Congratulations to the six projects chosen for the 2019 CCTS Interdisciplinary Network Pilot Program. Projects were selected on the basis of scientific merit and alignment with the CCTS mission to understand diseases that have known disparities (e.g., age, ethnicity, race, gender, socioeconomics, environment) and/or that disproportionately affect our regional populations in the Deep South. This year's projects will seek to understand the pathology behind the racial disparities in COPD and nocturnal hypertension, the relationship between obesity and colon cancer, a molecular pathway underlying resistance to radiation therapy in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients, the association between epidural steroid injection and subsequent fracture risk, and the differences in cancer pathogenesis between persons living with HIV and their non-HIV counterparts.

Forty-five Pre-Applications were received from applicants representing eight partner institutions in response to the request for applications (RFA) launched in July 2018. Of these, 23 investigators were invited to submit Full Applications. Prior to submitting a Full Application, applicants met with a member of the CCTS Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) group and other units (e.g., informatics, Clinical Research Support Program), as applicable, to ensure methodologic and scientific rigor in study design. Applicants also participated in a Panel Done Quickly, arranged by the CCTS Research Commons, which assembles a team of peers with expertise tailored to the scientific content to further refine the scientific premise and to sharpen the presentation.

The CCTS supports a comprehensive process to assess the scientific aims and experimental design of pilot applications and to identify meritorious proposals, engaging reviewers internal to the Hub and Partner Network Institutions. The program also utilizes external academic reviews enabled through the CTSA External Reviewer Exchange Consortium (CEREC) and a community-based review. The final group of awardees represents three CCTS partner institutions: UAB, University of South Alabama, and Auburn University. This year’s funding cycle is May 6, 2019, through April 30, 2020.

“The goal of the CCTS Interdisciplinary Network Pilot Program is to develop the future research workforce in a spirit that fosters collaboration, team science, and innovative discovery,” said Dr. Stuart Frank, CCTS Co-Director. Projects must address scientific questions consistent with the CCTS mission at any stage of the translational spectrum, from the biological basis of health and disease to interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. 

To learn more about the CCTS Interdisciplinary Network Pilot Program, contact the CCTS Research Commons (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or visit our Pilot Funding page. The 2020 RFA will be released in August 2019, stay tuned via CCTS Digest.

Dr. Arun Paul
UAB
An Investigation into the Mechanisms Underlying Malignancies in HIV/AIDS Patients

Dr. Huifeng Yun
UAB
Fracture Risk and Post-operative Complications in Patients Who Receive Epidural Steroid Injections

Drs. Erin Ahn and Ninh Doan
USA
Targeting radiation resistant glioblastoma by inhibition of SON-mediated RNA splicing

Drs. Michael Greene and Elizabeth Lipke
Auburn University
Establishment and propagation of a new cohort of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors in mice for a pilot study

Drs. Pankaj Arora and Orlando Gutierrez
UAB
The Diurnal Rhythm in Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Relationship with Nocturnal Blood Pressure

Dr. Mike Wells
UAB
Racial disparities in COPD associated pulmonary vascular disease