WashU Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital awards 18 investigators as part of the 18th annual Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP). The CTRFP is the largest internal grant funding program of the ICTS. Applicants are required to submit proposals for projects that promote the translation of scientific discoveries into improvements in human health. For 2025, awards were considered across three project categories: clinical/translational, community-engaged research, and biostatistics, epidemiology, and research design.
This year the CTRFP received around 90 letters of intent and awarded approximately $1M for investigator-initiated projects. These grants are supported with funding from the ICTS, The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital and ICTS partner institutions: Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Funding is made available to the 2025 awardee cohort effective March 1, 2025.
PI: Monika Bambouskova, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research
Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MVD) causes hyper-IgD syndrome (HIDS), which is marked by frequent fevers and inflammatory episodes. Current treatments help to manage symptoms but do not address the underlying metabolic problem which could help to mitigate the inflammatory episodes. Our early results show that supplementing geranylgeraniol (GG) in patients with HIDS reduced inflammation and may help correct the root cause of HIDS. We plan to further investigate how GG works in HIDS and develop better ways to monitor its effects, with the hope of creating a new treatment option for MVD.
PI: Jennifer Bello Kottenstette, MD, MS
Saint Louis University School of Medicine: Department of Family & Community Medicine
While evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) exist, there are no studies that evaluate the impact of medications for OUD on fertility, forcing women to make treatment decisions without essential information. To address this reproductive justice issue, we will measure menstrual cycle patterns and biological markers of fertility among women seeking treatment for OUD. Findings will directly inform patient-centered counseling so women can make treatment decisions in line with their reproductive goals. Long-term community benefits include improving the health of birthing people and their families who have disproportionately suffered harm from the opioid epidemic.
PI: Marlene Cano, MD, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
The goal of this proposal is to identify therapies to prevent or treat the development of chronic rejection that can be readily translated to impact the survival of our patients after lung transplantation. The project will focus on understanding the role of several key autophagy genes in the development of early rejection. We will investigate several key autophagy genes in a mouse model of chronic rejection and then translate our findings to human lung recipients with hypofunctioning polymorphisms in these key autophagy genes. This proposal will provide essential preliminary data for subsequent external funding with the goal of elucidating the mechanisms contributing to chronic rejection.
PI: Siyan Cao, MD, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic and challenging disease involving the esophagus. EoE commonly causes problems with swallowing, food stuck in the esophagus, and even malnutrition. Dupilumab was approved by the FDA to treat EoE in 2022. However, physicians often have difficulty deciding which patients have a better chance of benefiting from dupilumab. Here, we focus on two types of immune cells called Th2 cells and ILC2s that are culprits in the development of EoE. Using tissue and blood samples collected from EoE patients before and after starting dupilumab, we intend to identify novel biomarkers that help determine which patients are more likely to respond to dupilumab.
PI: Adam Eggebrecht, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Radiology, Division of Radiological Sciences
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a high-risk life support technique for patients with cardiac and/or pulmonary failure. While ECMO has improved survival, neurologic morbidity remains high, often stemming from neurologic injury incurred during the life-saving efforts. Neurologic morbidity occurring on ECMO may be preventable or reversible with early detection, though current technology for bedside assessment is limited. Herein, we will advance high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) methods for safe, reliable, bedside neuroimaging capable of providing detailed information about the risk, presence, and potential mechanisms of neurologic injury on ECMO.
PI: Maithe Enriquez, PhD
University of Missouri – Columbia: Sinclair School of Nursing
To date, our community-health-academic partnership has focused mainly on the problem of excess Type 2 diabetes mellitus in our Hispanic communities at the individual level. We wish to take our work to the next level: community-level interventions. This proposed research study is an essential step so that our academic-health-community partnership is well-positioned to develop future research endeavors. Findings will allow us to set short and long-term research goals that focus on the community’s perceived top health needs and challenges.
PI: Valene Garr Barry, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
This project aims to help pregnant women with heart problems and high blood pressure by using a simple, non-invasive tool called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to track body fluid levels. Body fluid changes can be an early warning sign of serious conditions like preeclampsia, which are dangerous for both mom and baby. In the short-term, this study hopes to find better ways to detect and manage these issues earlier by using BIA in the hospital and at home before and after pregnancy. Long-term, our goal is to develop standards and guidelines to improve care and outcomes for mothers with heart problems or high blood pressure and their babies.
PI: Richard Griffey, MD, MPH
WashU Medicine: Department of Emergency Medicine
Diabetic patients are at risk for developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous but reversible complication. Traditional treatment includes intravenous insulin administration which requires an intensive care unit (ICU). We developed a protocol using an injectable insulin for less severe DKA that has equal or improved safety, time to recovery, patient satisfaction and avoids costly admission to an ICU. We are now studying how to best export this protocol with some added safety features for uptake in community hospitals. We are partnering with a tele-consult service providing real-time guidance for nurses, monitoring fidelity and effectiveness of outcomes for patients.
