catalyst & discovery awards...

CATALYST &DISCOVERY

AWARDSCELEBRATION

Catalyst Awards provide up to $75,000 for individuals with between three and 10 years of experience in a faculty position who are undertaking exceptional research or creative endeavors. The awards help these individuals launch their promising careers during the crucial years when startup funds are depleted and external funding or other support may be elusive.

Discovery Awards focus on sparking new interactions among faculty from across the university. Teams receive up to $150,000, and a number of the awards are reserved for faculty teams that will use the funds to get started while they seek an externally funded, large-scale grant or cooperative agreement.

“We know that our investment cannot replace robust federal funding for the

essential creative and investigative work of our university’s scholars and researchers,” said President Daniels at the 2015 awards celebration. “But we also know that when

it comes to sparking your discoveries, we just can’t wait.”

2016“We are excited to provide these scholars and scientists essential financial support at a crucial moment in their promising careers. Funding can be a significant challenge for faculty in the early years. The Catalyst Awards are a show of support for their intellect and creativity and an investment in the ideas and discoveries they will bring to light.” - President Daniels

Johns Hopkins UniversityCatalyst Awards

2016 Johns Hopkins UniversityCatalyst Awards

Art BraggAssistant Professor of Chemistry, KSASAmplified light harvesting through intramolecular biexciton generation: How does molecular structure allow 2 excitations for the price of 1? Research addresses poorly understood relationships between molecular structure, structural dynamics, and electronic relaxation in organic materials that enable a recently recognized intramolecular pathway for biexciton formation.

Deidra CrewsAssociate Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, SOMFood Insecurity and Longitudinal Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: Research will determine the longitudinal association of food insecurity with risk of kidney function decline, incident reduced kidney function and incident albuminuria; and determine the extent to which dietary patterns over time mediate the association of food insecurity with adverse kidney outcomes.

Honggang CuiAssistant Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, WSEUnderstanding the Bundling Behavior of Supramolecular Polymers: Research seeks to provide insight into the fundamental question in the design and application of ordered supramolecular polymers and their networks: what are the key factors (e.g. bundling and growth kinetics) that regulate the mechanical properties of the resultant supramolecular networks?

Amy DuffieldAssistant Professor of Pathology and Oncology, SOMDamaged DNA Response in FLT3/ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia: an Achilles Heel and Potential Therapeutic Target: A combination of in vivo and in vitro research expects to culminate in the ability to suggest new treatment strategies for FLT3/ITD acute myeloid leukemia, potentially providing an impetus for clinical trials using DNA damage response inhibitors in the treatment of this poor prognosis leukemia.

Priya DuggalAssociate Professor of Epidemiology, BSPHGenetic Susceptibility to Acute Flaccid Myelitis: This study aims to prevent future children from suffering from lifelong paralysis or physical limitations due to an easily transmittable viral infection. Research will increase our understanding of the genetic correlates of susceptibility to neurotropic viruses and thus enable tailoring and deploying specific antiviral therapies more effectively.

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Amy FosterAssistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, WSESilicon Photonic Physical Uncloneable Functions: By developing a new type of optical physical unclonable function using a reverberant photonic microcavity fabricated in an integrated silicon photonic platform, this research will create an improved alternative for storing personal information with a wide range of applications from mobile devices to credit cards to medical equipment.

Mark FosterAssistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, WSEBeyond the Lens: Gigapixel Microscopy using Scattering Optics and Computational Recovery: Research will develop microscopes that rely on the random yet deterministic physics of multiply scattering media to circumvent the space bandwidth product limitations of conventional refractive lens-based systems, beginning with a focus on rapid wide-FOV fluorescent microscopy.

Sonia FrancoAssociate Professor of Molecular Radiation Sciences and Oncology, SOMOrganoids to Study Glioma Radioresistance: Research will bring together for the first time brain organoid and glioma organoid technology to develop a novel “GBM-in-a-brain-in-a-dish” system. The work will start to validate this system to study radiation responses of normal neurons as well as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells as they multiply within an in vitro organized neural tissue.

Yulia FrumerAssistant Professor of the History of Science and Technology, KSASNature’s Grandchildren: Engineering the Humanoid Form in Japanese Robotics: Research will investigate the Japanese fascination with humanoid robots in order to better understand the cultural and psychological underpinnings of technological design. The study aims to make explicit the role of psychology and cognition in the history of technological development.

Andrew HollandAssistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, SOMGenome wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens to identify mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer: Research aims to develop a rapid, robust and cost-effective screening platform to probe the molecular etiology of antimitotic drug resistance. The novel hypotheses on the mechanism of paclitaxel resistance are testable and have immediate clinical implications in the treatment of paclitaxel resistant tumors.

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Paula HurleyAssistant Professor of Urology and Oncology, SOMASPN Regulation of MSC “Stemness” and Self-renewal: Research seeks to understand how Asporin (ASPN) regulates mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) “stemness” and self-renewal and how this translates to regulating plasticity in cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Work will provide a novel framework for future research in identifying how CAFs in the tumor microenvironment promote cancer progression.

Hongkai JiAssociate Professor of Biostatistics, BSPHComparative Functional Genomics Based on Massive Amounts of Publicly Available Omics Data: Research will deliver a new method for comparative functional genomics that removes two major bottlenecks of this field, and an initial catalog of cis-regulatory elements (i.e., DHSs) and genes with conserved/ diverged DNase I hypersensitivity or gene expression profiles between human and mouse.

