We are pleased to announce the results of the 2025 Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center’s pilot and feasibility research grant program. These competitive awards support innovative diabetes-related projects led by early-career investigators entering the field or established scientists pursuing novel directions in diabetes research. The ultimate goal of the program is to generate preliminary findings that will allow investigators to compete successfully for national, peer-reviewed funding. 

This year, 19 meritorious proposals were submitted from across the University of Iowa campus and underwent rigorous review. Four investigators were selected for funding: 

For the Catalyst Grants ($50,000/year, renewable for a second year), Dr Catherina Pinnaro and Dr. Yumi Imai were selected as the recipients: 

• Dr. Catherina Pinnaro will investigate how the parent-of-origin of the X chromosome influences diabetes risk in women with Turner syndrome, aiming to uncover genetic mechanisms that predispose to the disease Dr. Kale Bongers will explore how changes in the gut microbiome and nutrient environment make patients with diabetes more vulnerable to severe infections such as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis 
• Dr. Yumi Imai will study how the protein VPS13c helps pancreatic beta cells function under stress, using stem cell-derived islets as a model to better understand diabetes and improve future cell-based therapies 

For Seed Grants ($5,000, one-year awards), Dr. Kale Bongers and Dr. Maria Cyndari were selected as the recipients: 

• Dr. Maria Cyndari examine how fat tissue inside the knee may cause inflammation that worsens arthritis, with the goal of finding new ways to prevent or treat joint damage in diabetic obese patients. 

We congratulate Drs. Pinnaro, Imai, Bongers, and Cyndari on their awards and look forward to the discoveries their innovative projects will bring to the field of diabetes research.