Eosinophilic Disorders
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Allergy and Immunology

Sensitization to allergens and progression to fibrosis are different in juvenile and adult mouse models of EoE

Mei-Lun Wang, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Subepithelial fibrosis and dysphagia in eosinophilic esophagitis

2009 - 2010 Awardees

Meena Thayu, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Changes in bone and muscle mass after TNF-a inhibition in pediatric Crohn disease

Edwin F. de Zoeten MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

DNA methylation in Inflammatory Bowel disease

Matthew Ryan, MD
Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Notch Pathway Expression in Liver Growth and Development