December 2024 – March 2025
Obesity-induced platelet mitofusin-1 expression causes vascular dysfunction
AHA 24CDA1272749 Career Development Award
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2027
Total Annual Costs: $77,000
David Binion, MD // Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Genetic and pathogenesis of IBD
Mirador Therapeutics
Start Date: December 11, 2024
End Date: December 10, 2027
Total Annual Costs: $108,545
Sonya Borrero, MD, MS // General Internal Medicine
CONVERGE FISA Proposal
FISA Foundation
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2025
Total Annual Costs: $40,000
Sonya Borrero, MD, MS // General Internal Medicine
Vasectomy Policy Study
Tides Foundation
Start Date: December 1, 2024
End Date: November 30, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $21,085
Evaluation of the Stability of the Intact HIV-1 Reservoir and Low-Level HIV-1 Viremia in People with HIV-1 Suppressed on Antiretroviral Therapy
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
Start Date: December 19, 2024
End Date: December 18, 2025
Total Annual Costs: $200,000
Marcelo D. Carattino, PhD, and Gerard L. Apodaca, PhD // Renal-Electrolyte
Role of fibroblasts in bladder mucosal function
R01 DK138907
Start Date: January 10, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $690,451
Nathalie Chen // Infectious Diseases
Evasion of Host Immune Defenses during Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection
AHA 25PRE1375562
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $34,774
Joshua Cyktor, PhD // Infectious Diseases
NKG2A Blockade to Enhance Immune Control of HIV-1
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
Start Date: January 2, 2025
End Date: January 1, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $199,077
Sarah Gaffen, PhD // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Arid5a – A Novel Biomarker and Molecular Driver of Autoimmune Arthritis
Pittsburgh Foundation MR2024-143455
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $70,000
Sae Jang, MD // Cardiology
In Vivo microvascular Biomechanics Using Microbubble Contrast Agents as Mechanical Probes
American Society of Echocardiography
Start Date: December 31, 2024
End Date: December 30, 2025
Total Annual Costs: $25,000
Siyi Jiang // Cardiology/Vascular Medicine Institute
Hypoxia-Dependent Chromatic Interaction Mapping Links SNP rs115561468 to Trimethyllysine Metabolism in Vascular Disease
AHA 25PRE1377884
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $34,774
Ebin Johny, PhD // Cardiology/Vascular Medicine Institute
Mitochondrial biogenesis in macrophages controls inflammation and cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction
AHA 25POST1368717
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $80,624
Michael J. Jurczak, PhD, and Jonathan Alder, PhD // Endocrinology and Metabolism and Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Novel aspects of Gdf15 biology and function
R01 DK138967
Start Date: February 15, 2025
End Date: January 31, 2029
Total Annual Costs: $659,199
Ossama Kashlan, PhD // Renal-Electrolyte
Bile acid effects on renal tubular epithelial cells
Dialysis Clinic, Inc.
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2025
Total Annual Costs: $60,000
Daniel J. Kass, MD, and Robert A. Lafyatis, MD // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
E-Box Accessibility in Myofibroblasts in Pulmonary Fibrosis
R01 HL173817
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: November 30, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $773,440
Jane M. Liebschutz, MD, MPH, and Erin L. Winstanley, PhD // General Internal Medicine
Appalachian Node
UG1 DA049436
Start Date: June 15, 2019*
End Date: February 29, 2032
Total Annual Costs: $838,320
VGA039-CP001
Vega Therapeutics
Start Date: January 14, 2024
End Date: January 13, 2030
Total Annual Costs: $70,977
Kathleen McTigue, MD, MPH, MS (with Michael Becich) // General Internal Medicine
PaTH to Patient-Centered Health and Health Care
PCORI
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $3,378,250
>> Read more about this grant
Siamak Moghadam-Kia, MD, MPH // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Clinical Meaningfulness of Total Improvement Score of ACR/EURLAR Myositis Response Criteria in Dermatomyositis patients
Priovant Therapeutics
Start Date: December 9, 2024
End Date: December 8, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $68,451
Benay Ozbay, PhD // Cardiology
Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Diuresis for Decompensated Heart Failure to Reduce 30-Day Readmissions and Kidney Injury
AHA 25POST1361664
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $78,320
John J. Pacella, MD, MS // Cardiology
Focal Myocardial Delivery of Small Molecule Nitroalkenes using Ultrasound Targeted Microbubble Cavitation to Improve Ventricular Recovery Following Myocardial Infarction
R01 HL173319
Start Date: March 4, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $720,676
Evan C. Ray, MD, PhD // Renal-Electrolyte
Regulation of Renal Tubular Mg2+ Handling by MUC1 and Lactation
R01 DK139177 First R01
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2029
Total Annual Costs: $650,004
Guy Salama, PhD // Cardiology
Persistence of Relaxin’s effects on HFpEF rats, post-treatment, and on the interaction of Relaxin with glucocorticoid receptors
Relaxera Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
Start Date: March 14, 2025
End Date: March 13, 2027
Total Annual Costs: $288,277
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH (with Jian-Min Yuan) // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology
Translational Research Training in Cancer Prevention and Control
T32 CA186873
Start Date: August 5, 2014*
End Date: January 31, 2030
Total Annual Costs: $334,049
>> Read more about this training program
Daniel Shiwarski, PhD // Vascular Medicine Institute
Recreating Fontan-associated portal vein hypertension and fibrosis in a 3D bioprinted hepatic sinusoidal vascular system
Additional Ventures
Start Date: February 1, 2025
End Date: January 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $55,000
Warren D. Shlomchik, MD // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology
Graft-versus-Host Disease: Local Maintenance by Tissue Resident Progenitor T cells
R01 HL143349
Start Date: August 15, 2018*
End Date: November 30, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $747,995
Cynthia St. Hilaire, PhD // Cardiology/Vascular Medicine Institute
Medial Arterial Calcification in Peripheral Artery Disease
R01 HL176595
Start Date: March 5, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2028
Total Annual Costs: $761,042
Margaret Zupa, MD, MS // Endocrinology and Metabolism
Expanding the Role of Technology in Achieving Diabetes Health for Adults in Underserved Communities
Pittsburgh Foundation MR2024-143454
Start Date: January 1, 2025
End Date: December 31, 2026
Total Annual Costs: $100,000
* Competitively renewed
Internal Funding Opportunities
Pilot Project Program in Hemostasis and Vascular Biology (P3HVB)
The VMI Pilot Project Program in Hemostasis and Vascular Biology (P3HVB) is intended to attract investigators new to the general areas of hemostasis and vascular biology by seeding innovative and translational research projects that have the potential to open new avenues for critical research and clinical care. The program will support grants of $25,000 for one year duration. Applications for new projects may request up to $50,000 with appropriate justification.
Details and application: vmi.pitt.edu/funding/P3HVB
The application due date for the FY26 cycle is May 15, 2025.