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Funding

Publications Associated with P&F Funding

P&F Recipient Giulia Biancon

Current or Past Recipients

  • Type B P&F Recipient Veena Sangkhae

    Veena completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the University of California, San Diego. Whilst at UCSD, she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Kenneth Kaushanksy studying thrombopoietin biology. The lab subsequently moved to Stony Brook University in New York where Veena started her graduate studies, the lab moved again to the University of York, UK where she completed her PhD under the mentorship of Drs. Kenneth Kaushanksy and Ian Hitchcock. Her thesis work was determining the role of thrombopoietin signaling in JAK2V617F-positive myeloproliferative neoplasms. For her post-doctoral training, Veena moved to the University of California, Los Angeles to work under the mentorship of Drs. Tomas Ganz and Elizabeta Nemeth studying iron homeostasis during pregnancy. Veena is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UCLA where she continues to study iron homeostasis and pregnancy. Projects include examining hepcidin regulatory mechanisms during pregnancy as well as how iron disorders of pregnancy and inflammation interact to cause adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.

  • Type B P&F Recipient Yongxin (Leon) Zhao

    Leon completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Sun Yat-sen University in China. He then went aboard and pursued his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Alberta, Canada, under the mentorship of Drs. Robert E. Campbell and D. Jed Harrison. His thesis work focused on developing directed evolution approaches for improved genetically encoded fluorescent calcium and voltage indicators for functional live cell imaging. Leon is the key inventor of genetically encoded calcium ion indicators, GECO family (Science 2011), and genetically encoded voltage indicators, QuasAr (Nature Methods 2014, Nature Communication 2014, Nature 2019). During his post-doc work with Dr. Edward Boyden at MIT in Boston, Leon co-invented a transformative imaging tool called Expansion Pathology (ExPath), which enables nanoscale imaging of paraffin-embedded, hematoxylin, and eosin (H&E)-stained, and/or other biopsy samples of human tissues (Nature Biotechnology 2017 and later Nature Protocol 2020 from his lab). Leon is the Eberly Family Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.). The mission of his lab is to develop and apply new tools to establish a biomolecule atlas of the brain, tumor, and other complex biological systems and interrogate the biological mechanisms, fostering discoveries, new diagnoses, and therapeutics in the long term.

  • Type B P&F Recipient Katie Seu

    Katie received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis and then went to Purdue University for graduate school where she studied red cell membrane biology in the lab of Dr. Phil Low. After obtaining her PhD, she went to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where she began to study erythropoiesis with the mentorship of Dr. Theodosia Kalfa. As a postdoctoral fellow, she pioneered the use of imaging flow cytometry to study erythroblastic islands and identified a physiological relationship between granulopoiesis and erythropoiesis within this niche (Blood 2022). During her postdoctoral studies, she also began working on the Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia Registry (CDAR) to identify novel causes and pathogenic mechanisms of CDA (Amer J Hum Genet 2020). She is currently a Research Associate at Cincinnati Children’s investigating the role of VPS4A and the ESCRT-III machinery in erythropoiesis and reticulocyte maturation. The funding from the Type B P&F from the NIDDK CCEH has provided her protected time and core resources to advance this project and support for her long-term career goal of becoming a successful, independently funded scientist.


Funding Application Information


The NIDDK Hematology Centers Program is providing a novel support mechanism for researchers to pursue new directions in non-malignant hematology. Applicants do not need to be U.S. citizens or Green card holders but must be from any registered, domestic (U.S.), eligible organization. However, those from institutions not currently part of the NIDDK Hematology Centers Program will be prioritized. Applications from investigators coming from other fields, bringing new perspectives or tools to address questions in nonmalignant hematology, are also encouraged.


P&F Type A:  $5,000 - $12,000 worth of core credits to provide equal access to services and expertise offered by any core. Rolling deadlines, abbreviated application forms, and streamlined review by Core Directors all contribute to a rapid and equitable distribution of core credits. Type A support is ideally suited for trainees who want to master a new expertise or acquire a new skill to enhance their competitiveness.  Applications for Type A projects will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed three times a year, starting in February 2022.


Instructions Specific to P&F Type A:  New applications should be uploaded as a single PDF file (11-point Arial font size and 0.5” margins) that must include:


Page 1. Title, PI; Abstract (made public if awarded).

Page 2.  Description, Significance, Figures and Literature Cited,

Page 3.  Core use, Budget, and Justification, (for trainees, signed by lab PI), 1 page

NIH-style Biosketch for applicant only.

