We are pleased to announce that our Center for Iron and Heme Disorders (CIHD) within the Division of Hematology at the University of Utah School of Medicine will fund two to three small pilot grants in 2025. Funds for these Pilot and Feasibility grants are available through the NIH/NIDDK Cooperative Center for Excellence in Hematology (CCEH). The awards will be either $33,000 or $50,000 (depending on the number of funded grant submissions) for one single year with no second-year extensions. The grants will be awarded competitively and are designed to support research projects from internal and external CIHD members to utilize our CIHD Cores in advance of the mission of our program. The goals of the CIHD are to support research on molecular/cellular biological pathways involved in normal hematopoietic stem cell biology, erythroid differentiation and disease states in addition to iron and heme biology. Our intent is also to: 1) support junior faculty members or established investigators launching new research directions that meet our mission objectives; 2) support CIHD members engaged in collaborative research projects with other CIHD members or investigators outside of the CIHD.
2025 Proposals are due 5PM MST on July 1, with funding starting August 1, 2025.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be members of the CIHD (information on application can be found on our website; cihd.cores.utah.edu). One proposal per applicant will be accepted in each year. A Principal Investigator (PI) must be a tenure track or research track faculty with an appointment of at least 0.75 FTE. Research faculty must have had a two-year residency at their institution prior to funding applications. CIHD members are entitled to re-apply with a proposal distinct from any previous CIHD proposals from past funding periods. CIHD members from outside Utah are welcome to apply if they have an active collaboration with a Utah member of the CIHD.
Proposal Submission (website: cihd.cores.utah.edu)
Proposals will be limited to two pages of narrative on significance, background and proposed studies. All proposals should include a statement of relevance of the proposed project to our CIHD mission objectives, a description of the CIHD cores to be utilized, NIH-style biosketches including current and pending support, a proposed budget and justification page and a page describing plans to submit proposals to NIH/NIDDK for extramural support.
Checklist for Submissison
- Lay Abstract: 1 separate page (250 words maximum)
- Two pages of project description: include significance, scientific premise and approach
- Statement of relevance to our CIHD (within proposal)
- Brief description of CIHD cores to be utilized (within proposal)
- NIH grant submission plans (within proposal)
- NIH-style biosketch
- Current and pending support
- Proposed budget and justification Applications should be submitted as 1 pdf file to anna.beaudin@hsc.utah.edu Proposal Evaluations Proposals will be reviewed by an external review committee. Review will address the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and rank the merits of the various proposals. Confidentiality of this process will be stressed to all reviewers. This group will rank the submitted proposals and make a recommendation for funding to the CIHD Internal Advisory Committee. The review criteria used to evaluate submitted proposals will include: a) Does the proposal have high scientific merit and potential impact? b) Does the proposed work have high potential to leverage extramural funding? c) Does the project meet the CIHD mission objectives stated on our web page and in the publicized funding opportunity? d) Does the project build or strengthen cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts? Not all projects need to build collaborative partnerships, but this is a desired goal of the CIHD Pilot and Feasibility Program. e) Is the applicant an early-stage investigator or a senior investigator with a major new research direction?
Please address any questions or concerns to Anna Beaudin.
CIHD Pilot and Feasibility Program Grant Awards
2024 – 2025
Shannon Buckley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director of Hematology Biorepository
Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Hematology & Hematologic Malignancies
Title: “Role of ubiquitin E3 ligase FBXL6 in hematopoietic development and myelodysplastic syndrome”
Dengke K. Ma, Ph.D.
Investigator, Cardiovascular Research Institute
Associate Professor, Department of Physiology
UCSF School of Medicine
Title: “Investigating the Antioxidant Functions of TMEM161B: Heme Binding and Mechanistic Roles in Human Cells”
2023 – 2024
Ella Nemeth, PhD, University of California Los Angeles: Iron Deficiency enhances endothelial damage in sepsis: the role of heme
Jan Christian, PhD, University of Utah and Jodie Babitt, M.D. Mass General Hospital, Harvard: Analysis of a mouse model of a BMP6 mutation associated with iron overload in humans
2022 – 2023
Anna Beaudin, PhD, University of Utah: Delaying age and obesity-mediated hematopoietic dysfunction with time-restricted feeding.
Dean Tantin, PhD, University of Utah: Test the hypothesis that Oct1 can be used to improve blood cell development.
2021 – 2022
Paul Sigala, PhD, University of Utah: Unraveling the Mechanism and Biological Significance of Hemozoin Motion in Malaria Parasites.
