Welcome to the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation
The Penn Institute for RNA Innovation is dedicated to the understanding and development of all things RNA and will help form collaborations that will unify and link all elements from RNA-based basic science through therapeutic activities.
The Institute is led by Dr. Drew Weissman, Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Director of Vaccine Research in the Infectious Diseases Division at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
RNA Pilot Grant Program Fall 2026
The Penn Institute for RNA Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, CHOP, and Wistar seeks to support RNA-related basic, translational and clinical research. Towards that goal, the Institute is requesting applications for its Pilot Grants Program for Fall 2026. Pilot funding will provide initial support to establish proof of concept or extend findings to enable extramural funding and publications in the future. Given changes in funding priorities at NIH this Pilot award will also be available for existing RNA-related projects that are being modified to bridge to new scientific areas that align with priority areas of the RNA Institute. These priority areas are indicated below along with, deadlines, and application guidelines.
The Fall 2026 Pilot Grant Program research priority areas will be to support:
- Cross-disciplinary research that will lead to extramurally funded research in either basic or translational science in the arena of RNA biology. Applications related to vaccine research involving RNA are welcome.
- Supplements to existing projects involving RNA basic or translational science in which a change in direction is planned for the project to align with emerging NIH priorities
- Early- and mid-stage investigators undertaking new projects involving basic or translational RNA technology and for whom alternative resources for funding are not available.
How mRNA medicine could help us live longer
Penn Medicine’s leadership in RNA research takes center stage as CNN visits the Penn Center for RNA Innovation. In a conversation with reporter Kara Swisher, Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, Jilian Melamed, PhD, and Ted Kreider, MD, PhD, explain how mRNA medicine could transform care—making future therapies more affordable, more accessible, and potentially life extending for people worldwide.
ABOUT
Dr. Drew Weissman M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Drew Weissman is the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Director of Vaccine Research in the Infectious Diseases Division at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician- scientist and pioneer in the science of immunology, with major contributions to the field. Notably, Dr. Weissman, and his colleagues discovered a novel nucleoside-modified mRNA platform that bypasses adverse immunologic response. The result of decades-long dedication and research, this platform now serves as the basis for the burgeoning research of targeted therapeutics for some of the world’s most devastating diseases. This research outcome paved the way for the first mRNA vaccines, being the critical backbone to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Dr. Weissman and his lab team continue to conduct basic science research to understand and develop new nucleoside-modified mRNA platforms to advance effective and safe vaccines for different types of diseases, as well as new therapeutics.
Dr. Weissman is the recipient of multiple accolades in medicine and research, including the Lasker-DeBakey Award, the Breakthrough Prize, The Horwitz Prize and the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize.
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