Thirteen investigators were awarded Vanderbilt-funded Intramural Discovery Grants for a two-year period starting January 2001. A total of $448,091 was awarded to the recipients, who were chosen from a field of 39 applicants.
The program consists of three different types of funding mechanisms intended to stimulate the development of new ideas. Faculty members are eligible for two categories of support: Interdisciplinary or Equipment Grants and Pilot/Feasibility Studies. Senior postdoctoral fellows are eligible for Bridges to Independence funding.
The next round of applications will be accepted in the fall.
Interdisciplinary grants awarded:
•Dr. David P. Carbone, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, professor of Medicine and Cell Biology, “Molecular Classification of Lung Cancer.”
•Dr. Mark deCaestecker, assistant professor of Medicine, “Functional Analysis of BMP Type II Receptor Gene Mutations in Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.”
•Dr. Andre M. Diedrich, research assistant professor of Medicine, “Bionic Baroreflex System for Blood Pressure Control.”
•Dr. William J. Kovacs, associate professor of Medicine, “Physiology of Thymic Steroidogenesis.”
•James S. Sutcliffe, Ph.D., assistant professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, “Genetic Analysis of Epilepsy.”
Pilot and feasibility grants awarded:
•Dr. Mark Boothby, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology, “TCR Signaling and NF-kB: Molecular Recognition and Proteomics.”
•Dr. Joseph P. Bruner, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “A Randomized Trial of Serial Amnioexchange in the Treatment of Fetal Gastroschisis.”
•Vivien A. Casagrande, Ph.D., professor of Cell Biology, Psychology, and Ophthalmology, “The Roles of Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules NCAM-180 and L1 in Axon Fasciculation.”
•Dr. Thao P. Dang, assistant professor of Medicine, “The Role of Notch3 and NF-kB Activation in Lung Cancer.”
•Troy A. Hackett, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences, “Auditory Cortical Plasticity in Primates.”
•Andrew J. Link, Ph.D., assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Ingram Assistant Professor of Cancer Research, “Proteomic Analysis of Body Fluids.”
•Shimian Qu, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, “Discover Radiation Induced Tumor Vasculature Homing Peptides.”
•Dr. Noel B. Tulipan, professor of Neurological Surgery, “Animal Model of Chiari Type II Malformation and Associated Hydrocephalus.”