# Translational Pilot Project Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA · 2020 · $328,613

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – Translational Pilot Project Program 
 With IDeA funding, the Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR) has thrived, developing from a small, newly 
formed institution with three faculty to a world renown center for developmental and reproductive biology with 
fourteen faculty in four different departments. The overall objective of the IBR-COBRE is to enhance the 
conditions that accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, heighten research productivity and optimize 
competitiveness for extramural funding. The center has excelled in basic and applied research in mammalian 
developmental and reproductive biology, and one obvious arena which would provide a clear opportunity for 
growth and increased competitiveness is translational research. Over the past three years, the IBR-COBRE 
has pursued a primary strategic goal of developing a translational research arm of its focus by partnering with 
the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health (Dept. Ob/Gyn). The Dept. of Ob/Gyn is one of 
the most successful clinical departments at the medical school, that has recently accrued more than $8 million 
in endowments for its academic development. The IBR's partnership with Ob/Gyn is facilitated by the 
appointment of the IBR-COBRE PI as the Chief of the Division of Research in the Dept. Ob/Gyn in November, 
2014. He manages the $2 million Sharma Endowment designated for research in the department. Also, the 
Dept. of Ob/Gyn recently recruited a physician-scientist, Dr. Men-Jean Lee, who is Chief of the Division of 
Maternal Fetal Medicine. Dr. Lee was given lab space in the main IBR facility, facilitating collaborations 
between the IBR and Ob/Gyn. Two other members of the IBR, Drs. M. Ward, and Garmire, are adjunct faculty 
in the Dept. Ob/Gyn. One Phase II COBRE project is a clinical study that partners with Dept. Ob/Gyn 
examining the mechanism of increased cancer in children born to obese mothers. This partnership already 
resulted in an R01 examining epigenetic changes in diseased placenta. The IBR has therefore developed a 
strong and successful partnership with the clinical department that is closest to its focus of research. In Phase 
III, the center will leverage its partnership with Dept. Ob/Gyn to develop and implement a flexible Translational 
Research Pilot Project Program that is targeted to developing translational research projects, with the goal of 
developing a new arm of the center expanding its competitiveness. The program will be flexible, with two types 
of awards, translational research pilot projects that require collaborations between IBR and Ob/Gyn faculty, 
and bridging funds to assist researchers bridge funding gaps. The programs are designed to develop 
translational research projects, steer mature investigators through funding lapses, and to provide a flexible, 
and functional mechanism to assist already competitive faculty in the IBR.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9994960
- **Project number:** 5P30GM131944-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM S WARD
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $328,613
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-13 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9994960

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9994960, Translational Pilot Project Program (5P30GM131944-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9994960. Licensed CC0.

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