(CHICAGO) November 23, 2020 – The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) is announcing that 2019 PFF Scholar, Dr. Jeremy Katzen at the University of Pennsylvania, a PFF Care Center Network site, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08 award. 

The K08 is a mentored clinical scientist research career development award designed to prepare investigators for careers that have a significant impact on health-related research needs. Dr Katzen’s achievement reflects the success of the PFF Scholars program in enabling awardees to be competitive for NIH research awards.  

“We are proud to congratulate Dr. Katzen on his K08 award and look forward to his ongoing work in pulmonary fibrosis research,” said Dr. Gregory Cosgrove, Chief Medical Officer of the PFF. “His award is a testament to the PFF Scholars Program and its power to fuel research that will lead to successful therapies to improve care and quality of life for people with PF.” 

The PFF Scholars program focuses on engaging early-stage researchers in the field of pulmonary fibrosis. The program provides Scholars with up to $50,000 over a two-year period with the goal of supporting them in obtaining independent funding to continue their cutting-edge research. Dr. Katzen’s research focuses on understanding the impairment process of alveolar type-2 (AT2) cells, which are important cellular components of normal lung function and repair, and how it may contribute to the initiation and progression of lung fibrosis. Dr. Katzen also presented an abstract of his research at the PFF Summit 2019 where he received the highest score and earned the top prize out of over 50 submissions.

“The PFF Scholars program has provided me with the financial support and research mentorship to successfully compete for an NIH career development award focusing on the fundamental mechanisms of lung fibrosis,” said Dr. Katzen. “I am incredibly grateful to the PFF, and my hope is that this research will both further our field and lead to novel therapies for patients living with pulmonary fibrosis.”

This work was made possible by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, by an independent grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. who provided the financial support. The authors meet criteria for authorship as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and were fully responsible for all aspects of the trial and publication development.

The PFF Scholars grant program is now accepting Letters of Intent (LOI) for the 2021 funding cycle through November 30. For submission instructions and program guidelines please visit http://pulmonaryfibrosis.org/pffresearch.

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) mobilizes people and resources to provide access to high quality care and leads research for a cure so people with pulmonary fibrosis will live longer, healthier lives. The PFF collaborates with physicians, organizations, patients, and caregivers worldwide. The PFF has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Better Business Bureau and National Health Council accredited charity.  For more information, visit pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733) or 312.587.9272 from outside the U.S.