eRoundup for 08/21/09

Recently the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a two-day Workshop on Efficient Management and Utilization of Core Facilities. The purpose of this interactive workshop was to discuss the state of existing NIH-funded research core facilities, identify problems involving their operation and use, and to propose potential ways to address common challenges to their maximum use and efficiency. Approximately 200 institutional officials, core directors, NIH staff, and research leaders participated in the event. Dr. Carolyn Meltzer, ACTSI Translational Technologies & Research program director attended the workshop. "There was substantive discussion on enhancing core access, obstacles related to administering core facilities under the current NIH policies, and opportunities for consolidation and regionalization of core facilities. Several participants and panelists discussed struggling with the development of databases, such as ACTSI's eBIRT project for disseminating information about core technologies and services. The growing network of CTSAs would provide a foundation for regional cores that could optimize the balance of utilization and expense for high-end technologies. The recommendations of this workshop are likely to be encapsulated in a forthcoming white paper and to shape future NIH policy related to core facilities," said Dr. Meltzer. Read more...

Michael Kutner, PhD, ACTSI Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Research Design (BERD) program director, is leading a consortium of BERD program directors in the south to: (1) develop best practices, policies, and/or requirements for sharing of various types of data across institutions; (2) develop  best practices, policies, and/or requirements for sharing information about resources and for use of resources across institutions; and (3) test and evaluate models for networking and collaborating together in the area of the conduct of multi-center clinical trials across institutions.  So far, the consortium members are the BERD program directors from Vanderbilt, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, University of Alabama, UT Health Sciences Center at Houston, Duke University, UT Southwestern at Dallas, and the University of North Carolina, all of whom have written letters in support of the consortia's goals and objectives. The creation of this consortium of CTSA Data Coordinating Centers(DCCs) in the south, all capable of serving as a DCC for a multi-center clinical trial, would allow NIH funded multi-center trials to advance at a more rapid pace and thus save money by getting  the trials done in a more timely manner. Ideas being explored to shorten start-up time for clinical trials include building an inventory of forms and documentation for forms, i.e. validation information for techniques; developing a toolbox of web-based software tools to more quickly implement new forms in distributed data management systems; and developing an inventory of web-based software to support data entry for specific commonly-used forms. This BERD Southern Consortium arrangement could serve as a model for the larger group of CTSA-funded institutions throughout the country.

Dr. John Banja of ACTSI's Ethics, Regulatory Knowledge, & Support program and Emory's Center for Ethics was interviewed on CNN on August 14 as part of the story, Surgeon Gen. Nominee's Fast Food Link.

Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD was recently named the 16th director of the National Institutes of Health. He was nominated to lead the NIH, the nation's premiere biomedical research agency, by President Barack Obama on July 8, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 7. Read more...

The ACTSI's Translational Technologies & Resources (TTR) program is pleased to announce a new RFA to use available funds for new technologies capital investments. One primary focus of the ACTSI is to orchestrate the advancement, selection, and funding of promising new technology. The TTR program established a Proof-of-Principle Technology Fund which, with additional support from the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), facilitates a focused approach to identifying and investing in new, enabling technologies aligned with the ACTSI strategic goals. The application deadline is September 1. See RFA for more details.

The Georgia Tech/Emory Center (GTEC) for the Engineering of Living Tissues and the Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) have partnered in the establishment of an inter-institutional grant program for regenerative medicine, Planning the Future of Regenerative Medicine in Atlanta. Last year, five planning grants were awarded, three of which were renewed for a second year of funding in summer 2009, based on excellent progress towards building successful extramural proposals and interdisciplinary teams in the area of regenerative medicine. This fall 2009 call for proposal is aimed at new groups intending to pursue a multi‐disciplinary project in the area of regenerative medicine that has the potential for multi‐investigator extramural funding in a two to three year time horizon.

Awards range from $50,000 to $100,000 in direct costs for the first year with the possibility of similar level of support for the second and third years (subject to meeting the eligibility conditions for renewal). Teams consisting of members from more than one institution are strongly encouraged. Please click here for the call for proposals which includes details regarding criteria and submission procedures. Letter of Intent is due on September 1, and proposals are due on September 15.

A new fertility preservation RFA, Fertility Preservation Research: Advancing Beyond Technology (R01) (RFA-HD-09-009), has been published by the NIH and CDC. Please click here http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-09-009.html for details. The application is due on October 20.

The HMO Research Network is planning to respond to this announcement.  If there are any interested partners, please feel free to contact Robert L. Davis, MD, MPH, Director of Research for the Center for Health Research, Southeast, (404) 364-7197 or Robert.L.Davis@kp.org.

AHRQ invites applications to develop a prospective clinical registry of orthopedic devices, drugs, and procedures through a practice-based research collaborative and clinical and outcomes data resource (P50 grant mechanism). The goal of this registry initiative is to support the development of a sustainable data infrastructure and to conduct rigorous clinical and scientific research including comparative effectiveness and safety research.  AHRQ envisions utilizing a practice based orthopedic registry across a broad provider network as one of the potentially most effective and productive approaches to develop scientific evidence regarding the short and long term benefits and harms of implantable orthopedic devices and other related services. The registry will be a model and basis for other national device and procedure registries and will actively disseminate study results into clinical practice. The application is due on September 23. For more information please click here.

The executive vice president for health affairs at Emory presents the Future Makers Lecture Series featuring Darrell G. Kirch, MD president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The lecture will be held on Thursday, October 29, in the Woodruff Health Science Center Administration Building at 5:00 p.m. Please save the date.

Current medical students at Emory University School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), and other health professional trainees pursuing doctoral degrees in public health, biomedical engineering, nursing and other fields at Emory, MSM and GA Tech can apply for short-term (3 month) stipends ($5,190 of salary support) funded by the Research Education, Training and Career Development (RETCD) program of the ACTSI. This mechanism will support medical and graduate students who are interested in a short course program focused on clinical and/or translational research under the mentorship of a successful, federally funded faculty mentor. Application for the short-term training program includes several components that should be submitted electronically by emailing TL1Applications@erooms.emory.edu. For more information please visit www.atlantactsi.org/areas/retcd/documents/TL1_three-month_program-9-30-08_FINAL.pdf.

The Morehouse Medical Associates, Inc. (MMA) was founded in 1985. Today MMA is made up of more than 100 practicing physicians who also share their extensive knowledge as clinical faculty of Morehouse School of Medicine. MMA is one of the largest physician groups in Georgia, and one of the state's premier primary care and multi-specialty medical practices. The site is a medical office-based ACTSI Clinical Interaction Site and provides comprehensive support for clinical investigation with its various core resources and facilities. MMA's focus continues to be providing quality health care to Atlanta's multi-cultural community. MMA has physician specialists in more than 20 fields and is affiliated with some of Atlanta's best-known hospitals. Morehouse Medical Associates provides the infrastructure necessary for Emory, MSM, and Georgia Tech faculty to conduct clinical research. For more information please click here. To learn how to submit a protocol click here.