Opportunities

We have been very successful in launching the careers of young investigators. 

Our pilot project PIs in previous cycles included Drs. Simone Sanna-Cherchi and Neal Paragas, who now have independent positions at Columbia University and the University of Washington, respectively. Dr. Paragas held a prestigious K99/R00 award and his lab is focused on biomarker discovery and non-invasive optical imaging for urologic and kidney disorders. Dr. Sanna-Cherchi now holds two R01 grants on lower urinary tract genetics and was recently awarded a Urology P20 Center grant to develop a single cell map of the lower urinary tract. 

Building on this success, we have funded four exciting opportunity pool projects, representing diverse scientific topics spanning zebrafish genetics (Drummond), single cell analysis of the urinary tract (Sims), immunological analysis of the bladder (Steers), regenerative medicine for prostate and bladder (DeGraff). We will continue to use the  Opportunity Pool Program to sponsor innovative pilot studies, bringing specialized expertise to the Columbia O'Brien Center, and to collaborate with investigators from NIDDK P20 Centers, scholars supported by KURe K12 programs, and the wider Urology research community. There are 2 new applications in process: Catherine Putonti at Loyola, and the second from Jaclyn Winter at the University of Utah.