To measurably improve lives through access to UCI-developed knowledge, UCI Beall Applied Innovation’s Proof of Product (PoP) Grants program identifies Principal Investigators (PIs) with early-stage research projects having significant potential for being brought to market as a product or service; that is, for commercialization and provides them up to $100,000 towards this goal. A single round of PoP Grant funding is expected to result in appreciable product development results that will potentially attract other sources of translational grant funding and/or partnerships with industry or investors. Dr. Palczewski and his MD/PhD student, Jennings Luu, were chosen through a highly competitive process as recipients of this prestigious grant.