Type A projects do not require Institutional sign off by the applicant’s grant and contract office, unless required by the applicant institution’s policies.

Applicants must obtain signed approval for costs and feasibility from the directors of the cores they wish to access.

Project periods are limited to 12 months, and a progress report must be submitted within 120 days of the budget end date.


P&F Type B: $75,000 total award (grant) including F&A.  Use of CCEH Core resources is not required but encouraged. 


The primary goal of Type B P&F grants is to support innovative pilot research projects in non-malignant hematology, including the generation of preliminary data for larger research grants. Pilots should involve new scientific directions or the development or application of a novel technology. It is not expected that any preliminary data be provided, but the scientific premise should be supported by literature. Applicants may apply for travel monies (up to $2,500) to train for 3-5 days at a CCEH core that will be utilized in the Type B proposal. These funds are a line item in the $75,000 maximum budget and may only be used to support flight, room and board costs for the investigator. Permission for travel must be approved by the Director of the CCEH core and the U24 Enrichment Chair (diane.mcveyward@path.utah.edu). Type B applications are now CLOSED. 


Type B grants will be reviewed by a panel of approximately 10 reviewers, each reading all applications.  Reviewers will provide scores for key review criteria (significance, innovation, approach, feasibility, as well as for new direction/technology and fostering a new collaboration) then rank all applications. Reviewers will briefly describe what drove their ranking. Applications will undergo a second level of review involving the NIDDK and the HCCC. Unsuccessful applicants will be encouraged to discuss the critiques with the scientific contact below.  


This program is intended to support pilots that are not appropriate for other grant mechanisms. While applicants of any career stage are eligible, applicants will be required to describe why the project is not appropriate for other grant mechanisms (NIDDK fellowship, career development award, or research project (R) grants). Moreover, trainees and fellows will be required to describe how the pilot will support a subsequent grant application and lead to future independence (e.g., how the research direction will differentiate them from their mentor). 


Proposed research should address the NIDDK/Hematology mission to be considered for review. The following link describes the NIDDK hematology mission. NIDDK Hematology Program Directors are available to discuss the mission as well as relevant funding opportunities: 


https://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/research-programs#hematologic-disease


Applications that scientifically overlap with a NIH application that is currently under review will not be reviewed. Questions about these policies should be directed to the scientific contact below.


Instructions Specific to Type B:  New applications should be uploaded as a single PDF file (11-point Arial font size and 0.5” margins). Resubmissions are not permitted; revised applications must be submitted as New. Only complete applications received by the due date will be reviewed.


Use the PHS 398 form including face, abstract (to be made public upon award), detailed budget, biographical and other support pages, and research plan.


Research plan is limited to 4 pages and should include:


Snapshot (1 page)

Under separate headers answer the following questions:

Elevator Pitch: How is the proposed pilot research a new direction in non-malignant hematology? Reference any current or pending Other Support from the PI, collaborators, or mentors, and describe how the pilot is not incremental.

Appropriateness of mechanism: How is the proposed research a fit for the Type B P&F grant, AND not a fit for another NIDDK grant mechanism? Investigators eligible for NIDDK fellowships or career development awards are strongly encouraged to apply for those mechanisms. Investigators with substantial preliminary data are strongly encouraged to apply for a research project grant (e.g., R01).

Pathway to independence (for applicants without independent faculty positions): How will the proposed pilot research help differentiate the trainee/fellow from their mentor(s)?   

Specific Aims, Background and Significance (address all review criteria detailed above, 1 page)

Research Design and Methods (2 pages)


Pages not counted, but to be included are:


Literature Cited

Vertebrate Animals and/or Protection of Human Subjects Approval (if applicable)

Sharing Plan

Budget -costs (8% F&A, PHS 398 FP4 and FP5), justification. Note: Budgets are limited to $75,000 total costs (inclusive of all F&A costs) and will be administered as a subaward to an active NIDDK Hematology Centers grant. If in-kind services from a CCEH are proposed, the total costs for the award should be reduced by the negotiated costs of the in-kind services.

For any application proposing to use CCEH Cores, applicants must obtain signed approval for costs and feasibility from the directors of the cores they wish to access and include on Budget justification page ( CCEH Cores can be found here).

Project periods are limited to 12 months, and a progress report must be submitted within 120 days of the budget end date.


Please upload a single PDF of your application using the “Submit Application Here”, at the end of the Funding Opportunities section (below).


For questions about application submission and receipt, please contact John Phillips: john.phillips@hsc.utah.edu.


