The major goals for the Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CAND) Pilot Grant Program are to:
- Attract new investigators to the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRDs) research field and support junior faculty.
- Kick-start impactful research on AD/ADRDs having a high likelihood of publications and external funding.
- Maximize use of generated data and biospecimen resources from CAND AD/ADRD research cohorts.
- Promote research collaborations on AD/ADRD between BCM and other Texas Medical Center (TMC) institutions.
- Engage BCM trainees to help cultivate the next generation of leaders in basic, clinical, and translational AD/ADRD investigation.
To be eligible for funding, all proposals must utilize CAND-generated resources, core facilities, and/or specialized expertise to meet their research objectives. In addition, to encourage inclusion of other institutions in the TMC (or beyond), collaborative proposals are eligible for a supplemental, expanded budget.
Selection Process
Hui Zheng, Ph.D., professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, supervises the pilot program and convenes a highly-qualified selection committee comprised of both BCM faculty and external reviewers with relevant scientific and biostatistical expertise. Pilot proposals are reviewed through a rigorous, NIH-style process. The review committee meets to present, discuss, and rank each proposal, and final impact scores are assigned based on individual criterion scores and overall strengths and weaknesses.
Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Significance and Innovation
- Approach
- Research Team and Training Potential
- Likelihood of Resulting in High-Impact Publications and/or External Funding
- Contributions to Precision Medicine Priorities.
The review committee meets to present, discuss, and rank the proposals, and final impact scores are assigned based on individual criterion scores and overall strengths and weaknesses. Hui Zheng, Ph.D., professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, supervises the pilot program and convenes a qualified selection committee comprised of BCM faculty and external reviewer with relevant scientific and biostatistical expertise.
Outcomes
Since 2020, we have received more than 40 applications and awarded 13 pilot awards (below) over five annual cycles. Several projects have successfully resulted in external funding and publications. In 2025, selected projects received either $75,000 or $100,000 (for collaborative proposals) for 12 months of support. Awardees are invited to present at our CAND annual AD/ADRD symposium. We anticipate announcement of the next Request for Applications in summer 2026!
Current and Past Recipients
| Year | BCM Primary Investigator | External Co-PI / Co-I | Project | Key Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, Ph.D. | Mauro Montalbano, Ph.D. (UTMB) | “NDUFS2/PDHB Regulate Tau Seeding and Propagation” | |
| 2025 | Roy Lin, M.D. | Luis Medina, Ph.D. (UH) | “Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Memory Loss” | Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) grant |
| 2024 | Katherine King, M.D., Ph.D. | “The Impact of Clonal Hematopoiesis on Alzheimer's Disease Progression” | Gall et al., 2024 | |
| 2024 | Dongjoo Choi, Ph.D. | “Decoding Astrocyte-Microglia Communication in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis” | Choi et al., 2024 | |
| 2023 | Dorina Papageorgiou, Ph.D. | Belen Pascual, Ph.D. (HM) | “Elucidating causal mechanisms in the attention-memory networks of patients with subjective memory impairment via an individualized MRI-BCI intervention” | |
| 2023 | Yong Xu, Ph.D. | Longhou Fang, Ph.D. (HM) | “Ameliorating dementia in Alzheimer’s disease via AIBP-mediated improvement of meningeal lymphatic function” | |
| 2023 | Francois St-Pierre, Ph.D. | “Discovering genetic modulators of neurodegeneration using machine learning and high-throughput CRISPR screens of proteolytic flux” | ||
| 2022 | Sarah Elsea, Ph.D. | Matthew Cykowski, M.D. (HM) | “Defining metabolo-genomic signatures of Alzheimer's disease” | Zhu et al., 2022 |
| 2022 | Jeannie Chin, Ph.D. | Shu-Hsia Chen, Ph.D. (HM) | “Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor B as a target for neuroinflammation” | |
| 2022 | Zheng Sun, Ph.D. | Sonia Villapol, Ph.D. (HM) | “Epigenomic memory of estrogen in Alzheimer's disease” | |
| 2021 | Joanna Jankowsky, Ph.D. | Masahiro Fujita, M.D., Ph.D. (HM) | “Capturing the yin and yang of neuroinflammation through novel PET ligands” | |
| 2021 | Matthew Rasband, Ph.D. | Matthew Cykowski, M.D. (HM) | “Elucidating ANK1 Dysfunction in AD” | Sobotka et al., 2021 |
| 2021 | Amy McGuire, J.D., Ph.D. | Joseph Masdeu, M.D., Ph.D. (HM) | “Integrating Precision Medicine into Alzheimer’s Disease Care” | Zuniga et al., 2021 |