Cooperative Pilot Research Grant Fund

A major initiative undertaken by the Center is the development and support of vaccine-related research and development projects via a Cooperative Pilot Research Grant Fund in partnership with the RC/EEP-funded South Louisiana Institute for Infectious Disease Research (SLIIDR).

This initiative is intended to foster the development of novel local multidisciplinary and collaborative research projects in the fields of infectious disease, immunity and/or vaccine development.

This addresses our goals that include the generation of new project and collaborative program applications funded extramurally, and discoveries with potential for clinical application and/or commercial development. Applications from new investigators and those from established investigators that propose new research directions were encouraged.

A Request for Proposals was circulated to all Faculty working in relevant Departments and Centers at LSUHSC, Tulane HSC and Xavier in April 2008.

Following peer reviews, ten of these grant applications were awarded in July 2008. Successful projects will be funded up to $75K/year for 2 years. These awards will foster the development of collaborative projects by new investigators and will also allow established investigators to explore new research directions.

	Proposal Title	“Burden of Disease and Etiology of Arbovirus Infections in Guinea, West Africa”
	Principal Investigator	Daniel G Bausch, M.D., MPH & TM
	Co-Investigators	Christopher N. Mores, SM ScD
	Institution	TUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Natural History of Oral HPV Infections in HIV+ individuals”
	Principal Investigator	Michael Hagensee, M.D., Ph.D.
	Sub-Investigators	Janet Leigh, B.D.S., D.M.D & Jeevan Yenugenti, D.D.S.
	Institution	LSUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Correlates of Immune Protection against Tuberculosis in BCG Vaccinated Nonhuman Primates”
	Principal Investigator	Deepak Kaushal, Ph.D.
	Co-Investigators	Andrew Lackner,DVM, Ph.D., ; James Blanchard,DVM, Ph.D., ; Peter Didier,DVM, Ph.D.; and Bapi Pahar,Ph.D.
	Institution	TUHSC
	Proposal Title	“HIV ENV Epitope Engineering”
	Principal Investigator	Samuel J. Landry, Ph.D.
	Institution	TUHSC
	Proposal Title	“A Novel Approach to HIV Vaccine Development: Spontaneously Derived L-2 Defective Particles with 8 Essential Mutants”
	Principal Investigator	Ronald Luftig, Ph.D.
	Co-Investigators	Angela Amedee, Ph.D. & Qiu Zhong, M.D., Ph.D.
	Institution	LSUHSC
	Proposal Title	“The role of small non-coding RNAs in controlling Mycoplasma genitalium virulence factors”
	Principal Investigator	Liang Ma, M.D., Ph.D.
	Co-Investigators	Oliver Wessely, Ph.D.
	Institution	LSUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Characterization and Evaluation of Novel Subunit Vaccines Against B. pseudomallei”
	Principal Investigator	Lisa Morici, Ph.D.
	Co-Investigators	Dr. Lucy Freytag, Dr. Chad Roy, and Dr. Pam Kozlowski
	Institution	TUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Fecal Microbiota in Infants with and Without Necrotizing Enterocolitis”
	Principal Investigator	Uma Pisharody, M.D.
	Co-Investigators	Michael Ferris, Ph.D. & Duna Penn, M.D., MS
	Institution	LSUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Cellular Envelope Homeostasis Of Chlamydia Trachomatis”
	Principal Investigator	Li Shen, M.D., Ph.D.& Alison J Quayle, Ph.D.
	Institution	LSUHSC
	Proposal Title	“Pneumocystis Colonization, Inflammation and Frailty”
	Principal Investigator	David A Welsh, M.D. & Judd E Shellito, M.D.
	Co-Investigators	Marco Ruiz, M.D.; Stephanie Broyles, Ph.D.; Michael Jazwinski, Ph.D.; Kyle Happel, M.D.; Kurt Varner, M.D.; and Salman Arain, M.D.
	Institution	LSUHSC