PI: Jeffrey Henderson, MD, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
We will develop new technology to enable rapid diagnosis of common infections within the time frame of an office visit. This new technology will help physicians provide the correct treatment in the office without the need to re-establish communication at a later time point. This has the potential to improve outcomes for all patients, including those for whom re-establishing contact is challenging. In this proposal we will focus on E.coli urinary tract infections, which disproportionately affect women and have the potential to progress to more severe infection if appropriate treatment is delayed.
PI: Laura Hennefield, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Psychiatry
This project addresses the pressing need for tools to identify suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children aged 4-7. Although young children can experience STBs, current screening tools and guidelines often overlook this age group, partly due to challenges in directly assessing young children. We developed a promising caregiver-report screener that identified at-risk children. This study will evaluate the screener’s feasibility and effectiveness in clinical settings, gather feedback from clinicians and caregivers, and refine the screening process. The goal is to facilitate early intervention, improving mental health care and outcomes for young children.
PI: Andrew Janowski, MD, MSCI
WashU Medicine: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases
Millions of patients develop inflammation of the brain each year but the triggers often remain a mystery. Astroviruses are a group of viruses that commonly infect humans and were recently discovered to infect the brain. However, no current test exists to diagnose these infections of the brain. We will develop a new test to detect astrovirus infection. This new tool can be used in the future by medical providers to diagnose astrovirus infections. This will also provide us important knowledge about the triggers of brain inflammation. We can also use this test to determine if astroviruses cause other diseases in humans.
PI: Brett Maricque, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Genetics
The Black Genome Project takes a people-first approach to advancing equity in genomics and precision medicine. We center Black communities in St. Louis and seek to understand how genomics is impacting Black St. Louisans and how they value their genomic data. Here we focus on disseminating our research findings in St. Louis through a museum exhibit co-created with our community partners. Over time, we aim to highlight opportunities for greater equity in genomics and precision medicine. In the short-term, community members will benefit from community-based genomics education, safe and thoughtful spaces to discuss genetics and health, and a genuine voice in the future of genetics research.
PI: Virginia McKay, MA, PhD
WashU Brown School: School of Social Work
This project aims to improve community health in St. Louis by expanding access to HIV and STI testing, particularly in areas with high diagnosis rates. Many young adults, especially Black adults and men who have sex with men, are disproportionately affected. With the support of a collaborative of service providers, we will 1 – involve new organizations in attending to sexual health and 2 – expand a take home HIV testing program provided by the St. Louis City Department of Health to include STI test kits. We will evaluate our ability to increase testing, detect infections early, and ultimately reduce HIV and STI rates for a healthier community.
PI: Joshua Mitchell, MD, MSCI
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
The HER2HEART-US study aims to protect the hearts of breast cancer patients receiving HER2-targeted therapy, like trastuzumab, which can cause heart damage. By testing common heart medications, this research seeks to prevent heart problems, ensuring patients can safely continue their cancer treatment without stopping potentially life-saving cancer therapies. In the long term, the findings may guide new treatment standards, benefiting the broader community of patients with breast cancer.
PI: Michael Paley, MD, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Rheumatology
Many autoimmune conditions are difficult to recognize by physicians due to the limited number of laboratory tools available to assist in diagnosis. This proposal seeks to develop a new diagnostic test for the autoimmune disease axial spondyloarthritis based on the measurement of disease-causing immune cells. Successful completion of this proposal will form the basis of a new tool to assist clinicians, but also serve as a proof-of-concept for other autoimmune diseases. We believe this will have long-term benefits not just for the axial spondyloarthritis population, but also for additional autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and others.
PI: Ignacio Portales Castillo, MD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Nephrology
Kidney failure is a devastating condition for which patients require dialysis or transplant to survive. Researchers found a hereditary form of kidney failure caused by mutations in a gene called GATM. GATM is the gene for a protein called AGAT. When AGAT is mutated, it loses the capacity to synthesize creatine normally and instead, a less functional AGAT accumulates in kidney cells leading to injury. Creatine, a benign supplement, can reduce AGAT production and restore energy. We developed a genetic mouse that has the human disease. If creatine can prevent renal failure in our mouse, we can use creatine, a benign supplement to prevent renal failure in humans with GATM mutations.
PI: Joel Schilling, MD, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
In this proposal we will explore a novel, non-invasive imaging test that could improve the care of patients with metabolic liver disease, the number one cause of liver failure. In the short term, our imaging test could improve the ability to diagnose liver inflammation with metabolic disease, which would identify patients at high risk of worsening liver disease and/or heart disease. Moreover, disease activity can be followed over time with our imaging tool, and thus could inform the response to medications or diet changes in patients. In the long term, this modality could also be used to help assess the efficacy of new treatments for metabolic liver disease in humans.
PI: Siobhan Sutcliffe, PhD
WashU Medicine: Department of Surgery, Public Health Sciences
Improving maternal health outcomes in southeastern MO requires a deep awareness of the regional challenges facing this underserved rural region. To accomplish this, we have assembled a team of community-academic researchers with immense respect for this region, its people, and way of life, to co-develop a community-driven path forward for improving maternity care delivery. Successful completion of this project will lead to a richer understanding of the context-specific factors fomenting perinatal health disparities in the region and the development of new, culturally and geographically competent models of maternity care.