Pilot Project Investigators

The Cardiorenal and Metabolic Disease Research Center (CMDRC) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center offers pilot project grants through the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). These pilot grants are intended to assist new investigators in generating sufficient data to be competitive for extramural funding.

	Ana Omoto, PhD, Instructor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics Project Title: Role of Brown Adipose Tissue in Mediating the Cardioprotective Actions of CNS Leptin-Melanocortin Pathway Activation
	Barbara Alexander, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics Project Title: Cross Sex Steroid Therapy in the Male Rat and Cardiovascular Risk
	Eric George, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics Project Title: The Placental ECM in Preeclampsia
	Zhen Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics Project Title: Role of Mitochondrial TRPC6 in Mediating Synergistic Interactions of Diabetes and Hypertension to Promote Kidney Injury

Previous pilot project investigators

2023

• Heather Drummond, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
  Project Title: The Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle bENaC and ASIC2 in Protection Against Renal Injury
• Samar Rezq, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
  Project Title: The Role of Leptin Signaling in Excess Androgen-induced Renal Injury in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2022

• Ana Omoto, PhD, Instructor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Cardiac Protection by CNS Actions of Leptin Administration After Ischemia/Reperfusion

2021

• Heng Zeng, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Project Title: Endothelial Glucose Metabolism and Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Aged Female

2020

• Thales Barbosa, PhD, Instructor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Vascular Dysfunction in Black Individuals: Roles of Nitric Oxide and Endothelin-1
• Kemal Topaloglu, MD, Professor, Departments of Neurobiology, Pediatrics and Neurobiology & Anatomical Sciences
    Project Title: The NHLH2 gene has an important role in both body weight regulation and puberty

2019

• Alexandre daSilva, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: CNS Mechanisms of Cardiac Protection in Heart Failure
• Yann Gibert, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
    Project Title: Physiological and molecular metabolic consequences of fetal hyperglycemia
• Abelardo Medina, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
    Project Title: Evaluation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their Cell Reprogramming Potential within Microsurgical Flaps
• Alan Mouton, PhD, Instructor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Role of Immunometabolism in myocardial infarction outcomes in metabolic syndrome
• Zhen Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Role of TRPC6 Channels in Mediating Cardiac Injury in Hypertension Combined with Diabetes

2018

• Joshua Speed, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Adipocyte Endothelin-1 and Insulin Resistance
• Erin Taylor, PhD, Instructor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: The role of leptin in autoimmune-associated hypertension

2017

• Denise Cornelius, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine & Pharmacology & Toxicology
    Project Title: Mechanisms linking platelets to lung injury and renal dysfunction in sepsis
• Romain Harmancey, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Molecular Basis of Postischemic Maladaptation in the Insulin Resistant Heart
• Yonggang Ma, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Novel Roles of MMP-28 Post Myocardial Infarction.
• Chad Washington, MD, MPHS, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
    Project Title: Slidenafil for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm associated with SAH

2015

• Fan Fan, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Project title: Role of 20-HETE on aging and hypertension related cerebral vascular disease.
• Andrew Smith, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology
    Project Title: Quantitative  CT Imaging Biomarkers for NAFLD

2014

• Bernadette Grayson, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences
    Project Title: Placental Dysfunction and VSG-induced Intrauterine Growth Restriction
• J. Paula Warrington, PhD, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Degenerins and Pregnancy Mediated Cerebrovascular Abnormalities

2013

• Eric George, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: A Novel Proangiogenic Therapy for Preeclampsia
• Michael Hall, MD, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Cardiology; Chair, Department of Medicine
    Project title: Renal Sinus Fat, Hypertension and Altered Renal Hemodynamics.
• Suttira Intapad, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Reduced Uterine Perfusion in the Mouse: Developmental Programming of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease
• Jennifer Sasser, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Project title: Elucidating Mechanisms Responsible for the Pathogenesis of Preeclampsia using the Dahl Salt Sensitive Rat as a Novel of Preeclampsia. 
• Lusha Xiang, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
    Project Title: Acute Kidney Injury following Severe Trauma in Obesity