American Liver Foundation Announces Winners of the 2024 Pilot Research Awards

Today, American Liver Foundation (ALF) is excited to announce the winners of the 2024 Pilot Research Awards. These awards will help fund eight highly innovative projects seeking to address important questions related to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), or Biliary Atresia (BA). All of the research projects by ALF’s 2024 Pilot Research Award recipients have the potential to generate groundbreaking findings that could significantly advance the field.

“There are more than 100 different types of liver diseases. PSC, AIH, and BA are all rare liver diseases that impact pediatric populations. We need innovative research into these rare diseases that might not be funded elsewhere,” said Emmanuel Thomas, MD, PhD, FAASLD, ALF Board Chair and Tenured Associate Professor at University of Miami School of Medicine and member of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Schiff Center for Liver Diseases at University of Miami. “It’s essential for us to understand how to treat these diseases, and how we can explore solutions that could help young patients living with liver disease.”

Recipients of the 2024 Pilot Research Awards include:

• Tamir Diamond, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for his translational research in Immunophenotyping of Acute Fulminant Pediatric Autoimmune Hepatitis.
• Nisanne Ghonem, PharmD, PhD, University of Rhode Island, for her translational research in Novel Mechanisms for PPAR as a Target to Treat Cholestasis in PSC.
• Steven O’Hara, PhD, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, for his basic science work in Bromodomain and Extraterminal Domain (BET) Protein Function in PSC.
• Bernd Schnabl, MD, University of California in San Diego, for his basic science work regarding the Role of Bacterial Virulence Factors in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.
• Sanjiv Harpavat, MD, PhD, Texas Children’s Hospital, for his clinical research in the Assessment of an Ultrasound Approach to Visualize the “Duct at the Hilum” in Infants Undergoing Evaluation for Biliary Atresia
• Krupa Mysore, MD, MS, Baylor College of Medicine, for her translational research in Molecular Mechanisms of Immune Dysfunction in Biliary Atresia.
• Natalia Nieto, PharmD, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, for her basic science research in the Role of SPP1 in the Pathogenesis of Biliary Atresia.
• Xiao Zhao, MD, MS, Columbia University, for her basic science research in CRISPR/Cas9-based Chemogenomic Profiling to Map Gene-Environment Interactions Underlying Biliary Atresia.

“We’re excited to fulfill our main goal through these research awards, which is to help fund innovative projects that address key outstanding questions in basic, translational, or clinical research, and fill gaps in the understanding of PSC, AIH, or BA that could lead to better treatment options or cures for these rare diseases that notably affect infants and children,” said Helene Jordan, PhD, National Senior Director, Research Program Management, ALF. 

Recipients of the 2024 Pilot Research Awards will receive $50,000 in funding for one year. The goal of the program is to provide funding during the pilot phase of research projects focused on new areas of investigation, innovative ideas, or “high-risk, high reward” projects that have the potential to generate breakthrough findings and significantly advance the field.

Since 1979, ALF’s research awards program has provided more than $28 million in research funding. Over 870 qualified scientists and physicians have pursued research careers in liver biology, disease and treatment because they received these grants early in their careers.

To learn more about ALF’s research award program, please visit liverfoundation.org/research. Join the mailing list to receive updates on ALF Research Awards.

About the American Liver Foundation

American Liver Foundation (ALF) is a national community of patients, caregivers and medical professionals dedicated to helping people improve their liver health. Providing guidance and life-saving resources, we are a beacon for the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. We advocate for patients and families, fund medical research and educate the public about liver wellness and disease prevention. We bring people together through our educational programs and events and create a network of support that lasts a lifetime. ALF is the largest organization focused on all liver diseases and the trusted voice for patients and families living with liver disease. For more information visit www.liverfoundation.org or call: 1 800 GO LIVER (800-465-4837).