Gentzon Hall, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (Nephrology), is passionate about a specialty area of research that is often overlooked by potential funders - the genetically targeted treatment of Familial Nephrotic Syndrome. “This disease doesn’t have many treatments, especially not that are targeted. The few that are targeted have ill-defined effects with general guidelines,” Dr. Hall said. The uncharted territory of this research area left him in a familiar conundrum for many investigators: pursue his passion in an uphill battle or give it up in favor of a more fundable concept.
Hall qualified his decision by applying for the School of Medicine’s Core Facility Voucher Program, an award that, according to Hall, supports investigator innovation by “bringing tangible science to ideas.” The voucher program is designed specifically for researchers like Hall who want to make significant strides in uncharted territory but need more preliminary data to better their chances at gaining funding. The vouchers range from $500 to $10,000 and can be used on any core service or facility.
Hall used his voucher on the Mouse Transgenics Facility, taking his research from a tissue culture setting to a mouse model. The preliminary data he collects will fortify his concept until it is ready for future grant submission.
Multiple voucher winner Brice Weinberg, MD, professor of medicine (Hematology) and Immunology, is also no stranger to the opportunistic nature of this award. The data he gained from his vouchers led to tangible results in multiple grant applications. “These vouchers have allowed us to do things in our Leukemia research we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise,” Dr. Weinberg said. He keeps applying because, “I know whenever we work with these cores that we will get excellent support, I really respect their work.”
David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, professor of medicine (Rheumatology and Immunology) and Immunology, used his DNA Sequencing core voucher to conduct exciting research right on the forefront of immunology science. He is currently analyzing the size and sequence of cell-free DNA in the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease characterized by immune complexes of DNA and antibodies to DNA.
Dr. Pisetsky said his voucher has been instrumental in “developing new ideas on pathogenesis that will be the subject of future papers and grant submissions.”
The Core Facility Voucher Program has actively opened doors for passionate scientists who need sustaining resources until their next big funding opportunity.
Just ask Andrew Armstrong, MD, professor of medicine (Medical Oncology) and Jason Somarelli, PhD, instructor of medicine (Medical Oncology), whose work with So Young Kim, PhD, in the Functional Genomics Core led to a $50,000 grant from the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine and the Children’s Health Discovery Initiative. Their team hopes to provide a unique tool for the Duke scientific community through the new award.
“It's still very much a work in progress, but we are working to give each cancer cell a unique molecular barcode so we can track how populations of cancer cells are bottlenecked during tumor growth, invasion, and chemoresistance,” Dr. Somarelli said.
The School of Medicine is now accepting applications for the Core Facility Voucher Program through April 12. Applications can be submitted through myresearchproposal. A step-by-step guide for applying can be found on the CTSI website page here. More details and further instructions for applying to the voucher program can be found on the School of Medicine Website. Please direct further questions pertaining to the SOM Core Voucher Program to Jennfier Foreman.