Pitt Pediatrics congratulates the following faculty and researchers for receipt of pilot grants from the Institute for Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity in Children (i4Kids), which will encourage new innovative areas of research with cross-disciplinary collaborations in pediatric health.
The first pilot grant will assess how systemic keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and AKT affects urothelial injury/repair and UTI susceptibility. This research will be led by assistant professor Catherine S. Forster of the Paul C. Gaffney Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, in partnership with professor Carlton M. Bates, director of the Division of Nephrology.
A second grant, funding research by assistant professor Brian T. Campfield of the Division of Infectious Diseases and associate professor Craig Byersdorfer of the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, will help define impact of Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL-1) deficiency on long term hematopoietic stem cell recovery. Special focus will be provided on transplant-related outcomes.
Finally, a third research project investigating EVD68 pathogenesis in the human spinal cord will be led by clinical fellow and postdoctoral fellow Megan Culler Freeman. This project is also generously supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Learn more about these three pilot grants on the i4Kids website.