Gavin E. Arteel, PhD

Dr. Gavin Arteel, Director of Pilot and Feasibility

Paul Monga, MD

Dr. Paul Monga, Co-Director of Pilot and Feasibility

The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center sponsors Pilot and Feasibility grants every year, and it collaborates with the Coulter Program to fund grants in translational research.

Pilot and Feasibility Grants

Pilot and Feasibility Grants fund new initiatives and/or support new investigators who are pursuing liver-related research that should lead to R01-type funding or other extramural support at a later date. These awards are for one year, and they provide support for investigators to collect preliminary data sufficient to support a future extramural grant application for independent research and/or to test a novel hypothesis. They are not intended for bridge funding, large projects by established investigators, or supporting or supplementing the ongoing funded research of an investigator.

Three groups of faculty are eligible to apply for Pilot and Feasibility Grants.
  • Track 1 (N). Junior investigators without independent grant support (excluding career development awards) seeking to establish independence in the field of liver research. **This category of applicant will be given preference.**
  • Track 2 (EN). Established investigators with independent grant support—past or present—who have not been involved in liver research and who wish to develop new research directions related to the liver.
  • Track 3 (E). Established investigators working in liver-related research who wish to begin a new project representing a major departure from their previous NIH-funded research.

NEW 2024: PLRC & Community Liver Alliance Cosponsored P&F Award – This award will be available to applicants from underrepresented backgrounds or those who are proposing research addressing liver diseases in underserved communities, healthcare disparities, pathogenesis of sexually dimorphic diseases or other topics with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) focus.

2024 Application Details

Past P&F Awardees:

PLRC 2023-2024 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2022-2023 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2021-2022 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2020-2021 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2019-2020 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2018-2019 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2017-2018 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees
PLRC 2016-2017 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Awardees

Coulter Program – PLRC Joint Awards

The mission of this grant is to provide awardees with the means to develop a viable path to commercialization via a license to an existing commercial entity or the initiation of a startup company through Pitt’s Innovation Institute. The Award is aimed at developing the commercial potential of healthcare solutions that are based on innovative technologies related to liver health, including disease diagnosis, surgery, treatment, and public health. Projects may be medical devices, diagnostics, healthcare IT/software or drug delivery systems.

In 2017, Dr. Paulo Fontes and Dr. Chris Hughes received this award for their project entitled, “Whole-organ sonothrombolysis for prevention of ischemic cholangiopathy in DCD liver transplantation.” For more details, please click here.