Pilot Seed Grants Program
We are delighted to announce the awardees of the 2017 Neuroscience Initiative Collaborative Pilot Seed Grant Programs! These programs aim to catalyze collaboration across campus, stimulate innovation, and move us towards our vision: better understanding the brain in disease and health, and transforming that knowledge into innovative solutions for patient care.
Neuroscience Initiative Collaborative Pilot Seed Grants (2017)
The six projects listed below were selected for up to $50,000 of funding each:
Project Title: Understanding usherin, the major protein associated with inherited deaf-blindness.
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Jun Yang—Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
- Christopher Hill—Biochemistry
- David Belnap—Electron Microscopy Core Director
Project Title: Rapid ALS Candidate Gene Validation Study
- Summer Gibson—Neurology
- Lynn Jorde—Human Genetics
- Joshua Bonkowsky—Pediatrics
Project Title: Prenatal Mechanism & Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorders
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Deborah Bilder—Psychiatry
- Erin Clark—OBGYN
Project Title: Therapeutic Intervention in Addiction by Targeting the alpha6 nicotinic receptor
- Eric Schmidt—Medicinal Chemistry
- Michael McIntosh—Psychiatry
- Danny Chou—Biochemistry
Project Title: Patient-specific “mini brains” as a new model for pediatric epilepsy
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Alexander Shcheglovitov—Neurobiology & Anatomy
- Robert Bollo—Neurosurgery
- Jay Spampanato—Neurosurgery
Project Title: Developing Deep Brain Stimulation of the Dentate Nucleus for Treatment of Degenerative Cerebellar Ataxias
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Stefan Pulst—Neurology
- Alan Dorval—Bioengineering
Innovative Approaches to Neural Circuits
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Alessandra Angelucci—Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
- Valero Pascucci—SCI
Project Title: Differentiating neural circuits modulated during therapeutic vs. ineffective deep brain stimulation
* Grant funding for this project was renewed in 2017
- Christopher Butson—Bioengineering/SCI
- Jeffrey Anderson—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- John Rolston—Neurosurgery
- Camila Henriques De Aquino—Neurology
Joint Pilot MRI Award With Radiology
In FY 2017, the Neuroscience Initiative awarded pilot awards in collaboration with the Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences for two projects:
Project Title: Development of a comprehensive vessel wall MRI protocol to diagnose arterial stroke etiology
- Adam de Havenon—Neurology
- Scott McNally—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- Dennis Parker—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- Greg Stoddard—Biostatistics
Project Title: Use of MRI-guided high intensity focused ultrasound to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury
- Donna Cross—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- Allison Payne—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- Yoshimi Anzai—Radiology & Imaging Sciences
- Gregory Hawryluk—Neurosurgery
Past NSI Seed Collaborative Pilot Grant Awardees
View our current & past seed grant awardees - NSI Seed Collaborative Pilot Grant Awardees (PDF).
