CTSI awards 10 new Translational Pilot Studies grants for 2026

Principal Investigator: Ethan V. Abel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oncology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Co-investigator: Michael Feigin, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncology, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Drugs that target the protein KRAS, which drives pancreatic cancer, hold immense promise for treating the disease, but for unclear reasons the cancer often becomes resistant to these drugs. This study will examine how MET-signaling, which is controlled both by tumor cell-intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms, contributes to KRAS inhibitor resistance and determine the efficacy concomitant KRAS/MET targeting in pancreatic cancer. 

Translational science element: Understanding how MET-signaling contributes to resistance to KRAS targeting drugs, as well as understanding the mechanisms that drive MET-signaling, will lead to strategies that will enhance both the clinical efficacy and durability of KRAS targeting therapies in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Principal Investigator: Carla Alvarez Rivas, DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine

Co-investigators: Keith L. Kirkwood, DDS, PhD, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine; Norma J. Nowak, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Periodontitis (gum disease) is a life-long, chronic inflammatory disease that requires continuous clinical management to avoid recurrence, suggesting the participation of maladaptive immune memory. This project will investigate how memory T cells and their clonal features contribute to disease persistence by combining spatial immune profiling and single-cell transcriptomics of human gingival tissue. 

Principal Investigator: Andrew D. Baumgartner, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Co-investigators: Sabrina Casucci, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Kelly Tenzek, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences; Raj Sharman, PhD, Professor, Management Science and Systems, School of Management; Ranjit Singh, MB BChir, MBA, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Robert Wahler, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice; Haowen Hsu, PharmD, MPH, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Older adults face high risk of harm after being discharged from the hospital as the instructions they receive are often hard to understand. This can lead to serious communication errors, resulting in preventable readmissions and patient harm. This project proposes to develop and evaluate patient-friendly discharge instructions created by generative artificial intelligence with physician supervision to improve communication at the time of discharge and ultimately patient safety.

Translational science element: Developing novel methods to improve patient communication at the time of discharge could improve patient safety.

Co-principal Investigators: Katherine N. Balantekin, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Leonard H. Epstein, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Division Chief, Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Elizabeth G. Mietlicki-Baase, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Co-investigators: Derek Daniels, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; Husam A. Ghanim, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Paul Meyer, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences; J. Luke Pryor, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are used in diabetes and obesity treatment. GLP-1Ras are known for having side effects including dehydration, which can pose a problem on its own and exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms of GLP-1RAs. Investigators will evaluate whether an intervention aimed at increasing fluid intake in patients who are newly taking GLP-1RAs can improve biomarkers of hydration and reduce the experience of other side effects of the medication.

Principal Investigator: Renato Casarin, DDS, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, School of Dental Medicine

Co-investigator: Patricia Diaz-Moreno, DDS, MSc, PhD, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine; George Chlipala, BS, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago

This study investigates the temporal dynamics of microbial communities surrounding dental implants prior to the clinical onset of peri-implantitis, a major contributor to implant failure. Using metagenomic sequencing, investigators aim to identify taxonomic and functional shifts in the submucosal biofilm that may serve as early indicators of disease development, supporting future strategies for early diagnosis and targeted intervention.

Principal Investigator: Patrick O. Kenney, MD, MS, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Co-principal Investigators: Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor; Professor and Chief, Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Nicholas Smith, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Phages are viruses that only infect bacteria and are increasingly used to treat infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. This project seeks to characterize and define interactions between phages, bacteria, and mammalian cells and biomolecules within ex vivo human fluids. Characterization of these interactions will directly inform phage dosing in upcoming compassionate use treatments and clinical trials addressing antibiotic resistant and difficult-to-treat infections.

Principal Investigator: Vishnu Lokhande, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Co-principal Investigator: Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

This project develops a machine learning framework to improve Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis using MRI data collected from multiple institutions. By enabling pre-trained models to adapt to new data in a parameter-efficient fashion, the project addresses key challenges in integrating diverse imaging datasets. Such a continual learning framework helps diagnostic agentic AI systems learn from new data without starting over each time, making them more practical for real-world healthcare settings.

Translational science element: By developing scalable continual learning methods that enable AI models to adapt across diverse clinical sites without full retraining, this pilot removes operational obstacles to implementing early Alzheimer’s disease detection in real-world healthcare settings throughout Western New York.

Principal Investigator: William Mangione, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Co-Investigators: Zackary M. Falls, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Laura Crawford, PhD, Sia Partners, Elkridge, MD; Jun-Xu Li, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Ram Samudrala, PhD, Professor and Chief, Division of Bioinformatics, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Investigators are developing small molecule therapeutics that target the neurobiological circuits underpinning reward, craving, and withdrawal in people suffering from opioid addiction. Using a combination of receptor binding assays, functional testing, in vitro pharmacokinetic profiling, and AI-guided structural optimization, the team aims to refine lead compounds that reduce fentanyl intake in vivo and exhibit favorable drug-like properties.

Principal Investigator: Andrew H. Rogers, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Co-Investigators: Ajay Gupta, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Kara M. Kelly, MD, Professor and Division Chief, Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Jeffrey M. Lackner, PsyD, SUNY Distinguished Professor Chief, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Adolescent and young adult sarcoma survivors often struggle with long-term, chronic pain that is poorly understood and difficult to treat. This longitudinal observational study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a three-month, daily ecological momentary assessment protocol to assess chronic pain, opioid use, and associated risk factors in these individuals. Investigators aim to better understand what makes pain worse to help design better treatments.

Translational science element: Limited treatments exist for chronic pain in cancer survivors. Understanding factors that contribute to long term chronic pain and opioid use in adolescent and young adult sarcoma survivors would help inform the development and adaptation of behavioral pain treatments that are low burden, personalized, cost effective, and efficacious.

Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Co-investigators: Jun Xia, PhD, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Tyler Hammond, MD, PhD, Medical Resident, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science

This project aims to develop a wearable patch that uses ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging technologies to continuously and automatically monitor a baby’s head and oxygen levels during labor to determine when a baby needs a C-section. The patch is designed to work without needing a skilled operator and can provide accurate imaging as a novel wearable technology in future healthcare applications.