Latest Grants

Breast Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Sarah Blair, MD	An improved BREAST MRI contrast using folate targeting and gadolinium oxide nanoparticles	Moores Cancer Center pilot grant
Sarah Blair, MD	Non-circulating microparticles for improved localization and resection of cancer	NIH-NCI
Anne Wallace, MD, FACS	Investigation of serial studies to predict your therapeutic response with imaging and molecular analysis 2 (ISPY-2 Trial) (2016)	Quantum Leap
Anne Wallace, MD, FACS	A Phase II study of intraoperative tumor detection using ratiometric activatable fluorescent peptide in early stage breast cancer patients (2017)	Avelas

Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Michael Madani, MD, FACS	Grant to establish a national registry for patients who suffer from chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension	Bayer
Mark Onaitis, MD	Proximalization therapy for KRAS mutant adenocarcinoma	VA
Mark Onaitis, MD	CTGF as therapeutic target in lung cancer	NCI
Mark Onaitis, MD	Comprehensive evaluation of mesothelioma	DOD
Patricia Thistlethwaite, MD, PhD	Notch signaling in pulmonary hypertension	NIH-NHLBI
Patricia Thistlethwaite, MD, PhD	Small molecule inhibitors to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension	NIH-NHLBI

Colon and Rectal Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Nicole Lopez, MD	Bioinformatics fellowship	NIH-NLM
Lisa Parry, MD, FASCRS	Educating the next generation of robotic surgeons	American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Robotic Grant

Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	The role of portal fibroblasts in cholestatic liver fibrosis	NIH
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	The role of IL-17 in alcoholic liver disease and cancer	NIH
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Inactivation of hepatic stellate cells during reversal of liver fibrosis	NIH
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Fibrocytes regulate liver fibrosis	NIH
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Epigenetic regulation of alcoholic liver disease	NIH
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	The role of human serum amyloid protein (SAP) in treatment of liver fibrosis	Corporate Award Promedior
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Therapeutic role of allogeneic murine mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) in inhibition of liver fibrosis in mice	Mesoblast Inc.
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Evaluation of the response of primary human hepatic stellate cells to anti-fibrotic drugs	Celgene Corporation
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Evaluation of a second genome test compound on activation of primary human hepatic stellate cells	Second Genome
Tatiana Kisseleva, MD, PhD	Isolation of primary liver cells for 3-D printing of the human liver	Samsara Sciences, Inc.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Santiago Horgan, MD, FACS Garth Jacobsen, MD, FACS	The evaluation of Magnetic Resonance (MR)-determined Proton Density Fat Fraction (PDFF) as a biomarker in obesityassociated Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)	NIH
Santiago Horgan, MD, FACS Garth Jacobsen, MD, FACS	Endoscopic treatment for weight reduction in patients with obesity using the TransPyloric Shuttle® system: a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, shamcontrolled, parallel-design study (ENDObesity® II study)	BAROnova
Santiago Horgan, MD, FACS Garth Jacobsen, MD, FACS	A worldwide post-market surveillance registry to assess the Medigus Ultrasonic Surgical Endostapler (MUSETM) system for the treatment of GERD	MEDIGUS

Neurosurgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Joseph Ciacci, MD	Research support for Dr. Ciacci	Orthofix
Alexander Khalessi, MD, MS, FAANS	exRNA biomarkers for human glioma	National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Alexander Khalessi, MD, MS, FAANS	Research support for Dr. Khalessi	The Penny and Robert Sarver Foundation

Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Joseph Califano, III, MD, FACS	Epigenetic biomarker discovery in HPV related HNSCC	Dental and Cranial Research, National Cancer Institute
Joseph Califano, III, MD, FACS	A novel point of care test for oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk	National Cancer Institute
Joseph Califano, III, MD, FACS	Optimizing an assay for high risk HPV DNA in body fluids	National Cancer Institute
Arwa Kurabi, PhD	Establishment of an animal model of human-specific responses to middle ear infection	National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, NIH
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	Genetic and injectable reporters to image tumors and guide resection	National Cancer Institute
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	Testing fluorescently labeled probes for nerve imaging during surgery	National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	Specialized cancer center core support grant	National Cancer Institute
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	A 6-month, multicenter, Phase 3, open-label extension safety study of OTO-104 given at 3-month intervals by intratympanic injection in subjects with unilateral Meniere’s disease	Syneos Health Inc. Otonomy, Inc.
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	Rapid 3-D-printing of multi-functional adaptive nerve conduits	Child Health & Human Development, Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)(FH)
Quyen Nguyen, MD, PhD	Dose-ranging study of the efficacy and safety of miconazole oil used for 7 or 14 days compared with vehicle in the treatment of otomycosis	QST Consultations
Allen Ryan, PhD	Mechanisms of persistence and recovery in otitis media	National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, NIH
Allen Ryan, PhD Arwa Kurabi, PhD	Middle ear response in otitis media	National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, NIH
Allen Ryan, PhD	Otolaryngology training in immunology, virology and molecular biology	National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, NIH
Allen Ryan, PhD	Innovative therapy for diseases of the middle ear	U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Allen Ryan, PhD	A biological interface for auditory rehabilitation with a cochiea implant	U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Surgical Oncology

