Clinical and Translational Science Institute awards four pilot grants

HERSHEY, Pa. - Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute, with co-sponsorship from the Center for Medical Innovation, has awarded $200,000 in grants to support four interdisciplinary, multi-investigator pilot research projects. The projects were awarded under the Bridges to Translation Pilot Funding Program and the Translational Science Pilot Funding Program, both of which were designed to give researchers an opportunity to explore new ideas and gather more information in preparation for larger grant opportunities from outside organizations.

"We were thrilled to have received strong proposals addressing rural and at-risk populations this year," said Jennifer Kraschnewski, institute director, and professor in Penn State College of Medicine's Department of Medicine. "The four funded projects represent topics across the translational spectrum. We look forward to seeing where these projects lead to ultimately improve the health of the communities we serve."

Bridges to Translation Pilot Funding Program awardees

Bridges to Translation pilot funding is designed to support research that breaks down roadblocks across the translational research spectrum through:

• the development of novel technologies
• multidisciplinary collaborations
• dissemination and implementation of evidence-based programs, policies, and practices
• strategies for dissemination and implementation
• training programs for the next generation of clinical research scientists and staff
• statistical methods and models to analyze data and projects that focus on addressing health needs among complex populations across the lifespan

The translation of biomedical and health discoveries to application is a long and complex process with high costs and substantial failure rates. The Bridges to Translation funding mechanism invests in novel research ideas to promote collaboration across Penn State to collect information that could lead to external funding to advance health.

The competitive process awarded grants to the following Penn Staters across four colleges and nine departments:

• Thiru Annaswamy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine: "Translation to Practice of a Mixed Reality-Based Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain," with co-investigators Omeed Ashtiani, College of Medicine; Truong Tran and Sayed Reza, Penn State Harrisburg
  • Project summary: Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) is a common problem, with 50% to 90% of people experiencing it after losing a limb. Patients with PLP have pain in the missing limb which can interfere with mobility and quality of life. To address this, this team aims to improve a virtual therapy system called Mr. MAPP, which stands for Mixed Reality system for Managing Phantom Pain, uses virtual reality technology to create a mirror image of the missing limb, which can help reduce pain by retraining the brain.
• Soomi Lee, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Development: "Alzheimer's DIsease and Untreated InSomnia (ADIUS): Leveraging Real-World Data to Address Health Needs of the Rural Population," with co-investigators Yogasudha Veturi and Orfeu M. Buxton, College of Health and Human Development; Soundar Kumara, College of Engineering; and Kristina P. Lenker, College of Medicine
  • Project summary: The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) is projected to double by 2050. There is a pressing need for evidence from real-world patients demonstrating whether insomnia may elevate the risk of AD/ADRD. This project proposes to leverage anonymized electronic health records (EHR) from two clinical settings - Penn State Health and Allegheny Health Networks - to assess the unique contribution of untreated insomnia to the risk for AD/ADRD.
• Andrew Geronimo, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine: "A wearable transcutaneous CO2 sensor for detection of hypercapnia in ALS," with co-investigators Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, Heather Stuckey and Shouhao Zhou, College of Medicine
  • Project summary: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disorder that leads to chronic respiratory failure characterized by high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the blood. The goal of this project is to utilize novel materials engineering in sensor design to improve the ability to monitor patient vitals both in and out of clinic. The research team aims to generate a prototype wearable sensor that can quickly and accurately measure CO2 non-invasively through the skin.

Translational Science Pilot Funding Program Awardees

Translational Science Pilot Funding Program is focused primarily on translational science, rather than translational research. Translational science refers to the broadly applicable policies and principles underpinning the process of moving discoveries to health care use. Funded projects aim to generating scientific and operational innovations to overcome longstanding barriers to translational research. The goal of these projects may include:

• Developing innovative approaches or methodologies in a new environment
• Addressing a common barrier to the translational research pathway to improve efficiency and decrease the failure rate of the research process

The competitive program awarded one 12-month, $50,000 grant to the following Penn Staters across one college and two departments:

• Casey Pinto, Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine; and Alice Zhang, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine: "Harm reduction vending machines for public health screening," with co-investigator Aleksandra Zgierska, College of Medicine
  • Project summary: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are co-occurring disorders that often share risk factors, increasing one's chances of acquiring additional STIs or Hepatitis C. People with these conditions can also face barriers in getting treatment, such as lack of insurance or stigma. This research project will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using vending machines to provide easy access to STI and Hepatitis C self-testing kits for underserved and high-risk populations in central Pennsylvania. The initiative builds on the success of two existing "smart" vending machines located in different cities in central Pennsylvania, which have already dispensed naloxone, safer sex kits and other health items to over 1,400 individuals.