Seed money given to 10 inaugural Pediatric Pilot Research Program grant recipients

HOUSTON – (Aug. 26, 2010) – Texas Children’s Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) launched a new Pediatric Pilot Research Program to fund new investigators. In its inaugural year, the program has awarded 10 $50,000 grants supporting preliminary research in a variety of pediatric subspecialties.

The Pediatric Pilot Research Program is designed primarily to support researchers in the early stages of their careers and provides faculty in BCM’s Department of Pediatrics with the seed funding needed to launch new investigations. These awards will help provide junior-level investigators with the resources required to generate the data necessary to submit successful grant applications to the National Institutes of Health.

“Researchers must generate promising preliminary data in order to successfully compete for subsequent peer-reviewed grant awards,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, vice chair for research in the BCM Pediatrics Department and a physician with Texas Children’s Cancer Center. “The financial resources provided by this Pediatric Pilot Research Fund are critical for investigators in the early stages of their research career and we are fortunate that the program will enable investigators to launch successful projects and research campaigns.”

In total, $500,000 in grants was awarded in $50,000 increments to 10 researches that hold appointments with the Department of Pediatrics. The recipients, along with the titles of their projects are:

• Carla Davis, M.D. - Eosinophil Proteome Analysis in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
• Lauren Goldie, Ph.D. - Cell-Autonomous and Lineage-Specific Molecular Regulation of Heterotypic Vascular Endothelial Cell Phenotype and Function
• Lisa Kahalley, Ph.D. - Cognitive Outcome of Proton Beam vs. Conventional Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Brain Tumor
• Ann Leen, Ph.D. - T-cells with Broad Spectrum Specificity as a Single Therapy for Virus Infections in Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
• Jason Mendoza, M.D. - Examining Food Insecurity Among HIV-Positive Children at Texas Children’s Hospital
• Robert Moore, M.D. - MicroRNAs in Allergic Airway Disease
• Jochen Profit, M.D. - NICU Safety Climate: Does it Correlate with Clinical Outcomes?
• Jean Raphael, M.D. - Adherence to Preventive Care in Pediatric Sickle Cell Anemia
• Maria Redondo, M.D., Ph.D. - Immunogenetics of Forms of Childhood Diabetes Defined by Anti-Islet Autoimmunity and Beta-Cell Reserve at Onset
• Jason Yustein, M.D., Ph.D. - Analysis and Establishment of Circulating MicroRNAs as a Disease Biomarker in a Novel Mouse Model of Metastatic Osteosarcoma

This new research funding program was established earlier this year under the direction of Dr. Mark W. Kline, physician-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and chair of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.

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Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is ranked in the top 10 best children’s hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Texas Children’s also operates the nation’s largest primary pediatric care network, with over 40 offices throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children’s has embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010, which includes a neurological research institute, a comprehensive obstetrics facility focusing on high risk births, and a community hospital in suburban West Houston. Get the latest Texas Children’s news on Twitter: www.twitter.com/texaschildrens.