Robert JohnstonAssistant Professor of Biology, KSASGrowing Human Retinas in a Dish to Understand how Color-Detecting Photoreceptors are Specified: Research unites three cutting edge principles: the use of human iPSC-derived tissue to study cell fate specification; the study of the poorly understood yet critical process of stochastic gene expression; and the incorporation of imaging to study how the architecture of the nucleus controls gene expression.

Atsushi Kamiya Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, SOMNovel Drug Targets from Traditional Chinese Medicine: Research will identify the dectin-1-mediated downstream signaling responsible for antidepressant effect of pachyman in support of an ultimate goal of identifying novel drug targets based on the mechanisms underlying the effect of traditional Chinese medicine for treating stress-associated psychiatric conditions.

Jared KaplanAssistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy, KSASA Universal Approach to Quantum Gravity: Research aims to model quantum gravity using two robust tools: Effective Field Theory and the Conformal Bootstrap. Both have had a huge impact on particle physics and condensed matter, but have seen far less application to quantum gravity research. Insights gained will have tremendous potential to advance the fundamental understanding of the universe.

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Chulan KwonAssociate Professor of Medicine, Heart & Vascular Institute, SOMNeuronal Control of Heart Muscle in A Dish: Research will develop a humanized ‘neuromodulation in a dish’ model, which may enable control of heart muscle cells through optogenetic manipulation. This study will establish a novel neuron-cardiac circuitry in vitro, providing a unique opportunity to study human autonomic conditions relevant to cardiac maturation and neuron-mediated heart diseases.

Young-Sam LeeAssistant Professor of Biology, KSASIdentification of Endogenous Ligands for Orphan Nuclear Receptors (NRs): Research will identify and characterize endogenous ligands for orphan NRs, which play important roles in many normal and pathological processes and are clinically important targets. Initial targets include NR4A1 and NR6A1 because of their importance in cancer and in stem cell development.

Tobias MarriageAssistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy, KSASVerifying and Characterizing Inflation Using the Next Generation of CMB Data: Research will improve our understanding of the origin and the invisible constituents of the universe through a unique study of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) using up-coming data from the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) and the Advanced Atacama Cosmology Telescope (AdvACT).

Tyrel McQueenAssociate Professor of Chemistry, KSASElucidating and Harnessing Non-Diffusion-Limited Solid State Reactivity for “Materials by Design”: Research will demonstrate the generality of non-diffusion limited solid state chemical reactions, laying the foundation upon which to transform the way solid state materials synthesis is approached and to develop a comprehensive view of topochemical reactivity.

Ellen MowryAssociate Professor of Neurology, SOMPotential health Benefits of Intermittent Calorie Restriction in MS Patients by Evaluating the Treatment Effect on the Metabolome: Research will assess mediating effects of intermittent calorie restriction on the metabolome in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and establish joint effects of intermittent calorie restriction on the oral/gut microbiome and the metabolome.

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Sua MyongAssociate Professor of Biophysics, KSASGene Silencing Induces Transcriptional Burst: Research will employ single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) to visualize and quantitate mRNA target genes in individual cells while they undergo RNA silencing in order to investigate how cells modulate gene expression activity in response to gene silencing imposed by RNAi. This study will uncover a novel mechanism of gene regulation.

Shreesh MysoreAssistant Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences, KSASInvestigating a Pull-Push Neural Circuit for Spatial Attention Control: Research adopts a midbrain-centric, hypothesis-driven approach to study attention in the mouse. This model harnesses the power of genetic strategies and cutting edge tools for neural interrogation and circuit dissection, and permits the study of neural mechanisms of attention in naturalistic and ethologically relevant settings.

Chiadi NdumeleAssistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, SOMBaseline and Longitudinal Differences in Metabolomic Profiles in Bariatric Surgery Patients with and without Myocardial Dysfunction: Research examines the association of obesity with pathways already implicated in the development and progression of myocardial dysfunction, increasing current understanding of how body fat and its distribution impact cardiac function.

Thao (Vicky) NguyenAssociate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, WSECollagen Mechanochemistry: Research will investigate, using a micromechanical modeling approach, the role of collagen mechanochemistry in the growth and remodeling of collagen tissues. Ultimately, the proposed work will lead to a micromechanical modeling framework that can be applied to study the effect of connective tissue growth and remodeling in the pathogenesis of glaucoma.

Anand PandianAssociate Professor of Anthropology, KSASThis Plastic Life: An Anthropological Inquiry: Research will examine the production, consumption and disposal of disposable plastic consumer goods in the United States. Stories of individuals, places, and objects will be gathered through anthropological field research as means of reflecting on the ethical and environmental stakes of American relationships with disposable things.

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Emilia SimeonovaAssistant Professor of Economics, Carey Business SchoolThe Effects of Household Income Shocks on Child Wellbeing: Research will investigate the link between unconditional cash transfers, casino operations, and maternal, infant and child health, by examining the mechanism linking casino cash transfers to increases in individual income, changes in other factors of SES such as employment and fertility choices, and finally to maternal, infant, and child health outcomes.

