Join us on Thursday, June 4th, 2026, in the 11th floor Klarman Conference Rooms A & B, to learn about the scientific progress made by the 2025 Translational Research Spark Grant Awardees. The 2026 Spark Grant Awardees will also be publicly announced at this time. The event starts at 3:30 pm and concludes with a celebratory reception from 5 – 6 p.m. To attend, please register here.
2025 Awardee Presentations
Pathogens, Immunity and Inflammation Hub
Optimizing combination therapy for nontuberuclous mycobacterial lung infection for near-term clinical translation
Principal Investigators: James Kirby, MD, and Ruvandhi Nathavitharana, PhD
Unraveling the Role of Transposable Elements in Human Lymphatic Aging
Principal Investigators: Dhruv Singhal, MD, and Dimitra Karagkouni, PhD
Systemic Effects of Metabolic Disease Hub
Molecular mechanisms involved in severe liver disease caused by binge alcohol consumption
Principal Investigators: Frank Slack, PhD, and Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD
Neuroscience Connections Hub
Impact of body temperature on female reproductive control
Principal Investigators: Clif Saper, MD, PhD, and Werner Neuhausser, MD
Using Single Cell Transcriptomics to Understand the Human Stomach Enteric Nervous System (ENS)
Principal Investigators: Brad Lowell, MD, PhD; Umut Sarpel, MD; Subhash Kulkarni, PhD, and Linus Tsai, MD, PhD
Cancer Institute
Targeting metabolic vulnerabilities in metastatic breast cancer using patient-derived organoid cultures and cancer-associated fibroblasts
Principal Investigators: Gerburg Wulf, MD, and Jenny Hogstrom, PhD
The role of SLC25A44 on tumor development and metastasis in KRAS-mutated cancers
Principal Investigators: Daniel Costa, MD, Shingo Kajimura, PhD, and Susumu Koboyashi, MD, PhD
Mapping the tumor and immune microenvironment in diverse subtypes of cholangiocarcinoma
Principal Investigators: Mary Linton Peters, MD; Athanasios Ploumakis, PhD, and Soravis Osataphan, MD
Networking reception with light refreshments will follow the formal program.
Please let us know you will be attending by registering here.
Questions? Email TRHubs@bidmc.harvard.edu