Eleven investigators from the University of Pittsburgh and other Pittsburgh-area institutions have been selected to receive 2026 Samuel and Emma Winters Foundation Awards, supporting innovative biomedical research with the potential to generate preliminary data for future extramural funding.
The 2026 competition drew a record 42 applications, reflecting the breadth of biomedical research underway across the Pittsburgh region. The Winters Foundation annually provides small research grants, averaging approximately $10,000, to support promising projects led primarily by junior faculty and investigators developing new research directions.
This year’s awards are designed to support a single catalytic experiment that can provide critical data to advance an investigator’s research program and strengthen future grant applications. Proposed projects span areas including cancer biology, thrombosis, metabolism, pulmonary disease, immunology, genetics and precision medicine, and employ approaches ranging from multi-omics and animal models to CRISPR screening and computational analysis.
The 2026 awardees and their projects are:
- Tomasz Brzoska, MPharm, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Classical Hematology/Vascular Medicine Institute), University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Intestinal Microvascular Thrombosis in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura”
- Yu-Chiao Chiu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology), University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Defining the Spatial Molecular Basis of AI-Derived Histomorphologic Subtypes in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma”
- Elise Fouquerel, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Identifying the PARP1-Dependent Proteins of the R-Loop Interactome”
- Tania Amorim, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Endocrinology and Metabolism), University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Dietary Methionine and Bone Anabolic Activity”
- Aaron Devanathan, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Trimethylamine-Related Intermediates and Metabolites in People with HIV”
- Anat Kohn, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine), University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Analysis of Regionalized Airway Hypoxemia in a Novel Murine Model of Bronchiectasis”
- Raja Mooli, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine (Endocrinology and Metabolism), University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Ketogenesis-Dependent Remodeling of the Mitochondrial Acetylome During Liver Regeneration”
- Elisa Ruffo, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “A CRISPR Knockout Screen to Identify Genes That Protect CAR T Cells from ADC Payload Toxicity”
- Katherine Wood, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Project title: “Precision Medicine Management of Sickle Cell Disease Vasculopathy”
- Delbert Abi-Abdallah, PhD, and Crystal Boudreaux, PhD, Associate Professors, Department of Microbiology, Duquesne University, Project title: “Integrated Multi-Omics Profiling of Human Neutrophils Following Exposure to Plasticizers”
- Irene Kaplow, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Project title: “Testing the Ability of Hibernation-Associated Liver Enhancers to Activate Liver Stress Response Genes”
The Winters Foundation Awards provide investigators with flexible support to pursue focused experiments that can serve as a springboard for future research. By generating preliminary or proof-of-concept data, the awards are intended to help investigators strengthen their research programs and pursue larger-scale extramural funding.
The 2026 grant period runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.