David SteinbergAssistant Professor of International Political Economy, SAISVoting for Capital Mobility: The Mass Political Economy of International Financial Regulation: Research examines why large numbers of developing countries removed controls on international capital flows between 1985 and 2015. Building on prior findings, Steinberg will investigate whether the mass public influenced government decisions about international financial policy in case studies in Argentina, China, South Korea, and Uruguay.

Winston TimpAssistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, WSEExpanding the Nanopore DNA alphabet to 5-hmC and 6-mA: Research explores the interaction between the microbiome and the epigenome in the context of cancer through the development of a novel epigenetic characterization methodology capable of directly interrogating methylated DNA using a nanopore, involving direct sequencing of both bases and their modifications.

Tracy VannorsdallAssistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Neurology, SOMReducing Cancer-related Fatigue and Improving Cognition with Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation: Research is a critical first step towards development of a treatment to address a tremendous unmet need for effective, low-cost, available, and safe therapy for the debilitating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction experienced by breast cancer survivors and those with a variety of other neurocognitive disorders.

Jiou WangAssociate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, BSPHSolving the mystery of cell specificity in neurodegeneration: Research involves building the first experimental system to study cell specificity in neurodegeneration in model organisms. These studies could have a far-reaching impact on the field of neurodegeneration and have the potential to shed light on the regulatory program governing the neuron specificity of the degeneration that occurs in ALS.

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“Over the last year, the inaugural Catalyst cohort accomplished incredible feats in their research, built new collaborative partnerships, and engaged with their fellow awardees and the BDPs in mentoring sessions. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming this second cohort and celebrating their professional growth and accomplishments—of which I’m sure there will be many—with them throughout the coming year.”

Vice Provost for Research Denis Wirtz

Zhibin WangAssistant Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering, BSPH -synuclein’s Neurotoxicity in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is Through Interfering High Order Chromatin: Research investigates whether exposure-upregulated −Syn interferes the high order chromatin to change the expression of PD-related genes, thereby contributing to PD pathogenesis. The study will clarify if environmental exposure alone or environment-gene interaction contributes to the majority of PD cases.

Michael WolfgangAssociate Professor of Biological Chemistry, SOMDeconstructing Human Metabolism via Engineered Synthetic Circuitry: Research will enable a circuit level understanding of human metabolic pathways through the design of a modular, bi-orthogonal platform to regulate endogenous enzymes. Proof-of-principle will be demonstrated through decoding the human de novo fatty acid biosynthetic regulatory circuit.

Laura WoodAssistant Professor of Pathology and Oncology, SOMMolecular Drivers of Key Transitions in Pancreatic Neoplasia: Research will identify the genetic alterations underlying key transitions in pancreatic tumorigenesis, such as those between low-grade and high-grade precursor lesions, as well as the transition to invasive cancer, and will also study another critical feature of precancerous lesions in the pancreas: genetic heterogeneity.

Nadia ZakamskaAssistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy, KSASPath to leadership in radio astronomy: Research will build on the previously discovered relationship between the radio emission associated with supermassive black holes in centers of galaxies and the galactic ionized gas with new projects that will demonstrate the power of using radio observations in synergy with multi-wavelength data and put forward further testable hypotheses for the nature of the radio population.

2016“We are once again inspired by the creative and collaborative proposals received from throughout our university. These awards provide our faculty the resources to develop interdisciplinary research programs and knit together expertise across Johns Hopkins to pursue novel research questions in a daunting funding environment.” - President Daniels

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Johns HopkinsDiscoveryAwards

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A New Approach to Engineering Enzymes for BioremediationSteven Rokita (KSAS) & Jeff Gray (WSE)In a new strategy for combating soil and water pollution, the team seeks to broaden the substrate tolerance and promote rapid reaction with many types of halophenols. The ROSETTA suite of programs developed in part by Dr. Gray will allow for a fitness screen on a scale that is unattainable through convention methods. They aim for a modest increase in catalysis in the first year, which will be sufficient to validate the proficiency of ROSETTA at guiding the redesign of an active site. These results will form the foundation of a large scale investigation for optimizing the first generation of enzyme variants for practical application in bioremediation of halophenols. Their ultimate goal is to develop new enzymes that rival their native counterparts in reaction efficiency but express a specificity appropriate for agricultural and industrial materials.

A Systems Framework for the Societal Costs of Antimicrobial Resistance & Use in Global Food Animal ProductionAnthony So (BSPH), Reshma Ramachandran (BSPH), Dave Love (BSPH), Roni Neff (BSPH), Keeve Nachman (BSPH), Chris Heaney (BSPH), Meghan Davis (BSPH), Sauleh Siddiqui (WSE), Anton Korinek (KSAS), Karen Carroll (SOM), Trish Perl (SOM), Jessica Fanzo (SAIS/BIB)This collaborative effort will estimate the global cost to both producers and society of transitioning towards alternative food animal agriculture and aquaculture models that involve lower use of antimicrobials. This will entail developing a systems modeling framework that facilitates quantification of the relative influence of different of animal production models across countries, taking into consideration variation in factors such as size of production operations, types of animals produced, labor structure, trends in meat consumption, among others. These estimates will ultimately yield a framework for countries to develop and implement policies towards more sustainable food animal production models that lower the use of antibiotics and thus, curb the global threat of antimicrobial resistance.

