R01 Pilot Grant Program

As a research institute, one of our most significant metrics is our annual ranking for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. This year we are ranked an impressive 8th. As an institution committed to continual growth, The Saban Research Institute has developed and allocated funds for a new intramural funding opportunity designed to support investigators in securing pilot data so that they can submit for a second NIH R01 grant. An R01 is a Research Project Grant and is the NIH’s original and oldest grant mechanism used to provide support for health-related research and development. 

Applicants for The Saban Research Institute’s 2nd R01 Pilot Grant Program needed to be USC faculty, have a Children's Hospital Los Angeles appointment, a rank of associate/assistant professor, be affiliated with one of The Saban Research Institute programs and have one active NIH R01 grant. The award provides $50,000 per year for up to two years.

2012 R01 Pilot Grant Recipients

Sebastien Bouret, PhD
Developmental Neuroscience
Project: miRNAs and Development of Hypothalamic Appetite-Related Pathways

Steven Mittelman, MD, PhD
Cancer, Obesity and Diabetes
Project: The Role of Lymphocytes in Obesity-Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Diabetes

Wei Shi, MD, PhD
AssocDevelopmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Project: The Role of Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Lung Injury Repair and Regeneration