AFTD’s Pilot Grant program – our longest running funding opportunity – provides seed funding for innovative FTD research, laying the groundwork for additional follow-on support from a larger funder. Pathways for Hope Pilot Grants target early-career researchers carrying out basic (discovery) research and translational research that is the first step in advancing promising science from the lab to the clinic.

AFTD is proud to announce the two most recent recipients of Pathways for Hope Pilot Grants:

Zevik Melamed, PhD, a Group Leader in the Department of Medical Neurobiology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, received a Pathways for Hope Pilot Grant for his proposal, “Synthetic promotor screening to uncover determinants of FTD pathology.” He will use a novel approach called synthetic biology to study disruptions in the way genes are translated into proteins in brain cells carrying the disease-causing variant of the gene C9orf72.  In particular, he aims to identify changes in the cellular “switches” regulating the translation process that are likely to represent the earliest stages in the development of C9orf72-FTD.

Zachary McEachin, PhD, an assistant professor at Emory University, was awarded a Pathways for Hope Pilot Grant for his proposal, “Integrated proteomics and phosphoproteomics across FTLD-TDP subtypes.”   To better understand the biological mechanisms underlying FTD with TDP43 pathology, Dr. McEachin will analyze the entire set of proteins produced by brain cells – known as the proteome – to identify protein “signatures” in genetic forms of FTD-TDP-43. These patterns can be used to pinpoint new targets for drug and biomarker development.