Diane Ward, PhD, University of Utah: The role of macrophage Cyb561a3/Lcytb in lysosomal iron recycling for erythropoiesis.
Iqbal Hamza, PhD University of Maryland, College Park: Interactions of HRG1 heme transporter in reticuloendothelial macrophages.
2020 – 2021
Ryan O’Connell, PhD, University of Utah: The role of Rab27a/b during mitochondria release from maturing erythroblasts
Paul Sigala, PhD, University of Utah: Mechanism of Iron Acquisition by Malaria Parasites
Diane Ward, PhD, University of Utah: The role of the reductases Lcytb and Steap3 in lysosomal iron recycling in macrophages
Adam Hughes, PhD, University of Utah: Elucidating the role of the LON protease in the regulation of cellular iron metabolism.
Robert Christensen, MD, University of Utah: Neonatal iron deficiency; defining pathogenic mechanisms & improving detection.
Tomas Ganz, MD, UCLA: Metabolic Effects of Pathologically Increased Erythroferrone in Anemias with Ineffective Erythropoiesis.
Amy Medlock, PhD, University of Georgia: Creation of Transgenic Zebrafish with Hepatic and Erythroid Expressed Heme Sensors
Yvette Yien, PhD, University of Pittsburg: Regulation of erythroid heme synthesis and vertebrate development by the mitochondrial unfoldase, CLPX.
Francesca Vinchi, PhD, New York Blood Center: Characterization of macrophage immune-metabolic skewing induced by heme, iron and erythrophagocytosis.
Timothy M Barr, MS MD, University of Utah: Iron deficiency in preterm neonates: prevalence, surveillance, contributing factors.
Makiko Yasuda, MD PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai: Investigations of hepatic heme homeostatic mechanisms using ALAS-deficient mice.
2019 – 2020
Ryan O’Connell, PhD, University of Utah: The role of Rab27a/b during mitochondria release from maturing erythroblasts
Paul Sigala, PhD, University of Utah: Mechanism of Iron Acquisition by Malaria Parasites 3.
Diane Ward, PhD, University of Utah: The role of the reductases Lcytb and Steap3 in lysosomal iron recycling in macrophages
2018 – 2019
Dean Tantin, PhD, Tracey Lamb, PhD: Does Oct1 loss-of-function in bone marrow progenitor cells exacerbate the severity of malarial anemia?
Oleh Khalimonchuk, PhD, Amit Reddi, PhD: Mitochondrial Behavior and Heme Transport in Erythropoiesis
Elizabeth Leibold, PhD, University of Utah: Cell-Cycle Regulation of IRP2 Phosphorylation during Hematopoiesis
Amy Medlock, PhD, Amit Reddi, PhD: Creation of Transgenic Zebrafish with Erythroid Expressed Heme Sensors
Ryan O’Connell, PhD University of Utah: Determine the role of Rab27a/b during mitochondria release from maturing erythroblasts
Joe Prchal, University of Utah: Search for Novel Parameters of Augmentation of Erythropoiesis. Deciphering Molecular Differences of VHL Mutated Congenital Polycythemia versus Tumor-Predisposition
Paul Sigala, PhD, University of Utah: Structure and Function of a Divergent Eukaryotic Cytochrome c
Diane Ward, PhD, University of Utah: The role of Abcb10 in red cell hemoglobinization
2017 – 2018
Matthew Barber, PhD, University of Oregon: Host-pathogen conflicts shaping bloodstream hemeprotein evolution
Adam Hughes, PhD, University of Utah: The role of lysosomes in maintenance of cellular iron metabolism
Elizabeth Leibold, PhD, University of Utah: Cell-cycle regulation of IRP2 phosphorylation during hematopoiesis
Paul Sigala, PhD, University of Utah: Role of Acyl Carrier Protein in Iron/Sulfur Cluster Biogenesis by Malaria Parasites
Diane Ward, PhD, University of Utah: The role of Abcb10 in red cell hemoglobinization
2016 – 2017
Dr. Paul Sigala PhD, University of Utah: Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah: the role of the acyl-carrier proteins present in the mitochondria and apicoplast of Plasmodium in iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis in the two organelles and the role of each pathway in the physiology of Plasmodium parasites.
Dr. Amy Medlock PhD, University of Georgia: the role of two novel proteins PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 in modulating heme synthesis in mammalian cells.
Dr. Matt Barber, PhD, University of Oregon: the evolutionary battle between pathogens and primate hosts for access to iron and heme.