Collaborative Translational Research Opportunity

The South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute’s Collaborative K-Awardee and Pre-Doctoral Trainee Discovery Grant special mechanism seeks to promote a team-based collaborative translational research project between a current or recently graduated K-awardee and a predoctoral trainee while enhancing team science and mentoring.

This one-of-a-kind opportunity allows a team to work on a project while simultaneously practicing scientific aim generation, building mentorship skills, administering diagnostic assessments, working with human patients, and gaining grant writing experience.

The grant also allows teams to collect preliminary data to then apply for further grant and fellowship awards, as well as more competitive external awards.

Kristine Deleon-Pennell, Ph.D., and MUSC graduate student Alexa Corker saw the K-Awardee and Pre-Doctoral Trainee grant as the perfect opportunity to initiate a collaboration with Amanda LaRue, Ph.D., who had developed a mouse model for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In their project, the team is evaluating how mental health issues may be affecting the heart and determining the factors responsible for the increased risk of developing heart issues in patients with PTSD.

“My research career has always focused on the impact of pre-existing disease on the heart, but I had not given much thought to mental health. Since being awarded, I have been able to expand my expertise to include the brain and stress hormones that are regulating PTSD effects on the heart,” said Deleon-Pennell.

“Due to the novelty of this project, Alexa has also been selected to present her project around the country providing her with a platform that will hopefully impact her career trajectory.”

A KL2-TL1 team comprised of Amber Jarnecke, Ph.D., and MUSC graduate student Kyle Blidy have also benefitted from this special grant offered by SCTR.

“For this project, we are trying to better understand how the brain processes social reward among individuals with PTSD compared to individuals who have experienced trauma but do not have PTSD,” said Jarnecke and Blidy.

Through their findings, they hope that better interventions can be developed in the future to protect people from PTSD.

“I have been learning a lot about the role of the brain and different neural circuits in social processing and social reward. By better understanding this, I can develop novel ways about how we may boost social support among people with PTSD or other mental health conditions,” said Jarnecke.

“Many of the individuals with PTSD I have worked with in this study are struggling despite already being involved in treatment. This motivates me to continue a career in research and eventually broaden the landscape of therapeutics,” Blidy said.

Working on a Collaborative Grant

When working on this grant, study teams need to remember just how important collaboration is to the success of the project.

“As a Co-PI, whether you are a K scholar or graduate student trainee, joint decision-making is critical to successfully planning and executing your project,” said Jarnecke.

“We have been fortunate to collaborative very well at every step so far, and we plan to continue to collaborate as a team for future projects and grant applications.”

Deleon-Pennell reminds study teams of the importance of communication:

“Ensure you are scheduling consistent meetings with collaborators and outside experts to discuss the findings of your study. Because we are learning a newer model and expanding our expertise to include disease pathology that we are not well-versed in, it is imperative that we all discuss the commonalities we are finding to hopefully pinpoint a potential mechanism responsible for the cardiac pathology.”

Mentorship Training and Opportunities

For K-scholars, this grant provides an opportunity to gain structured and guided experience around mentoring.

“I’m learning more about my preferred mentorship style, which I will continue to take with me as I work with more and more students over the years,” said Jarnecke.

Opportunities for Trainees

Blidy has seen this grant as a launchpad for further educational and career opportunities. Because of the Collaborative K-Awardee and Pre-Doctoral Trainee Discovery Grant, he has begun to think about postdoctoral fellowships and how to build on his and Jarnecke’s work.

“This project has already given me some preliminary data to apply for an F31 award and it’s allowing me to carry out a study from start to end, an opportunity I otherwise would not have gotten,” he said.

How to Apply for the SCTR Discovery Grant K/T Collaborative Special Mechanism

Starting in July 2023, the Collaborative K/T grant is now a special mechanism of SCTR’s biannual Discovery Grant award. This special mechanism replaces the former K and T Collaborative Pilot Grant offered by SCTR.

The Discovery Grant application is open and accepting applications for the Fall 2023 Cycle through September 8, 2023.