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Pilot Project Program

Seeding innovation. Developing investigators. Sustaining discovery.

The Pilot Projects Program develops a pipeline of independently funded investigators conducting innovative, high-impact research in digestive and liver disease.

The Pilot Projects Program enables investigators to:

  • Generate preliminary data.
  • Compete successfully for extramural funding.
  • Transition to independent research careers.

The Pilot Projects Program supports investigators with:

  • Targeted funding: Awards range from $25,000 – $50,000 per project for a one-year period and competitive renewal is possible
  • Structured mentorship
  • Access to Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Digestive & Liver Disease core resources


Leadership

Caroline Westwater, Ph.D.
Program Director

Inside the Program

Program Objectives

• Attract investigators into digestive and liver disease research
• Promote use of CDLD core facilities and technologies
• Stimulate programmatic research grants and external funding
• Strengthen long-term sustainability of the Center

Funding Categories

Early Career Investigators

New investigators establishing programs in digestive disease research

New-to-Field Investigators

Established researchers entering the field with new technologies

Established Investigators

Innovative projects representing a significant departure from prior work

Application and Review Process

  1. Letter of Intent: Applicants submit overview, relevance to CDLD themes, and planned core use.
  2. Full Proposal: Applications undergo NIH-style peer review with external experts, including a required consultation with cores and biostatistics.
  3. Final Selection: Executive Committee prioritization, Advisory Committee review, and institutional approval.

Mentoring and Integration

• Assignment of dedicated mentors and mentoring teams
• Individual career development plans
• Participation in seminars, retreats, and work-in-progress sessions
• Access to the Center's cores and enrichment activities
• Regular evaluation by Advisory Committee

Current Pilot Projects

Pilots bring new mechanistic insights, advanced model systems, and strong integration with the Center's core resources.

Principal Investigator
Kristen Engevik, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology
Funding Category: Early Career Investigator

Overview
Diarrheal disease remains a major global health burden driven by excessive chloride secretion from intestinal epithelial cells. While pathogens initiate disease through different mechanisms, they converge on shared host signaling pathways.

This project investigates purinergic signaling through the P2Y1 receptor as a regulator of calcium signaling and chloride secretion. The central hypothesis is that Clostridioides difficile toxins exploit this pathway to drive diarrhea severity.

Specific Aims
• Define how C. difficile toxins activate P2Y1-dependent calcium signaling and chloride secretion.
• Determine the in vivo role of epithelial P2Y1 signaling in mediating diarrhea.

Research Approach
This project integrates human intestinal organoids, live-cell imaging, and biochemical assays to quantify nucleotide signaling and chloride flux, and uses living models of infection to assess physiological relevance.

Use of Center Core Resources
• Advanced Imaging Core
• Cell Models Core

Innovation
• Identification of P2Y1 as a conserved host pathway in infectious diarrhea
• Shift toward host-directed therapeutic strategies

Expected Impact
This project will establish a new epithelial signaling mechanism driving secretory diarrhea and support the development of host-targeted therapies, while generating preliminary data for future NIH funding.

Principal Investigator
Lu Han, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Funding Category: Early Career Investigator

Overview
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense tumor microenvironment dominated by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which play multifaceted roles in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Emerging evidence highlights substantial heterogeneity within CAF populations, with distinct subtypes exerting tumor-promoting or tumor-restraining effects.

This project focuses on the transcription factor FOXF1 as a key regulator of fibroblast identity within the PDAC microenvironment. The central hypothesis is that FOXF1 expression defines a fibroblast lineage with unique functional properties that influence tumor progression.

Specific Aims
• Define the lineage hierarchy of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts
• Determine the functional role of FOXF1 in regulating fibroblast behavior during tumor progression

Research Approach
This project employs genetically engineered models, inducible lineage tracing, and fibroblast-specific gene manipulation to interrogate CAF biology in vivo. These approaches are complemented by multiplex imaging and translational analyses of human tumor specimens.

Use of Center Core Resources
• Animal Models Core
• Advanced Imaging Core

Innovation
• Identification of FOXF1 as a regulator of CAF heterogeneity
• Application of lineage tracing to define fibroblast origin and function

Expected Impact
This project will define mechanisms governing fibroblast heterogeneity in pancreatic cancer and identify potential stromal targets for therapeutic intervention, generating preliminary data for extramural funding.

Pilot Projects Archive

  1. Wenjian Gan, Ph.D. - Department of Biochemistry
  2. Silvia Guglietta, Ph.D. - Department of Microbiology
  3. Tim Barnoud, Ph.D. - Department of Biochemistry
  4. Katie Chetta, M.D. - Department of Pediatrics