Can Toxoplasma Genes Influence Human Psychopathology? Mikhail Pletnikov (SOM) & Isabelle Coppens (BSPH)The proposed research will provide the ultimate answer to the long-standing and highly controversial question about the role of the T. gondii gene in production of excessive amount of dopamine that could result in behavioral disorders consistent with human psychiatric conditions. From a mental health standpoint, confirming the main hypothesis will provide a completely new view of the pathogenesis of behavioral and cognitive disorders associated with chronic T. gondii infection. This scenario will lead to the development of new approaches to treatment of psychiatric conditions in people exposed to T. gondii. Besides these immediate treatment benefits, our proposal will also significantly advance our knowledge of how microbial pathogens “manipulate” the host’s behavior.

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Child Obesity in Low-Income AA Populations: Neurobehavioral & Environmental Influences Susan Carnell (SOM), Joel Gittelsohn (BSPH), Rachel Thornton (SOM), Kathryn Edin (KSAS/BSPH), Keri Rosch (SOM), Stewart Mostofsky (SOM)Low-income, minority children are at increased risk of becoming obese but not all do. The team proposes that this individual variation results from the combined effects of individual biobehavioral factors and family and community environment factors. They will recruit a cohort of low-income African-American children in Baltimore and assess neural and behavioral food responses along with family and community food environments. They will also interview families, exploring motivations, barriers and risk/resilience behaviors that may not be captured using existing validated measures. Using this rich, multi-faceted dataset, they aim to characterize neurobehavioral and environmental risk and resilience factors that could explain individual variation in weight within low-income settings.

Defining the Primitive Olfactory-Like Chemosensory Signaling in Airway Smooth MuscleSteven An (BSPH), Jennifer Pluznick (SOM), Lakshmi Santhanam (SOM)The primary objective of this proposal is to identify the full complement of ‘sensory’ G protein-coupled receptors in the lung, and decipher their physiological functions applying the cross-disciplinary integrative approaches. This offers an altogether fresh conceptual framework in which ‘sensory’ receptors in the lung may be exploited to discover novel drug targets for obstructive lung disease. If successful, the knowledge gained from these studies may fundamentally transform our understanding of extraoral ‘sensory’ receptors in the lung and set forth a new line of research that has the potential to trace the single most primitive feature of asthma-excessive constriction of airway smooth muscle (ASM).

Engineered Human Red Blood Cells for Modeling and Treating Malaria and Other Infectious DiseasesLinzhao Cheng (SOM) & David Sullivan (BSPH) This cross-divisional collaboration will determine if genetically modified erythrocytes generated from human stem cell in culture can be used to establish a robust experimental system and platform for blood-borne infectious diseases such as deadly malaria by Plasmodium falciparum (P.f.) parasites. As a proof-of-principle, they will combine CRISPR-mediated precise genome-editing technology with iPSC-initiated erythrocyte production to make a large numbers of erythrocytes lacking cell-surface CD55 and/or producing secreted forms of CD55. These precisely engineered erythrocytes would be useful to establish a cell-base assay to identify and confirm newly identified P.f. partner (ligands) especially for those P.f. strains that became resistant to malaria drugs such as quinine and artemisinin, and for new vaccine development.

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Hyperspectral Imaging in Human CancerNita Ahuja (SOM), Amit Banerjee (APL), Bashar Safar (SOM), Laura Wood (SOM)Oncologic imaging is an emerging field to improve outcomes in management of cancers. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a form of oncologic imaging that is an exciting emerging tool for medical applications. However, applications of HSI are still in their infancy. Their preliminary data suggests that HSI signatures can identify colorectal cancers with high sensitivity and specificity, suggesting the feasibility of developing this novel technology for medical applications. The team proposes the first study investigating the feasibility of HSI to identify malignant tissues in the operating room, first focusing on HSI as an oncologic imaging tool in colorectal cancer as this is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US. Their long-term goal is to develop HSI as a tool for early detection of cancers and as an intraoperative tool for optimal management of cancers.

Identifying and Drugging the “Essentialome” of a Pathogenic EukaryoteKyle Cunningham (KSAS), Winston Timp (WSE), Brendan Cormack (SOM)The team will develop two complementary technologies that (1) can identify all essential genes in pathogenic eukaryote, including the highly lethal “CTG-clade” pathogens Candida albicans, C. lusitaniae, or C. guilliermondii that have an altered genetic code and (2) can render each of those essential genes “druggable” with an existing two-drug cocktail such that both immediate and long-term functions can be studied. The latter technology therefore models the action of hundreds of would-be mechanistic antibiotics before any effort is made to discover and develop them. These two new technologies, termed Hermes insertion profiling (HIP) and doxycycline-auxin dual depletion (DADD) have transformative potential for functional genomics projects of the future, and for streamlining development of future antibiotics and anticancer therapeutics.

JHU mHealth Collaborative for FathersArik Marcell (SOM), Tim Nelson (KSAS), Alain Labrique (BSPH), Sara Johnson (SOM), Amy Tsui (BSPH)The goal of this project is to build upon the cross-divisional strengths of JHU faculty and existing resources to develop an innovative technology-based platform to deliver current evidence-based approaches to engage fathers from pregnancy through early childhood. They are particularly interested in developing content that is scientifically valid and informed by behavior change theory and grounded in social theory and current knowledge of low-income, non-resident fathers to deliver content and approaches that can especially reach non-resident fathers. If found to be efficacious, this father-focused mHealth intervention will be an innovative strategy to engage fathers where currently few exist.

