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Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience & Therapeutics

Research Support

Table of Contents

CTNT Seed Funding Opportunities

The Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics (CTNT) is accepting applications for seed funds. If interested, please, send Dr. Volker Neugebauer a Letter of Intent with a one-page description of the proposed project including novelty and significance, overall hypothesis, specific aims and proposed experiments/studies. This information will be distributed to CTNT members in advance of your informal chalk talk presentation of the project.

CTNT Seed Fund Key Points and Guidelines

  • Seed funds are for translational research projects, translational being defined broadly as research addressing a clinically relevant “condition”, intervention or target.  In other words, the research itself can be basic science and does not need to be “clinical”.
  • The projects need to lead to a grant application for external funding; the primary goal of seed funds is to generate necessary preliminary data.  At this point, emphasis is on proposals that can reasonably be expected to lead to a grant application by the end of the seed fund period (1 Year). 

Scope and Requirements

Topic

Translational research, defined broadly as research addressing a clinically relevant "condition", intervention or target. Research itself can be basic science and does not need to be "clinical".

Goal

To generate preliminary data and grant applications for external funding by the end of the seed fund period. A viable plan for obtains external funding, including a grant application by the end of the seed grant, is required.

Investigator(s)

Team of CTNT members from basic science and clinical departments; additional Investigators and Consultants can be included.

Budget Request

1 year, $30k maximum (as justified)

How to Apply

Letter of Intent

Submit Letter of intent (LOI) with short description of proposed project, use of funds and plan for external grant application.

Chalktalk

Schedule a chalktalk explaining and discussing the plan to get feedback for full application.

Full Application

If invited to submit a full application, please include the following required materials:

Abstract (NIH style; 1 page)

Specific Aims ( NIH; brief introduction/knowledge gap and goalhypothesis – aims – experiments – impact on field, 1 page)

Significance and Innovation (NIH; 1 page)

Outline of “Experimental Design” (experiments and rationale) and preliminary data needed (2-3 pages)

Budget request (justify; 1 year, up to $30k) 

***Scope and requirements may be adjusted in the future as needed, and any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

Awardees

  • Andrey Karamyshev, PhD, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (PI) and Maria Manczak, PhD, Garrison Institute on Aging (MPI).
    Development of a Model System for Amyloid Precursor Protein Synthesis and Detection.

    Note: CTNT Seed Fund Program is supported by a cooperation with the TTUHSC Office of Research Initiative “Push for Collaborative Grant Submissions / Support for Research Centers of Excellence”

  • PI, Leslie Shen, Pathology; MPI, Volker Neugebauer, Pharmacology & Neuroscience; Co-Investigators, Jean-Michel Brismée, Rehabilitation Science, Mimi Zumwalt, Orthopedic Surgery; TTU Collaborators, Jaehoon Lee, Educational Psychology, Ming-Chien Chyu, Mechanical Engineering, Hui-Ying Luk, Kinesiology & Sport Management; TTU Neuroimaging Center; External Collaborators, Bruce A. Watkins, UC Davis, Tor D. Wager, Dartmouth.
    Tai Chi for pain management: a pilot mechanistic study - Supplement

  • PI, Leslie Shen, Pathology; MPI, Volker Neugebauer, Pharmacology & Neuroscience; Co-Investigators, Jean-Michel Brismée, Rehabilitation Science, Mimi Zumwalt, Orthopedic Surgery; TTU Collaborators, Jaehoon Lee, Educational Psychology, Ming-Chien Chyu, Mechanical Engineering, Hui-Ying Luk, Kinesiology & Sport Management, Michael O'Boyle, Neuroimaging Center; External Collaborator, Bruce A. Watkins, UC Davis.
    Tai Chi for pain management: a pilot mechanistic study

  • Bergeson, S., PhD (PI), Reid, T., PhD, Mitchell, K., MD, 
    Edwards, D., MD, Baronia, R., PhD, Larumbe, E., PhD
    Translational Uses for Chemically Modified Minocyclines

  • Karamyshev, A., PhD (PI), Reddy, H., PhD, Wilms, H., MD, DeToledo, J., MD
    Development of Technology to Identify Markers for Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases

  • Jansen, M, PhD (PI), Dissanaike, S, MD (Co-PI)
    nAChR-alpha7 and RIC-3 expressions in sepsis and modulation by nicotine


    Ganapathy, V., PhD (PI), Lawrence, JJ, PhD (Co-PI), Neugebauer, V, MD, PhD (Co-PI), DeToledo, J, MD
    Characterization of the humanized mouse for SLC13A5, a transporter whose loss of function causes neonatal epilepsy and encephalopathy

  • Yoon, Y, PhD (PI), Wilms, H, MD, and Neugebauer, V, MD, PhD
    Auditory Cortex Implant - Neural responses at primary auditory cortex in response to spectral and temporal signals processed by speech processor


    Reddy, A, PhD (PI), Lawrence, JJ, PhD, DeToledo, J, MD
    Protective effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, Citalopram, against Alzheimer's Disease

Neurophysiology Core

The Neurophysiology Core (Director, Dr. Neugebauer) houses electrophysiology systems (5 setups for ex vivo patch-clamp recordings and optogenetics; 2 setups for in vivo recordings and optogenetics), a newly behavioral suite with a battery of behavioral setups in shielded temperature-, light- and noise-level-controlled rooms with optogenetic tools, and an imaging laboratory with a state-of-the-art in vivo and in vitro multiphoton system with rapid 3D imaging, combined with simultaneous point photoactivation for spatial and temporal analyses of synaptic, cellular and subcellular mechanisms and targets. An imaging and stereology/histology laboratory includes a new Olympus FV3000 confocal microscopy system, a BX51 upright microscope (Olympus) based Computer Assisted Stereology Toolbox (CAST) stereology system, and a new HM525XN Cryostat (Leica). 

Additional areas are designated for animal handling, surgery and postoperative monitoring. Surgical areas are equipped for the induction of preclinical models, stereotaxic implantation of drug delivery and optical stimulation devices, and viral vector injections. Several microdialysis systems and optogenetic stimulation systems are located in the electrophysiology, behavioral and surgical areas. The core facility also contains benches for preparing chemical solutions, manufacturing electrodes for electrophysiology, obtaining and maintaining brain slices, and histological analysis of stained tissues.