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Joel Baumgartner, MD	The ILEUS study: a Phase 2 randomized controlled trial investigating Alvimopan for enhanced gastrointestinal recovery after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy	Merck
Michael Bouvet, MD, FACS	Development of near infrared fluorescence-guided surgical navigation and tumor-specific photoimmunotherapy for improved outcomes for GI cancers	VA Merit Review Award
Michael Bouvet, MD, FACS	TAV-255 viral development	Peninsula Biomedical
Kaitlyn Kelly, MD	Safety and effect of GL-ONC1 administered IV prior to surgery to patients with solid organ cancers undergoing surgery	Merck
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	RO1-RON receptor in pancreatic cancer biology and therapy	NIH
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	Transcriptional reprogramming to control pancreatic cancer	SU2C / AACR / Lustgarten Foundation
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	RO1-Musahi mediated control of pancreatic cancer growth and progression	NIH/NCI
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	UO1-imaging and molecular correlates of progression in cystic neoplasms of the pancreas	NIH/NCI
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	ROR1 CAR-T cells for anticancer therapy	CA Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	Molecular strategies for early detection and targeting of cancer	NIH/NCI
Andrew M. Lowy, MD, FACS	Clinical development of a tumor-penetrating peptide for enhanced pancreatic cancer treatment	Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS	Targeting Imatinib-resistant, KIT-negative cells in human GISTs	Kristin Ann Carr Foundation
Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS	KO8-novel allosteric kinase inhibitors target ImatiniBresistant GIST	NIH
Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS	R21-defining the germline genomic landscape of a novel GIST multi-tumor syndrome	Pedal the Cause Grant Active
Rebekah White, MD, FACS	Irreversible electroporation as an in situ vaccine for pancreatic cancer	NIH
Rebekah White, MD, FACS	R21-Aptamers as proteomic tools for pancreatic cancer biomarker identification	National Cancer Institute

Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Todd Costantini, MD, FACS	The pathogenesis of post-traumatic pulmonary embolism: a prospective multi-center investigation by the CLOTT Study Group (CLOTT)	Department of Defense/ Medical Research and Development Program
Todd Costantini, MD, FACS	Role of exosomes in mediating the inflammatory response following trauma/hemorrhagic shock	Health Sciences Academic Senate
Todd Costantini, MD, FACS	The human-specific gene CHRFAM7A in leukocytes	NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Antonio De Maio, PhD	Contribution of cholesterol homeostasis for injury resolution	NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Antonio De Maio, PhD	Mentoring young minds to increase diversity in biomedical research	NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Jay Doucet, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS	Charlotte E. Hammond Fund	UC San Diego Foundation (Reoccurring Donation)
Brian Eliceiri, PhD	Vagus nerve-mediated regulation of tumor-associated leukocytes	Health Sciences Academic Senate
Brian Eliceir, PhD Robert Dorschner, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS	The role of the host-defense peptide ECRG4 in mediating inflammation in wound repair	Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Sun Pharma-SID Innovation Research Fellowship Grant
Jeanne Lee, MD, FACS	Physiologic signals and signatures with the Accuryn System in intensive care patients	Potrero Medical, Inc.
Elliot Williams, MD	The role of exosomes in mediating the inflammatory response to injury	Surgical Infection Society (SIS) Basic or Translational Research Training Fellowship Grant

Vascular and Endovascular

Principal Investigator	Research Title	Funding Source
Andrew Barleben, MD	H160159, “Expanding patient applicability with polymer sealing ovation alto stent graft IDE study”	Endologix, Inc
Andrew Barleben, MD	Combined computational-experimental approach to evaluation of abdominal aortic aneurysms following stent graft placement to mitigate endoleak and late graft failure	NIH, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the UC San Diego HRPP
Andrew Barleben, MD	SAFE MANTA pivotal IDE study	Essential Medical
John Lane III, MD, FACS	Best endovascular versus best surgical therapy in patients with critical limb ischemia (BEST-CLI). NIH sponsored prospective, randomized clinical trial NCT02060630	National Institutes of Health
John Lane III, MD, FACS	Pivotal study of the MicroVention, Inc. carotid artery stent system used in conjunction with the Nanoparasol® embolic protection system for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis in patients at elevated risk for adverse events from carotid endarterectomy (CONFIDENCE Trial) NCT02908880	MicroVention-Terumo, Inc.
John Lane III, MD, FACS	Prospective, multicenter, single arm safety and effectiveness study of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using the Nellix® system: a pivotal and continued access study NCT02908880	Endologix, Inc.
John Lane III, MD, FACS	A prospective, randomized, adaptive, double-blind, shamcontrolled, multicenter study to evaluate the ROX coupler in subjects with hypertension NCT02895386	ROX Medical, Inc
John Lane III, MD, FACS	A Phase 3 study to compare the efficacy and safety of Humacyte’s human acellular vessel with that of an autologous arteriovenous fistula in subjects with end stage renal disease NCT03183245	Humacytel, Inc
John Lane III, MD, FACS	Prospective, multicenter, single arm safety and effectiveness confirmatory study of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using the Nellix system IDE study (EVAS 2 confirmatory IDE study)	Endologix, Inc