For scientific questions, please contact Shilpa Hattangadi: hattangadism@nih.gov.


ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS


If an award is made, the submitted Abstract will be made public on the cceh.io website, along with the Project Title, PI Name(s), Institution, and award type.


Each publication, press release, or other document about research supported by an NIH award must include an acknowledgment of NIH award support and a disclaimer such as “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U24DK126127. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.” Awardees are also encouraged to refer to the “NIDDK Cooperative Centers of Excellence in Hematology Pilot &Feasibility Award” on their Biosketch and Other Support documents.


Awardees are expected to submit a final progress report within 120 days of the budget end date. The U24-funded HCCC may include this report, in part or in full, with its Annual Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) to the NIH.


The HCCC may contact the PI of awards to review long-term outcomes. Awardees will be invited to present results at the annual NIDDK Hematology Centers Program Steering Committee meeting.


If not used in publications or grant submissions, data should be represented in Synapse or another relevant data repository as negative results.


DIRECTIONS TO START THE APPLICATION PROCESS for Type A or Type B  P&F  Proposals


1.  Check guidelines for eligibility
                a. Priority will be given to Junior Investigators and Postdocs.
                b. Established Investigators starting a new line of Research in nonmalignant hematology - cannot be focused on currently funded project.

2.  Determine the type of grant you wish to apply for.
                a. Type A  - Core Usage Funds Only (C-UFO) up to $12,000 (no F&A, funds made available only at Core proposed).
                b. Type B - New Pilot Proposal (HCCC-P&F) up to $75,000 including recommended F&A (Use PHS 398 forms as detailed).

3.  Contact the core director(s) of the core you will be using to initiate guidance on feasibility and costs associated with core use.

4.  Write and submit proposals as a single PDF using the detailed guidelines on length and inclusions on the FUNDING link cceh.io/funding ("red" Submit box) prior to final due date and time.
                No applications will be accepted after 5pm MST on the due date.

Submit Application Here

The CCEH program supports pilot and feasibility program grants funding small projects aimed at generating preliminary data for inclusion in larger grant applications. The grants will be awarded competitively and are designed to support collaborative research projects that utilize core resources at one of the five CCEH centers.


Please refer to the guidelines for writing and formatting applications (above) before submitting. Applications can be uploaded using the form to the right.

