Grants and Contracts
Congratulations to the following individuals for obtaining extramural funding from federal, state, and/or independent sources between May 1 and July 31, 2026!
NOTE: If any information has been inadvertently omitted, please contact the editor (dflock@lsuhsc.edu) and a correction will be printed in the next issue of The Pulse.
National Institutes of Health – R01
Nicholas Gilpin, PhD (Physiology) (with U. of Florida)
“Reducing Alcohol Drinking with a Nonmuscle Myosin II Small Molecule in Development"
Rebecca Lillis, MD (Medicine/Infectious Diseases) (with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center)
"Next Generation Metabolic Signatures of Infectious Causes of Vaginitis: Small Molecule
Metabolite-Based Biomarkers for Diagnosis, Test-of-Cure, and Prediction of Recurrence”
Samarpan Majumder, PhD (Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology)
“Protein S, a Natural Anticoagulant, Controls Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by
Mediating both Antitumor and Antithrombotic Effects”
National Institutes of Health – F30
Kaitlin Couvillion, MD/PhD candidate
“Immune-Mediated Hepatocyte Injury: Interplay of Alcohol and T Cells”
National Institutes of Health – F31
Mary Catherine Dematteo, PhD candidate
“Mechanistic and Functional Analysis of Interpeduncular Nucleus Circuitry Following
Adolescent Alcohol Exposure”
National Institutes of Health – F32
Thomas Kyllo, PhD candidate
“Amygdala Circuits Mediate Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Effects on Pain”
National Institutes of Health – Other Transaction Award
Judd Shellito, MD (Medicine/Pulmonary and Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology)
“Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER)”
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
Young Lee, MD (Neurosurgery)
“Specimen Collection for the Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Biomarkers
in Adults”
Pharmaceutical, Professional Society and Private Grants
Jameel Ahmed, MD (Medicine/Cardiology)
Abbott Laboratories
“Abbott Lab Fellowship in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology”
Tara Castellano, MD (Obstetrics/Gynecology)
Biotherapeutics, LLC
“A Phase 2, Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of TORL-1-23 In Women in Advanced
Platinum-Resistant Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (Including Primary Peritoneal and Fallopian
Tube Cancers) Expressing Claudin 6”
Kyle Crawford, MD and Tanvi Chokshi, MD (Ophthalmology)
ACGME Back to Bedside
“Support of Trainee-led Projects Impacting Patient Engagement and the Learning Environment
in Powerful, Meaningful Ways"
Stephen Lindsey, MD (Medicine/Rheumatology)
UCB Biopharma SRL
“A Multicenter, Open-Label Extension Study to Assess the Long-Term Safety and Tolerability
of Dapirolizumab Pegol Treatment in Study Participants with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”
Michelle Loch, MD (Internal Medicine/Hematology-Oncology)
Jazz Pharmaceuticals
“A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Multicenter, Controlled Study to Evaluate the
Efficacy and Safety of Zanidatamab in Combination with Physician’s Choice Chemotherapy
Compared to Trastuzumab in Combination with Physician’s Choice Chemotherapy”
Michelle Loch, MD (Internal Medicine/Hematology-Oncology)
Pfizer, Inc.
“Phase 3 Study of PF-07248144 Plus Fulvestrant Compared to Investigator’s Choice of
Therapy in Adult Participants with Hormone Recepector-Postive, Her2-Negative Advanced/Metastiatic
Breast Cancer”
Kevin Lord, PhD (Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Experimental Therapeutics)
Phoenix Life Sciences, Inc.
“Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Haptics Procedural Training Platform”
Shelby MacRae, MD (Medicine/Pulmonary Critical Care)
GlaxoSmithkline Pharmaceuticals
“A Phase 2 Randomized, Double-blind, Multi-center Placebo-controlled Study to Investigate
Safety, Tolerability, Immunogenicity, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of GSK3862995B
in Participants with Non-cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis (NCFB)”
Alison Smith, MD, PhD (Surgery)
Our Lady of the Lake Health System
“The Metabolomics, Proteins, and Inflammatory Markers Associated with REBOA Use in
Trauma Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries”