The deadline to apply for pilot project funds was November 14, 2008.

Pilot project funding will be available again next year. For more information on CMCR pilot project funding, please see the description below.

Funds are made available through the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington’s Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation (CMCR) to support pilot projects.

The goal of the CMCR pilot projects is to fund novel ideas, not yet supported by preliminary data, and to incorporate new technologies that aim to develop dosimetry and medical products that will allow for dose-appropriate interventions that mitigate the effects of radiation exposure.

The application and funding guidelines are as follows: applications are accepted for up to $100,000 annual direct costs from FHCRC and/or UW faculty members. For applications from faculty outside the FHCRC and UW, applications are limited up to $150,000 in annual total costs (combined direct and indirect costs). Each pilot project may be supported for up to a maximum of two years and does require successful competitive renewal for the second year of funding. Applications for less than the maximum cost limit are strongly encouraged. Funding should be requested in modules of $25,000. The budget requested must be justified by the scope of the scientific work that is proposed.

The project proposals are scored for innovation, potential for addressing radiation protection, and scientific merit. Preference is given to those pilot studies that are thematically related to the current FHCRC/UW CMCR program. The FHCRC/UW CMCR research program focuses on the following areas: (1) dosimetry to determine the dose of radiation exposure (protein and quantitative RT/PCR-based analysis), and (2)  cellular and cytokine therapy for treatment of victims after radiation exposure (bone marrow toxicity).

Previously Funded Projects:

3 Pilot Projects that were selected in Year 2 and funded in Year 3   

• “Post-irradiation protection in vivo by peptide-mediated transduction of anti-apoptotic BH4-domain based drugs”.
  PI: Perry Grigsby, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. This pilot project was awarded $100,000 in direct costs (subcontract to Washington Univ.).
• “Mass spectrometry-based identification of proteins for radiation biodosimetry using the canine model”.
  PI:  Amanda Paulovich, M.D., Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This pilot project was awarded $100,000 in direct costs
• “Labile iron and oxidative stress as targets for mitigation of radiation injury: Evaluation of intravenous curcumin in the dog lethal irradiation model”.
  PI:  Jaakko Parkkinnen, M.D., Ph.D., (Faculty Sponsor, Richard Nash, MD) Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.This pilot project was awarded $100,000 in direct costs in August 2007.

5 Pilot Projects that were selected in Year 1 and funded in Year 2.

• “Development of Novel Radiation Dosimetry Assay Using Antibodies Against Phosphorylated Histones”.
  P.I.: Derek Stirewalt, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  This project was awarded $100,000 direct costs in August 2006.
• “Immunotherapy with Allospecific Treg for Prevention of GVHD from Unmatched Hematopoietic Transplantation in Canines”.
  P.I.: Vijayakrishna K. Gadi, M.D., Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This project was awarded $75,000 (direct) in August 2006. Carry-forward of unobligated funds into Year 3 was requested.
• “Caspase Inhibitors- Novel Radioprotectants”.
  P.I.: Daohong Zhou, Ph.D., Department of Pathology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
  This project was awarded $75,000 (direct cost) in August 2006. However, there was a subsequent 6 month administrative delay in completion of the subcontract award to the University of South Carolina. 
• “Development of Novel Technology for Optimal Cryopreservation of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells”.
  P.I.: Dayong Gao, Ph.D.
  This project was awarded $75,000 (direct cost) as a subcontract to the University of Washington in August 2006. A no-cost extension was requested.
• “HOXB4 mediated expansion and transplantation of dog CD34+ cells”.
  P.I.: Hans-Peter Kiem, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  This project was awarded $75,000 (direct cost).