Current P&F Projects

Title PI, Key Personnel, Mentor, etc. Investigator Institutions Center/Core(s) to Be Used At Center/Core Institutions Award Type Award Year
Generation of conditional Runx1 mutant mouse strains to delineate Runx1 roles in Vikram R Paralkar, MD University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Mouse Boston Children's Hospital Type A 2021
Characterization of the hematopoietic system and the contribution of myeloid cells to mortality in the COVID-19 mouse model Ushashi Dadwal, PhD Indiana University School of Medicine Flow Cytometry Indiana University School of Medicine Type A 2021
3D tissue cytometry of the unperturbed hematopoietic niche to study the spatial relationship between its different components Edward Srour, PhD and Roy El Koussa, MD Indiana University School of Medicine, Purdue University Optical Microscopy Core Indiana University School of Medicine Type A 2021
Generation of a zebrafish model of Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia-1 Gary M Kupfer, MD and Susree Modepalli, PhD Georgetown University Zebrafish Core Boston Children's Hospital Type A 2021
The role of HMGA1 in Pathologic Cytokine Signaling in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Jung-Hyun Kim, PhD Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Cell Preparation and Analysis Yale University Type A 2021
Iron deficiency in preterm neonates: prevalence, surveillance, contributing factors Timothy Marvin Bahr, MS, MD University of Utah School of Medicine Iron and Heme, Metabolomics University of Utah Type B 2021
Preventing HSC functional decline by sustaining linker histone expression Kutay Karatepe, PhD Yale University Imaging Core Yale University Type B 2021
Selective activity of selinexor, eltanexor and sunitinib in TET2-mutant cases Nicole Prutsch, PhD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Animal Modeling and Flow Cytometry Yale University Type B 2021
Investigations of hepatic heme homeostatic mechanisms using ALAS-deficient mice Makiko Yasuda, MD, PhD Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai Iron and Heme University of Utah Type B 2021
Role of Mitoferrin-1 isoforms and intron retention in iron homeostasis and mitochondrial biology Prajwal C. Boddu, MD Yale University School of Medicine Cell Prep and Analysis, Iron and Heme Yale University, University of Utah Type B 2021
Single cell resolution of epigenetic regulatory events in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells Patrick Paddison, PhD Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Hematopoietic Cell Processing and Repository Core Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Type B 2021
Identifying and exploiting metabolic vulnerabilities to prevent clonal hematopoiesis Brandon Ghelier, PhD Boston Children’s Hospital Metabolomics, Zebrafish, Flow Cytometry University of Utah, Boston Children’s Hospital Type B 2021
The Roles and Regulation of Iron Regulatory Proteins 1 and 2 During Cellular Ferroptosis McKale Montgomery, PhD Oklahoma State University, Stillwater Iron and Heme, Mutation Generation & Detection University of Utah Type A 2021
Investigating the role of novel genes in hematopoietic stem cell development using CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout in a vascular niche model in vitro Adam Heck, PhD and Brandon Hadland, MD, PhD Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Vector Production Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Type A 2021
Optogenetic stimulation of bone marrow adrenergic nerves Christa Haase, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital Charles P Lin Lab N/A Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Type B 2021
Erythroblastic Island Heme Synthesis under Normal and Inflammatory Conditions Amy Medlock, PhD University of Georgia Targeted Cell Procurement and Processing Services Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center Type B 2021
Quantification of total protoporphyrins and heme levels, and ALAS activity in novel mouse models of X-Linked Sideroblastic Anemia and X-linked Protoporphyria Sarah DuCamp, PhD Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Iron and Heme Core University of Utah Type A 2021
Identification of pregnancy-related regulators of hepcidin Veena Sangkhae, PhD UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Mutation Generation and Detection Core University of Utah Type B 2021
Oct1/Pou2f1 role in human blood cell development Jelena Perovanovic, PhD University of Utah School of Medicine Mutation Generation and Detection Core University of Utah Type A 2021
Dissecting the mechanicsms underlying transcriptional dysregulation in MDS Elizabeth Bonner, BS Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Specialized Mouse Services, Cell Procurement Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Type A 2021
Biomolecular condensates in splicing factor-mutant myelodysplastic syndromes Giulia Biancon PhD Yale School of Medicine Imaging, Cell Prep, FACSorting Yale University Type B 2021
VPS4A/ESCRT-III and endosomal trafficking in terminal erythropoiesis Katie Seu PhD Cincinnati Children's Hospital Single Cell Characterization and Procurement Core Cincinnati University Type B 2021
Developing low-cost, multiplexed nanoscale imaging tools for hematology specimens Yongxin Zhao PhD Carnegie Mellon University N/A Yale University Type B 2021
Control of Alas2 expression by Iron Regulatory Proteins during normal and pathological erythropoiesis Sarah DuCamp, PhD Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Iron and Heme University of Utah Type B 2021
Investigation of RBM15 and the m6A epitranscriptome in megakaryopoiesis Madeline Mayday, BS Yale School of Medicine N/A Yale University Type B 2022
TERT Splice Variants and Myelopoiesis in Diabetic CD34+ cells Yagna Prasada Rao Jarajapu, PhD North Dakota State University Experimental Mouse Model Indiana University Type B 2022
Novel mechanisms of action of HFE in hepcidin and iron homeostasis regulation Xia Xiao, PhD Harvard Medical School Bioinformatics Cincinnati Children's Type B 2022
Fine-Tuning of Hemoglobinization Through Heme Import by Erythrocytic HRG1 Audrey Belot, PhD University of Maryland Iron and Heme University of Utah Type B 2022

To read the abstracts for these projects, please click here.


To review projects funded during 2017-2020, please click here.



Meet the Investigators


Get to know the investigators behind our current P&F projects. Click on an investigator's name to visit their website.



Vikram R Paralkar, MD

Ushashi Dadwal, PhD

Edward Srour, PhD & Roy El Koussa, MD

Gary M Kupfer, MD & Susree Modepalli, PhD

Sarah DuCamp, PhD

Katie Seu, PhD

Yongxin Zhao, PhD

Jung-Hyun Kim, PhD

Timothy Marvin Bahr, MS, MD

Kutay Karatepe, PhD

Nicole Prutsch, PhD

Christa Haase, PhD

Veena Sangkhae, PhD

Jelena Perovanovic, PhD

Makiko Yasuda, MD, PhD

Prajwal C Boddu, MD

Patrick Paddison, PhD

Brandon Ghelier, PhD

Amy Medlock, PhD

Giulia Biancon, PhD

Elizabeth Bonner, BS

Madeline Mayday, BS

Yagna Prasada Rao Jarajapu, PhD

Xia Xiao, PhD

Audrey Belot, PhD