The grants are part of the Translational Research Pilot Grant Program, according to a University press release.
The program was launched in February and funds proof-of-concept projects that support research with potential to translate from laboratorial to commercial use.
Projects of any discipline directly related to moving research closer to commercialization were eligible for consideration for the grant project.
Keith R. Davis, director of the Johnson Center, said in the release the grant program is an attempt to encourage entrepreneurship at the ?University.
“We are pleased to be able to provide these pilot grants and assist IU-Bloomington faculty in advancing their translational research projects,” Davis said. “Going forward, this program will be a major component of our efforts to boost innovation and entrepreneurship at IU-Bloomington.”
The recipients include Hannah J. Block, Matthew L. Bochman, Amit Hagar, Andrea Hohmann and Cheng Kao.
Block, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the School of Public Health, is creating a tool to measure proprioception, or a person’s sense of how their body is positioned, in a clinical setting.
Bochman, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, is researching the selection and analysis of yeasts for use in ethanol fermentation.
Hagar, an associate professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, is working on a project that involves proof-of-concept for methods of estimating breast cancer progression on a patient-specific basis.
Hohmann, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, is working to identify drugs to block pain signals in the brain for patients that suffer from chronic pain ?issues.
Kao, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, is developing an antimicrobial peptide that would be used to disinfect medical devices in hopes of decreasing the rate of bacterial infections.
Individual project budgets of up to $25,000 were ?considered.
The next round of applications for grants will begin in February 2016, with a submission deadline of April 1.
Holly Hays
