Pilot and feasibility projects within the P30 Center will contribute to multidisciplinary research at Emory and affiliated institutions, enhance faculty development, extensively utilize scientific cores, and integrate well with the global research themes of our cystic fibrosis (CF) research program. A strong commitment to basic and translational aspects of CF science (and NIDDK-relevant sequelae of the disease in particular), together with substantial institutional support, momentum, and innovation, are described by this proposal. Infrastructure and methodologies for solicitation, review, and advancement of pilot projects are in place, and have been successfully utilized at Emory for many years. The P30 Pilot and Feasibility component will serve as a key element within an intellectual environment for cystic fibrosis research that is well-established and growing rapidly.
Specific Aims of the Pilot and Feasibility component are as follows:
Specific Aim 1. Provide research support that will enable eligible investigators to explore the feasibility of innovative, high-risk concepts directed towards CF basic biomedical, clinical, and translational research. Projects typically last two years, are concordant with the overall objectives of the P30, and are expected to result in further grant support from NIH or other funding agencies.
Specific Aim 2. Provide an administrative framework for oversight and review of Pilot and Feasibility studies. This includes recommendations regarding continuation (or termination) of pilots to the P30 Program Steering Committee, solicitation and review of pilot applications, record-keeping with regard to grant and manuscript productivity of pilot investigators, tracking subsequent career events of awardees, and all aspects of program management. Two Pilot and Feasibility projects are recommended for NIH funding based on study section-type review and prioritization as described in the submission. Research summaries are provided for Project 1 (?Role of Programmed Cell Death (PCD) Signaling in Inflammatory Intestinal Injury?) and Project 2 (?Deep Phenotyping of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes Integrating Small Molecule -Omics and Clinical Outcomes?). Support through the NIH P30 mechanism will advance novel findings relevant to NIDDK-prioritized aspects of CF pathogenesis and treatment. Pilot and Feasibility projects will engage a long-standing passion among our faculty to develop novel and better therapies for cystic fibrosis, and furnish an engine to drive innovation.
