Projects Addressing Cataracts, Aggressive Cancer Cells, and Hip Complications Receive ITM Pilot Awards

Projects Addressing Cataracts, Aggressive Cancer Cells, and Hip Complications Receive ITM Pilot Awards

The Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) has selected three winners for its latest round of Pilot Awards that provide $60,000 in funding and ITM resources to kick-start innovative research projects.

The Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) has selected three winners for its latest round of Pilot Awards that provide $60,000 in funding and ITM resources to kick-start innovative research projects.

The winter award-winners from the University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, and RUSH will be working on projects to fight cataracts, combat aggressive cancer cells, and address a common hip condition that most people don’t realize they have.

The ITM has supported more than 35 creative research projects and provided more than $1.9 million to research teams through its Pilot Awards program since 2017. Previous pilot award-winners and finalists have gone on to launch companies, secure millions of dollars in federal funding, build national programs, and more.

Each round applicants submit a one-page letter of intent, and up to 10 finalists are selected to move forward through a range of free ITM resources in creating a full proposal – including one-on-one coaching, a professional video of the project, study design, biostatistics, community feedback forums, and more. All finalists leave with thousands of dollars in science communication training and content to advance their work.

Boards of patients, community members, industry experts, and scientists review the Top 10 projects and watch the public-friendly videos as part of the review and selection process.

Learn more here about the ITM Pilot Awards and submit your one-page letter of intent by Feb. 25, 2024.

Meet the 2023 Chicago ITM Fall Pilot Award Winners

Recycling the Trash from Cataract Surgery to Help People See

“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. We can design a new non-surgical treatment like an eye drop that stops calcium in its tracks and might delay cataracts or even prevent them altogether.” – Eric Beyer

Could A New Treatment Stop Aggressive Cancer Cells?

“Our science has shown that tumors rely on a certain protein to thrive, and now we have found a better way to hold this protein back. We are just one step away from a clinical trial.” – Irida Kastrati

Unlocking Hips: Spreading The Word About a Common But Not Commonly Known Condition

“This silent condition is so often overlooked that it didn’t even have a name until 2003. It’s called Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome or FAIS. The problem is many people who have it don’t have early symptoms.” – Alejandro Espinoza Orías

About the Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM)

The Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) helps you live your best life by making research breakthroughs happen and getting those discoveries into the real world to improve your health as soon as possible.

The ITM is a partnership between the University of Chicago and Rush in collaboration with Advocate Aurora Health Care, Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), Loyola University Chicago, and NorthShore University HealthSystem that’s fueled by about $51 million in grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program.

We’re part of a network of more than 50 CTSA Program-supported hubs across the country working to slash the time it takes to develop and share new treatments and health approaches. We work with you and for you to make participating in health research easy, so that together we improve health care for all.

Join the movement and learn more about how we help researchers, physicians, community members, industry, government organizations, and others. Visit us at chicagoitm.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn @ChicagoITM.

ITM Contact: Sara Serritella, Director of ITM Communications, at sara@chicagoitm.org.

This project is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through Grant Numbers UL1TR002389, KL2TR002387, and TL1TR00238 that fund the Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Be social with us @ChicagoITM

Want to be an ITM Insider? Tell us what you want to know and we'll send it direct to your Inbox.

Copyright © 2024 Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM). All Rights Reserved.