TraCS CTS pilot award winners announced

✓ Development of a translational hypoxia‑activated prodrug platform

PI: Mohammad Anwar Hossain, PhD (Research Assistant Professor, Eshelman Innovation, Eshelman School of Pharmacy)
Impact Statement: Our hypoxia-triggered prodrugs act as a universal 'on' switch in low-oxygen tissues, such as within solid tumors. Proof-of-concept in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (PIKfyve HAP) positions us to target cystic and renal fibrosis, aiming to cut systemic toxicity and paving the way for broad translational and commercial adoption beyond cancer.

✓ Does ultrasound-mediated plasticity enhance motor learning?

PIs: Marie Hemelt, PhD (Research Professional, Lampe Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine) and Adam Hantman, PhD (Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: A safe, low-cost procedure to open a window of neural plasticity is revolutionary. In addition to boosting learning, it could drastically improve health and quality of life while decreasing the financial burden of Alzheimer's, depression, PTSD, motor disorders, brain injury, and other diseases.

✓ Just the tip of the iceberg: La Crosse virus in western North Carolina

PI: Ross M. Boyce, MD, MSc (Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: Increased case finding is critical to advancing our fundamental knowledge of La Crosse virus (LACV) pathogenesis and host response. Given rapid progress in vaccine and antiviral development, modest investment in enhanced case finding is likely to result in significant advances towards control and elimination.

✓ Developing a peptide-stimulation method to enhance proliferation and differentiation of human stem cells for transplantation

PIs: Willie June Brickey, PhD (Research Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine) and Jenny Ting, PhD (Professor, Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: Transplantation with hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) is critical to repairing injury, preventing disease and regenerating immunity. We propose that pre-treatment of HSC with a TLR2/TLR6 peptide agonist (i.e., FSL-1) to stimulate toll-like receptors will boost engraftment and activate immune cell reconstitution. Promotion of HSC will profoundly impact health restoration.

✓ Pregnancy research infrastructure for maternal health in North Carolina (PRISM-NC)

PIs: Lauren Kucirka, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine) and Mollie Wood, PhD (Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health)
Impact Statement: The proposal aims to create a centralized large data resource for obstetric research at UNC. It would streamline data access, support clinically impactful research, and serve as a model for national obstetric data infrastructure to improve maternal care.

✓ Personalized machine learning and engagement strategies to enhance the clinical utility of wearables

PI: Melissa Haendel, PhD (Professor, Genetics, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: This research positions consumer wearables as game-changers for medication monitoring while establishing frameworks to optimize digital health study retention, making them key enablers of proactive care and precision medicine.

✓ Development of an in vitro model using monocyte-derived dendritic cells and autologous natural killer cells to investigate the basis of antibody-dependent enhancement of Dengue virus in the context of pre-existing vaccine immunity

PI: Maria Abad Fernandez, PhD (Research Assistant Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: We propose the development of a powerful in vitro co-culture platform to uncover early immunopathogenic mechanisms in vaccinated DENV-naïve children following wild-type (WT) DENV infection. Findings will inform future vaccine and therapeutic strategies with real-world relevance.

✓ A framework for translating One Health data linkage into environmental insights

PIs: Joshua Stern, BS, DVM, PhD (Associate Dean and Director of Research and Graduate Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University) and Melissa Haendel, PhD (Professor, Genetics, School of Medicine)
Impact Statement: The One Health Data Linkage Framework proposed here leverages a hugely intimate yet previously untapped data source to better understand how environmental factors influence disease—advancing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for people and companion animals.

✓ Validating a Theoretical Model of Health Workforce to enhance workforce intervention research

PI: Kathleen Thomas, PhD, MPH (Professor, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Eshelman School of Pharmacy)
Impact Statement: Establishing the face validity of the Theoretical Model of Health Workforce Impact among key stakeholders will provide a new theoretical model for translational health workforce researchers to use in developing complex health workforce interventions, improving access to care and population health.