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Leveraging Mendelian Disorders to Map Functionally Relevant Epigenetic VariationKasper Hansen (BSPH) & Hans Bjornsson (SOM)This team will map epigenetic changes shared by different disorders by profiling chromatin using ATAC-sequencing and DNA methylation using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in mouse models for three distinct genetic abnormalities: defects in Kmt2d (Kabuki syndrome, type 1), Kdm6a (Kabuki syndrome, type 2) and Crebbp (Rubinstein-Taybi, type 1). All three syndromes have overlapping neurological phenotypes (hippocampal memory defects) and immune abnormalities. This study will reveal to what extent disease relevant epigenetic changes are shared or not shared between distinct cell types, an open question in epigenetics. The extent of epigenetic variation within either dataset among individual conditions and tissue types will help them robustly plan future experiments on patients from this group of disorders.

Molecular Signatures of Malaria in BreathDavid Sullivan (BSPH), Joany Jackman (APL), Conor McMeniman (BSPH)The development of a diagnostic device that could detect a breath analyte signature indicative of malaria infection could reach more people than the present clinical blood-based screening. Towards this goal, the team will identify a diagnostic signature pattern for malaria infection in breath, using complementary techniques to collect breath volatiles, and also small molecules in breath condensate using a combination of analytic mass spectrometry and immune assays. This work will examine higher density parasite burdens in the two most common human malaria species P. falciparum and P. vivax during Bangladesh field studies, and in patients admitted to the JH hospitals. After defining these molecules, they will incorporate these biomarkers into point of care tests.

Molecular Spectroscopic Studies of Energy Conversion Reactions at Electrochemical InterfacesChao Wang (WSE), David Gracias (WSE), Jonah Erlebacher (WSE), Tim Mueller (WSE), Art Bragg (KSAS)The team will conduct in situ studies of electrochemical reactions by using sum frequency generation molecular spectroscopy in order to depict the reaction intermediates and establish fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms, and thus design and develop advanced electrocatalysts with enhanced activity and selectivity for CO2 reduction and ethanol oxidation. Their preliminary studies will enable the creation of an integrated platform that bridges the gaps present in conventional understanding of fundamental mechanisms. Continual effort based on this platform will lead to significant advances in the design of catalytic materials necessary to master the carbon cycle and thereby enable sustainable carbon-based fuel production and energy storage/conversion.

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New Materials for Efficient and Low-Cost Solar Cell TechnologyRebekka Klausen (KSAS), Art Bragg (KSAS), Susanna Thon (WSE)Can the absorption-conductivity paradox in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) photovoltaics be overcome by building molecular silicon-based CQD linkers, thereby creating a novel ideal solar cell material? The team will address this challenge by developing an entirely new class of CQD ligands based on conductive, flexible silicon chains. Research has the potential to resolve a performance-limiting factor in CQD photovoltaics by breaking a compromise between film conductivity and absorption, thereby enabling widespread cost-effective implementation of solar energy harvesting. The relevance of such an advance is not limited to solar cells, but could be extended to other optoelectronic technologies in the future, including light emitting diodes, lasers, and photodetectors.

Novel Therapeutics for Intracranial Monitoring and Treatment of Brain Tumor RecurrenceGuanshu Liu (SOM), Honggang Cui (WSE), Renyuan Bai (SOM)The team’s central hypothesis is that the inherent Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) MRI signal of chemotherapeutic drugs in a nanoparticulate intracranial drug delivery system can be directly utilized not only to monitor drug delivery, but also to probe tumor recurrence, and to monitor the sequential release from the system, making the drug delivery system fully theranostic. The studies will establish the first nanofiber hydrogel theranostic system and evaluate its feasibility in the first animal study. Upon successful accomplishment of all the milestones, they will have established the technical platform to construct, characterize, and evaluate nanofiber hydrogel theranostics, which will enable them to develop more robust systems that will be ultimately tested and used in clinical settings.

Side-by-side Singing for Improvement in Quality of Life for Dementia Patients and their CaregiversSarah Hoover (Peabody), Panagis Galiatsatos (SOM), David Roth (SOM), Dan Hale (SOM), Phyllis Sharps (SON)There has been evidence that different types of arts-based therapies can improve the quality of life for patients with dementia, as well as their caregivers. The team hypothesizes that a side-by-side singing group for dementia patients and their caregivers will create greater improvement in quality of life for both populations than traditional, non-musical support group activities. They will implement a collaborative musical initiative between Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center’s Medicine for the Greater Good, the Schools of Nursing and Medicine and the Peabody Institute to assess its impact on caregivers and their loved ones with dementia and to demonstrate the efficacy of a music-based intervention in a senior living community.


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The Bat Hand-wing: A Model System for Sensing and Feedback Control in AnimalsCynthia Moss (KSAS), Rajat Mittal (WSE), Joseph Katz (WSE) Noah Cowan (WSE), Susanne Sterbing-D’Angelo (KSAS)This team will study cortical responses to the natural airflow patterns across the entire bat wing in order to fully understand neural encoding of airflow. This will test their hypotheses that bat wing hairs, not exceeding the boundary layer, carry information about airflow separation to the central nervous system, and that that the animal employs neurosensory feedback to guide wing adjustments to optimize lift and prevent stall. Since stall detection is a crucial and unresolved aspect for stabilization of flight of unmanned micro-air vehicles, as well as for large-scale commercial airplanes, the proposed research can lead to innovative solutions for flight control. More broadly, this project will contribute to a deeper understanding of sensorimotor feedback in biological systems and enable new discoveries in neuroscience, engineering, and robotics.

