Pilot project funding up to $75,000 is available through the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Discovery of Chemical Probes and Therapeutic Leads at UD. The center is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Applications from UD faculty are invited for research projects that advance the development and application of chemical tools and approaches to investigate biological systems and address unmet medical needs. Areas of focus include:

• Fundamental studies using chemical biology or probe development approaches to illuminate pathways or study cellular behavior and processes.
• Development and application of chemical and pharmacological methods to identify and manipulate biological targets or cellular processes relevant to human disease.
• Fundamental methods for synthesis or biosynthesis of molecules that may contribute to advances in biology, medicine and biotechnology.
• Approaches to diagnostics and imaging that integrate the use of chemical probes or chemical reactivity.
• Approaches, materials and technologies for enabling the discovery of new drugs or drug targets.

Application instructions are available in this PDF. Pilot projects are for one year and may be proposed by a single principal investigator or by multiple PIs. Awards will be up to $75,000 per year (direct costs)

Questions: Applicants are encouraged to contact the program director, Joe Fox (jmfox@udel.edu), and cc: Dawn Yasik (dyasik@udel.edu), with any questions regarding alignment or appropriateness of proposal ideas or budgets.