URMC / Center for Musculoskeletal Research / Grants and Funding / P30 Pilot Funding

P30 Pilot Funding

ROCSTARR Request for Proposals: Pilot Studies

As part of the Pilot & Feasibility Studies Program in NIAMS, P30 AR069655, the Rochester Resource-based Center for Bone, Muscle and Orthopaedic Research (ROCSTARR) is now requesting applications from Early Career Investigators for funding of pilot projects. Investigator-initiated pilot studies for non-tenured, full-time faculty Principal Investigators are eligible to apply for research funding relevant to Musculoskeletal Diseases ($25,000 maximum for one year).

All principal investigators of proposals must be faculty at the University of Rochester. Co-investigators may be from other institutions. Funding cannot be used to support faculty salary. Trainee salary support is permitted, but must be justified in the proposal. Renewal of funding of investigator-initiated pilots for a second year may be possible under special circumstances where considered justified, and revised applications from prior proposals submitted for P30 or CTSI pilot funding may be submitted. Concurrent funding of more than a single pilot award to an investigator from the ROCSTARR is not permitted.

The pilot grant program is intended to provide seed funding to facilitate new research and future funding. Multidisciplinary research is strongly encouraged, as well as translational and clinical research that moves new discoveries along the translational continuum to humans and the community. Clinical and community-based research, education and training, practice-based research, and health services research proposals are also encouraged.

Proposal Submission

A face page application form and investigator’s proposal (in a modified NIH format with a six page maximum, 11-point font minimum) and budget form with a budget justification should be submitted electronically by email to Martha Young, phone: 585-275-1397.

Deadline

ROCSTARR Proposals must be received by Monday, September 16, 2024, using the Request for Proposals: Pilot Studies Form. Email the completed form to Martha Young.

Applicants will be notified of awards by December 18, 2024, which will be initiated on January 1, 2025. The funding must be expended by December 31, 2025.

Note: All animal and human subject protocols must be approved prior to the start date. No funds will be released until these approvals have been documented. If approvals are not received prior to the start date, then the applicant will not receive the award.

Please see the full announcement for more details.