Toward Decoding the Spatial and Functional Organization of the Human Genome in Single Living CellsJie Xiao (SOM) & Scott Bailey (BSPH)Research will develop a new strategy to enable 3D superresolution imaging of the spatial and functional organization of a single living cell’s genome. Successful development of the CRISPR-mediated fluorescence in situ hybridization, or crFISH, technology will provide a set of highly versatile imaging tools to map the 3D architecture of a single living cell’s genome and transcriptome with unmatched sensitivity and resolution. These tools will enable the investigation of a new paradigm, in which gene expression is not only determined by their linear DNA sequences and regulated by conventional transcription factor binding/unbinding, but also by their spatial organization in the genome. Hence, these studies bear the potential to revolutionize our understanding of complex cellular behaviors.

Understanding Motivators and Barriers to Blood Donation in Minorities: A Pilot Randomized Trial with the American Red Cross (ARC) in the Greater Chesapeake & Potomac RegionMario Macis (Carey), Patricia Brunker (SOM), Aaron Tobian (SOM)The team will conduct a pilot randomized trial in collaboration with the ARC to provide field-experimental evidence to understand the causes of the low African American participation in blood donation, and to offer insights on how to increase it. They seek to understand what mechanisms are more effective in developing donation habits and will test their hypothesis that a higher proportion of African Americans will donate blood if they understand the specific need for blood within their ethnicity and how the blood will be used for African Americans within their community. The implications of such a study are of interest for hospitals and for organizations involved in the collection of blood and that are constantly trying to devise better policies and information campaigns.


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UNITED in Faith, Health, and Strength: Pioneering Faith-Centered, Community-Based Advance Care Planning Within African American ChurchesRebecca Aslakson (SOM), Janice Bowie (BSPH), Lisa Cooper (SOM), Anne Belcher (SON)The team seeks to improve end-of-life care (EOLC) among African Americans through novel partnerships between African American religious communities and public health researchers and clinicians. Through interviews and cross-sectional survey across multiple churches, they will identify approaches that embrace and celebrate spirituality as a means to complete advance care planning (ACP) and improve the quality of palliative and EOLC received by parishioners. The proposed work will impact how front-line clinicians, as well as palliative care and advanced illness researchers, understand ACP and EOL attitudes and beliefs among African Americans as well as suggest more culturally-sensitive approaches for discussions about ACP and EOL wishes for African American patients.

Wrestlers to the Rescue: Preventing Neurodegeneration through SUMO-mediated ProteostasisMichael Matunis (BSPH), Susan Michaelis (SOM), Jiou Wang (BSPH)The aggregation and accumulation of misfolded proteins into insoluble inclusions within neuronal cells is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and Huntington’s disease. These protein inclusions are thought to result from a progressive, age-dependent imbalance in proteostasis. Using model protein substrates, including proteins linked to familial forms of ALS, the team will test the hypothesis that SUMOylation is critical for maintaining cellular proteostasis by regulating the degradation of misfolded proteins in the cytoplasm. Determining the mechanisms by which SUMOylation promotes cytosolic protein degradation will provide new opportunities to understand the molecular causes of neurodegeneration, as well as opportunities to develop novel therapeutic interventions.

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“It has been remarkable to watch the progress of the Discovery teams awarded in 2015. They truly proved that diverse expertise focused on shared challenges can lead to unprecedented progress. Looking at the members and goals of these 2016 teams, we expect no different. We can’t wait to see what they can accomplish together.”

Vice Provost for Research Denis Wirtz

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Baltimore Birth CohortMarsha Wills-Karp (BSPH), Irina Burd (SOM), Tina Cheng (SOM), Xiaobin Wang (BSPH), Sara Johnson (SOM), Dani Fallin (BSPH)This collaboration will define the contribution of exposure to environmental factors in early life in children born and residing in inner city Baltimore to the disproportionate risk of adverse birth outcomes and the development of chronic diseases (asthma, obesity, neurodevelopment disorders). Gaining insight into the factors driving susceptibility to disease in this community will lead to the discovery of preventive and therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the burden of chronic disease in children residing in Baltimore. Their long-term objective is to follow the infants throughout childhood starting with well-baby visits in the first year of life and annually thereafter. Patients will then be contacted once annually to assess their overall health status, to collect blood samples, to evaluate environmental exposures, and to administer disease specific questionnaires.

The overall goal of this proposal is to provide preliminary data upon which to build multi-PI proposals in the research areas of premature births, childhood asthma, neurodevelopment, and obesity. Without preliminary data on Baltimore cohorts, these studies will not be conducted as NIH has recently instituted a policy that they will no longer provide support for the establishment of cohorts, but are encouraging translational and population studies based on existing cohorts.

