The Carol and Gene Ludwig Program for the Study of Neuroimmune Interactions in Dementia is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Pilot Grant Program. This program provides crucial seed money for investigators to explore innovative new directions and gather preliminary data for future funding opportunities. The awards are categorized into 1-year Pilot Project Awards (PPA) and 2-year Development Awards (DA), designed to foster high-impact and transformative research that extends beyond ongoing funded projects.
2025 Development Awards (DA) Recipients:
- Emilia Favuzzi, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Impact of peripheral immune challenges on microglia and neurons across aging - Shawn Ferguson, Associate Professor of Cell Biology & of Neuroscience
Intersection of Innate Immunity with Lysosome Quality Control in ALS-FTD
2025 Pilot Project Awards (PPA) Recipients:
- Yifei Cai, Associate Research Scientist, Department of Neurology
Investigate the role of complement pathway in axonal pathology in Alzheimer’s disease - David Martinez, Assistant Professor of Immunobiology
Encephalitic viral infection, inflammation, and onset of neurodegenerative disease - Zhang & Chang, Assistant Professor of Neurology and of Neuroscience & Associate Professor of Neuroscience and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Elucidating Neuroimmune Interactions in Parkinson's Disease Using a Novel Humanized Mouse Model
Congratulations to all the recipients! We look forward to seeing the advancements and breakthroughs that these projects will bring to the study of neuroimmune interactions in dementia.