ROCSTARR (formerly URCCMBM) Pilot Awardees

Date	Awardee	Title
2023-2024	Calvin Cole, PhD	Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 as a Treatment Target for Pancreatic Cancer and Related Skeletal Muscle Wasting
2023-2024	Jennifer Jonason, PhD	Examining the Consequences of Chronic Pro-inflammatory Signaling in Chondrocytes on Joint Pain and Innervation
2023-2024	Samuel Mackenzie, PhD	Suppressor tRNA-Mediated Dystrophin Restoration in Nonsense-Mediated Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
2023-2024	Chia-Lung Wu, PhD	The Role of PRDM16 and KDM3B in Cartilage Development and Homeostasis
2022-2023	Ram Haddas, PhD	Feasibility of Telehealth Functional Assessments Using Wearables to Improve the Treatment of Low Back Pain Among Suburban and Underrepresented Minority Poplulations: A Pilot Study
2022-2023	Xi Lin, PhD	EGR1 as a Novel Transcription Factor that Contributes to Age-Related OA by Promoting the Dedifferentiation of Synovial Fibroblasts
2022-2023	Gowrishankar Muthukrishnan, PhD	Examining IL-17/IL-17R Axis in IL-27-Mediated Neutrophilic Responses During Staphylococcus Aureus Osteomyelitis
2022-2023	Shu-Chi (Allison) Yeh, PhD	The Role of Bone Remodeling in Regulating Hematopoietic Aging
2021-2022	Jeevisha Bajaj, PhD	Role of Taurine from Osteolineage Cells in Osteogenic Differentiation and Myeloid Disease Progression
2021-2022	Chike Cao, PhD	Interplay between increased Ca2+ signaling through CaV1.2 and canonical BMP pathway during bone development and Achilles tendon heterotopic ossification
2021-2022	Ananta Paine, PhD / Maria de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez, PhD	Generation of a Conditional Knock-Out Reporter Knock-in Mouse Model to Define Cell-Specific Functions of Thy1
2020-2021	John Daiss, PhD	Essential Steps for Making MENSA-based Immunoassays Simpler for Research Laboratories and Hospitals
2020-2021	Thomas Fountaine, MD	Functional Role of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem and Progenitor Cell Subsets in Myelodysplastic Syndrome
2020-2021	Patrick Murphy, PhD	Epigenetic Regulation of Neural Crest Cells Development Controls Zebrafish Cartilage Formation
2020-2021	Katherine Rizzone, MD	Improving Long-Term Activity Levels and Health Outcomes in At-Risk, Underrepresented Adolescent Females Through Implementation of a Teacher-Student Physical Activity Program
2019-2020	Jonathan Leckenby, MD, PhD	Development of a Murine Model to Investigate Scar Formation within the Regenerating Nervous System
2019-2020	Whasil Lee, PhD	Targeting Mechanosensitive Ion Channels for ACL-Injury Associated Osteoarthritis: Evaluation in a Mouse Model
2019-2020	Gowrishankar Muthukrishnan, PhD	Defining the Role of IL-27/IL-27R Signaling in Septic Death following Staphylococcus aureus Implant-Associated Osteomyelitis
2019-2020	Homaira Rahimi, MD, MTR	Validation of Hand NIR-ICG Imaging to Evaluate Lymphatic Flow in Health and Arthritic Flare
2018-2019	Calvin Cole, PhD	IL-12 Treatment Attenuation of Skeletal Muscle Loss in Murine Model of Pancreatic Cancer
2018-2019	Constantinos Ketonis, MD, PhD	Establishment of the Murine Model of Pyogenic Flexor Tenosynovitis and Investigation of Novel Treatment Strategies
2018-2019	Jennifer Jonason, PhD	Inflammation-Mediated Mineralization of the Meniscus in OA Pathogenesis
2018-2019	Yi (Stanley) Zhang, PhD	Investigation into the Mechanism of Radioulnar Synotosis
2017-2018	Mark Buckley, PhD	The Influence of Chondrocyte Mechano-Protective Adaptation on the Progression of Osteoarthritis
2017-2018	Roman Eliseev, MD, PhD	Generation of a Novel Transgenic Mouse to Study the Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis
2017-2018	Jennifer Jonason, PhD	Role of CCL20/CCR6 Chemokine Axis in the Development of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
2017-2018	Caroline Thirukumaran, PhD	Big Data Methods for Surveillance of Post-Operative Complications in Orthopaedics
2016-2017	John Elfar, MD	4AP To Prevent Muscle Atrophy after Peripheral Nerve Injury
2016-2017	Jennifer Jonason, PhD	The Role of RUNX2 in the Progression of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
2016-2017	Catherine Kuo, PhD	Axial and Limb Tendon Progenitor Cell Baseline and FGF4-Induced Differences
2016-2017	Hengwei Zhang, PhD	Proteasome inhibition enhanced bone fracture healing through PDGFRb signaling
2015-2016	Reyad Elbarbary, PhD	Regulation of Adipogenesis by Tudor-SN-mediated miRNA Decay: Implications in Obesity-impaired Fracture Healing
2015-2016	Roman Eliseev, MD, PhD	Effect of cyclophilin D knock-out on bone loss after hormone depletion
2015-2016	Benjamin Frisch, PhD	The role of CCL3 in Leukemia-induced osteolineage Dysfunction
2015-2016	David Weber, MD	Assessment of Calcium Metabolism in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Using a Dual Stale Calcium Isotopes Method
2014-2015	Mark Buckley, PhD	Defining the Role of Mechanical Compression in Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy
2014-2015	John Daiss, PhD	Diagnosis and Monitoring of Ongoing Staphylococcus aureus Infections Using Circulating Cell-Free Bacterial DNA and Circulating Antibody-Secreting Cells
2014-2015	Tzong-jen Sheu, PhD	Cobalt Ion Release Alters Skeletal Metabolism: A Mechanism for Bone Loss in Metal-on-Metal Orthopaedic Implants
2014-2015	Hengwei Zhang, MD	Proteasome inhibitor VELCADE enhances bone fracture healing by inhibiting ubiquitination and degradation of osteoblast positive regulators in callus
2013-2014	Yufeng Dong, MD, PhD	Clinical grade expansion of functional Mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow in cGMP facility
2013-2014	Zhenqiang Yao, MD	TRAF3 levels in Blood Monocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis
2013-2014	Luiz Meirelles, DDS, PhD	Novel free radicals therapeutic device to treat implant associated osteomyelitis
2013-2014	Wakenda Tyler, MD, MPH	MicroRNA impact on Angiogenesis & Tumor Growth in Metastatic Renal Cancer to Bone
2012-2013	John Daiss, PhD	Targeted Lytic Agents for the Prevention and Elimination of Staphylococcus aureus Infections
2012-2013	Yufeng Dong, MD	Assessment of skeletal stromal cell sheets for repair of critical segmented bone defects
2012-2013	Roman Eliseev, MD, PhD	Targeting metabolic reprogramming in osteosarcoma
2012-2013	Yi Zhang, PhD	MEm1/m1 mouse as a potential model for Scheuermann disease
2012-2013	Michael Maloney, MD	Correlation of vascular and anatomical response with structural and clinical outcome: a pilot study in patients who have undergone rotator cuff repair surgery
2011-2012	Stephen Kates, MD	Evaluation of Anti-Autolysin titers against S. aureus in Patients with Infected Total Joint Replacements and Development to a Clinical Serum ELISA to Assess the Probability of Reinfection
2011-2012	Jennifer Jonason, PhD	Examination of the Effects of Chondrocyte-specific Runx2 Overexpression on Endochondral Bone Formation and Postnatal Articular Cartilage Homeostasis
2011-2012	Chao Xie, MD	PTH Effects on Intravenously Delivered hMSC during Skeletal Repair
2011-2012	Zhenqiang Yao, MD	The Role of NF-kB RelB in Fracture Healing