Cancer in Older AdultsElizabeth Platz (BSPH), Alan Meeker (SOM), Ilene Browner (SOM), Corinne Joshu (BSPH), Thomas Smith (SOM), Jennifer Deal (BSPH)Given the disproportionate cancer burden in older adults coupled with fact that this age group is growing, it is remarkable that so many biological, clinical, and population questions are under-investigated in older adults. If understood, interventions could be developed to reduce risk of cancer and poor outcomes in older adults and enhance the well-being of older adult cancer survivors. The team will build on the institution’s existing strengths in these areas: the breadth and depth of relevant cancer and aging expertise across basic, population, and clinical sciences coupled with a collective collaborative nature; exceptional providers who care for older adults at risk for cancer and cancer survivors; cancer and aging relevant centers; and extensive resources that we can leverage to address these knowledge gaps.

The team will develop, prepare, and submit to NIH a Johns Hopkins-led multi-disciplinary, translational Program Project application focused on cancer in older adults. Receipt of such a grant would facilitate a multi-disciplinary team from JH entities to coalesce and generate potentially highly impactful and interactive research addressing contemporary concerns about cancer in older adults.

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Systems Biology of Invasive Liver CancerElana Fertig (SOM), Phuoc Tran (SOM), Joel Bader (WSE), Andrew Ewald (SOM), Aleksander Popel (SOM)These five laboratories have developed novel experimental and computational techniques to reveal and understand the complex molecular and cellular processes driving liver tumor progression and invasion. Their collaboration will enable integrated computational and experimental modeling, resulting in the first project to predict therapeutic response for liver cancer, addressing the dire and unmet need to improve treatment. Specifically, this project will develop new computational techniques that bridge the molecular, cellular, and tumor scales involved in liver cancer progression and invasion. They will couple predictive mathematical/computational, statistical/bioinformatics and image analysis focused multiscale modeling of cancer with state of the art in vitro 3D organoid and in vivo models of HCC.

The proposed study will develop the first integrated experimental and computational system to model the complex cellular and molecular interactions in liver cancer. As a result, it will provide strong preliminary data to enable future work to select appropriate therapeutic agents to curtail liver cancer progression and invasion. With this essential preliminary data, they will apply for a U54 Research Center in Cancer Systems Biology or a P01 NCI Program Project Grant.

Translational Immunoengineering CenterJonathan Schneck (SOM), Jordan Green (SOM), Jennifer Elisseeff (SOM), Jonathan Powell (SOM), Hai-Quan Mao (WSE)Immunoengineering is a new emerging interdisciplinary field that seeks to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses through engineering approaches and immunology principles. This team seeks to lead a comprehensive cellular and molecular immunoengineering effort that bridges discovery, innovation, and translation through the basic sciences, engineering and clinical endeavors, to lead national and international efforts in the field and improve patient lives and educate the future leaders. Their proposed Technology Research and Development Projects will incorporate diverse expertise and facilitate the development of next generation immunomodulatory therapeutics that will be critical for curing cancer and realizing the potential of regenerative medicine by targeting multiple immunological cell types such as dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, macrophages, and neutrophils.

The Discovery Award supports their Translational Immunoengineering application for a National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering sponsored P41 Biomedical Technology Resource Center. Such a center will provide an opportunity for us to play a central role in development of innovative immunoengineering ideas and resources. If funded, this would be the first P41 grant awarded to JHU.


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Scott BaileyAssociate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, BSPHBailey was awarded the 2016 Johns Hopkins President’s Frontier Award for his work using x-ray crystallography to visualize the atomic structure of Cascade, a large multi-protein complex that binds to a DNA target. Cascade is a key element of the CRISPR system of bacterial immunity.

Xin ChenAssociate Professor of Biology, KSASChen was a 2016 National Finalist for the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists and named an inaugural HHMI Faculty Scholar, a new joint program with the Simons and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations. Both programs recognize innovative early career scholars with great potential to make unique contributions to their field.

Andrew EwaldAssociate Professor of Cell Biology, SOMEwald’s novel study of metastasis, originally published in PNAS, was featured in Scientific American. The article described how his new findings suggest that cancer cells rarely form metastatic tumors on their own, preferring to travel in groups to increase their collective chance of survival.

Warren GraysonAssociate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, WSE & SOMGrayson made great strides in his effort to stimulate the body’s own machinery to build new bone from scratch. He was recently awarded a grant from the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission and discussed tissue engineering for regenerative medicine at 2016 TEDx Baltimore.

Jordan GreenAssociate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Ophthalmology, SOM & WSEGreen was honored with a 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his work using tiny, biodegradable particles to teach the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. His work has also led to improvements in the prolonged, time-delayed release of drugs and other therapeutic agents.

Rejji KuruvillaAssociate Professor of Biology, KSAS Kuruvilla’s discovery that the abundance of a particular gene, RCAN1, in Down syndrome puts a brake on nerve growth factor’s actions in fostering nerve development, i.e. it leads to peripheral nervous system dysfunction, was featured by multiple outlets last winter.

2015Highlights & Success StoriesCatalyst Awards

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2015Highlights & Success Stories

Anthony LeungAssistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, BSPHLeung earned an additional four years of funding from the American Cancer Society in support of his work using biochemical, cellular imaging and genomics approaches to study the relationship between stress in cancer cells and microRNAs. He is a finalist for the ASCB-Gibco Emerging Leader Prize.

Mario MacisAssociate Professor of Economics, CareyMacis was awarded the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence and grants from the NIH, World Bank, and Sloan Foundation. His work on incentivizing blood donation and the morality of organ sales was recently featured in Forbes, STAT and Futurity.

