The power of pilot grants: Studying the brain’s reward center to help those struggling with addiction

Imagine you are a scientist who has been studying, researching, writing papers and submitting grants continuously for years. One day, you apply for a pilot grant from the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI). A few months later, you find out you have been awarded the grant, which will enable you to test your idea. This is exactly what happened to Joshua Gowin, PhD, associate professor of radiology in the CU Anschutz School of Medicine.