Louis A. Goldstein and Mildred M. Goldstein Orthopaedic Research Award

Each year faculty members are encouraged to apply for The Goldstein Award. This endowment gifted by Louis A. Goldstein and Mildred M. Goldstein is for funding of clinical Orthopaedic research. This gift enables faculty to generate pilot data from which they can apply for additional funding.

Goldstein Awardees

Date	Awardee	Title
2020	Benjamin Ricciardi, MD	What is the effect on patient travel burden of centralizing revision total hip and total knee arthroplasty care in New York State?
2020	Susan Nelson, MD	Perioperative Integrative Medicine to Address Stressors Amongst Adolescents Undergoing Orthopaedic Surgery: Assessment and Feasibility of Pilot Clinical Program
2020	Thomas Myers, MD	Quantifying Surgeon Work During Primary & Revision Total Joint Arthroplasty
2020	Addisu Mesfin, MD	Anabolic and Catabolic Marker Expression in Human Intervertebral Disc Specimen
2020	Judith Baumhauer, MD	Validity of a Self-Administered “Get Up and Go” Test and PROMIS Physical Function Assessment to Identify Elderly Patients at Risk to Fall
2019	Ilya Voloshin, MD	Should Internal Rotation be Restricted after Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty?
2019	Irvin Oh, MD	Biomechanical Changes of Hindfoot Motion Associated with Talonavicular Arthrodesis
2019	Thomas Myers, MD	Can Machine Learning Using Large Scale Administrative Data Predict 90-day Complications and Readmissions After Elective Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement at University of Rochester?
2019	Warren Hammert, DDS, MD	Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Analysis of Plain Hand X-rays for Early Osteoporosis Screening
2018	Ilya Voloshin, MD	Mid-Term Outcomes of Uncemented Second Generation Trabecular MetalTM Glenoid Components in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
2018	Constantinos Ketonis, MD	Non-invasive assessment of the ulnar nerve around the elbow and diagnosis of cubital tunnel using machine learning
2018	Brian Giordano, MD	Gene expression in Femoroacetabular Impingement and Osteoarthritis: Evaluating Markers of Inflammation and Bone Metabolism
2017	Irvin Oh, MD	Instability in Cadaveric Flatfoot Model
2016	John Ginnetti, MD	Biomechanical Advantage of Acetabular Screws in revision Total Hip Arthroplasty with Bone Loss
2016	Emily Carmody, MD	Establishing Therapeutic molecular Targets in Oncology Synovial Sarcoma
2015	John Elfar, MD	Erythropoietin for Compression Neuropathy: Preclinical Efficacy and Cellular Site of Action
2015	Irvin Oh, MD	Clinical Applicability of Circulating Antibody-Secreting Cells and Microbiome Analysis for Assessments of Treatment Response and Prognosis of Active Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Diabetic Foot Ulcer
2014	Addisu Mesfin, MD	Reducing Dysphagia Following Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A prospective Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Trial
2014	Brian D. Gioardno, MD	The influence of periarticular hip dysfunction on the progression of osteoarthritis
2013	Gregg Nicandri MD and Stephen Kates, MD	The Development, Implementation and Validation of an Orthopaedic Surgical Skills Curriculum: A Pilot Study Focusing on the Treatment of Hip Fractures with a Dynamic Hop Screw or Trochanteric Femoral Nail and the Treatment of Meniscal Tears of the Knee with Arthroscopic Partial Menisectomy
2012	Benedict DiGiovanni, MD and Deborah A. Nawoczenski, PT, PhD	Biomechanical and Muscle morphological Biomarkers of Foot Function Following Gastrocnemius Recession for Achilles Tendinopathy
2011	John Elfar, MD	Parathyroid Hormone in Rotator Cuff Tears