Matthias MatthijsAssistant Professor of International Political Economy, SAISAs an expert on the role of economic ideas in economic policymaking, Matthijs was recruited for his opinion on the Brexit referendum, authoring articles for The Washington Post, WPR, and Foreign Affairs.

Kevin PutsComposition Faculty, PeabodyWith his award, Puts created a new work inspired by Baltimore, “The City,” which received World Premiere performances in DC, Baltimore and New York’s Carnegie Hall, performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop as part of the BSO’s Centennial Celebration.

Charlotte SumnerAssociate Professor of Neurology, SOMSumner received a Cure SMA award for her project to characterize how the loss of SMN protein causes axonal defects in motor neurons, and to determine whether and when during development they can be reversed by SMN2 splice-switching oligonucleotides, like nusinersen.

Phuoc TranDepartments of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, SOMTran has received an AACR-Takeda Oncology Scholar-in-Training Awards, ALA Lung Cancer Discovery Award, and a Prostate Cancer Foundation Movember-PCF Challenge Award. The latter awarded $1 million to his team for their work on oligometastatic prostate cancer.

Mark WuAssociate Professor of Neurology, SOMWu’s team identified a group of cells called R2 neurons in the brain that appear to control sleep drive. He believes that a better understanding of mechanisms behind sleep drive could in the future help doctors treat patients with an overactive desire to sleep. The findings, published in Cell, were subsequently featured by NPR.

Reverse Engineering Ancient Ceramics Sanchita Balachandran (KSAS) & Patricia McGuiggan (WSE)Studying the manufacturing techniques used to fabricate, decorate and fire ancient red-figure Greek ceramics, the team has been investigating the materials characteristics and decoration on ancient examples in the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum. Their research has incorporated a semester long undergraduate course where students attempted to recreate one of the most iconic, beautiful and technologically complex objects known from ancient Greece–the red-figure kylix or cup. They have been featured in the Baltimore Sun and the project was documented in a short film funded by the Program in Museums and Society at Hopkins and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2017, Balachandran will spent six months at the Getty Conservation Institute as a Guest Scholar continuing this research.

Discovery Awards

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Courier Drones for Health; Transport Diagnostic Laboratory Samples in Nzoia District of Western Kenya using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Timothy Amukele (SOM), Joseph Moore (APL), Robert Chalmers (APL) The team has continued their work to create a system of UAVs to transport diagnostic laboratory samples, such as blood and other biological materials for testing and transfusions, in low-resource settings. The partnership has the potential to remove a logistical hurdle faced by many practicing public health in areas with poor infrastructure and improve the timeliness and accuracy of diagnosing HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes, pregnancy and other conditions. Four sites – two in Africa and two in the US – are nearly ready for testing, and the work has generated funding and interest from several foundations.

Nanoparticle-based therapeutic strategy to target an RNA-binding protein termed TDP-43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Philip Wong (SOM) & Hai-Quan Mao (WSE)Building on research from this collaboration, Wong was awarded a R01 this February. With this proposal, “TDP-43 Proteinopathy in ALS-FTD: Mechanism, Target Validation and Biomarker,” they have designed a set of experiments to further understand the root cause of ALS and FTD, test a therapy designed to slow down nerve cell loss and develop a way to monitor these abnormalities occurring in blood or spinal fluid of patients. If successful, this type of therapy can be tested in the future in patients with ALS and FTD. The team also has a U54 Center application currently pending and have submitted a related application to Target ALS, a privately funded consortium.

Modeling the Effects of Climate Change on the Global Food SystemCindy Parker (BSPH), Jonathan Haskett (SAIS), Sauleh Siddiqui (WSE), Roni Neff (BSPH), Ben Hobbs (WSE), Ben Zaitchik (KSAS)Building on the models that they developed with their Discovery Award, the team is playing a major part in Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor Jessica Fanzo’s proposal to the Wellcome Trust’s “Our Planet, Our Health” competition, which will award grants of up to £10M per team. They recently qualified for the final round and received a grant to organize the team. The project, titled, “Global health, nutritional, environmental, and economic implications of producing and consuming animal source foods: Decision-making strategies for ethically acceptable changes in food systems,” will focus on health, nutritional, environmental, and economic impacts of animal source foods (ASF) from livestock, and will contrast these impacts with lower environmental footprint ASF and non-ASF alternatives. These impacts will be evaluated globally and more specifically within three selected countries. Their goal is to produce actionable findings for global and national actors that are responsive to ethical concerns and that protect and promote both human and planetary health.

A subset of the team recently received a multimillion dollar NSF Food Energy Water Systems (FEWS) grant that is focusing on East Africa. The ultimate objective of this work is to understand coupled system dynamics across scales in a manner that allows one to quantify the sensitivity of critical human outcomes (nutritional satisfaction, household economic well-being) to development and climate adaptation strategies.

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The call for applications for the 2017 Catalyst & Discovery Awards will be announced in late January 2017. If you would like to know more about the program, please contact the

Office of the Vice Provost for Research:

Dr. Denis WirtzVice Provost for Research

Sue PorterfieldAssistant Vice Provost for Research

Julie MessersmithResearch Programs Manager

Tracy SmithResearch Awards Program Manager

& Sr. Admin. Coordinator

< 410-516-8094 ><[email protected] >

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