eRoundup for 09/11/09

ResearchMatch is an electronic volunteer recruitment registry designed to allow individuals from anywhere in the country an opportunity to securely self-register and express an interest in being prospectively considered for participation in research studies, including clinical trials. This disease-neutral, Web-based recruitment tool will complement existing successful participant recruitment strategies employed throughout the CTSA. ResearchMatch, an effort involving the majority of the CTSA Consortium, will launch in fall 2009. Future updates will describe how researchers at participating CTSA sites may begin to utilize this new national recruitment tool.  For more information, contact info@researchmatch.org.

Emory scientists are beginning to understand why fearful memories are so persistent in the brain, and how they can be erased. Read More...

The Electronic Research Administration Agency has recently expanded the Web-based xTrain resource. xTrain provides program directors, university administrators, trainees, and scholars the ability to electronically process and submit appointment forms and termination notices associated with institutional research training grants and career development awards. It is also used by Agency grants management staff to review and process the appointments and termination notices submitted electronically. xTrain now accepts trainee appointments to the CTSA training program T32/TL1 and scholar appointments to the CTSA K12/KL2 institutional career development program from all institutions registered with the eRA Commons. It can be utilized now; there are no further registrations or special steps required. Training modules are available on the eRA Commons website. Please take a moment to review the guide notice announcement for more information.

Science-Business eXchange (SciBX) is a new weekly publication from Nature Publishing Group that may be of interest to clinical and translational researchers. SciBX provides a concise analysis of the scientific content and commercial potential of the most important translational research papers from the life science, biotechnology, and chemistry literature. Each week thousands of reviewed articles are distilled down to the 25 most important developments, saving time and resources by identifying and describing key translational research. Scientific and commercial perspectives on the key papers are also included. For more information, visit the SciBX site. 

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has named Petra Kaufmann, MD, MSc, as director of its Office of Clinical Research. Read More... 

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. Proposals are due on September 15.

In an effort to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and promote technology training and awareness, the Translational Technologies and Resources (TTR) program of the ACTSI is pleased to co-sponsor biomedical symposia and other educational events related to translational technologies in research. Limited funds ($5,000-$10,000 per event) are available through the TTR program for co-sponsorship of educational events that align with TTR and ACTSI goals. To apply for funds to support your upcoming biomedical symposium or educational event, please complete an application.  Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information about this educational partnering opportunity, please Deb Smith.

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 Biomedical Translational Research Information System (BTRIS) team invites you to a series of lectures focused on informatics in biomedical and translational research. This series brings leading figures in the study and use of translational information systems from academic centers across the U.S. and will promote discussion about the future of informatics within the NIH intramural program. Seminar series presentations can be viewed on the BTRIS website. The next seminar will be on Tuesday, September 15, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., and will feature Jim Cimino, MD, Chief of the NIH Clinical Center's Laboratory for Informatics Development. The series will be videocast. More information about this series and continuing BTRIS news 

The Morehouse School of Medicine, in conjunction with the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer III, will host Health Disparities Symposium on Cancer: Addressing the Issues on September 21-22, at the Atlanta Marriott Downtown. The keynote speakers are Dr. David Satcher, director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, and Stephen Sodeke, associate director of the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Healthcare at Tuskegee University. Click here for more information.

Morehouse School of Medicine will host the 14th annual HeLa Women's Health Conference on September 25, at the Louis W. Sullivan National Center for Primary Care. The conference will focus on reproductive health and cancer, including the relationship between obesity and cancer. Writer Rebecca Skloot, assistant professor of English at the University of Memphis, will be the keynote speaker. Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Click here for more information.

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. Read more... 

The CTSA Public Private Partnership (PPP) Key Function Committee will organize a CTSA Industry Forum to take place on February 17-18, 2010 in the Natcher Conference Center in Bethesda, MD. The purpose of the forum is to explore current practices and successful management models to promote efficient and effective collaboration with CTSA organizations. The goal is to streamline the development of new drugs, devices, and diagnostics to improve the public health of the nation. For more information, contact Lili Portilla, NCRR. 

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.

Saint Joseph's Translational Research Institute (SJTRI) is a private, nonprofit research institute that combines the efficiencies of a commercial contract research organization with the resources of an academic institution. The site is a hospital-based ACTSI Clinical Interaction Site and provides comprehensive support for clinical investigation with its various core resources and facilities. SJTRI was founded as the American Cardiovascular Research Institute (ACRI) in 1999. In 2003, ACRI merged into the Saint Joseph's Health System. While academically focused, SJTRI understands the end goal of bringing devices and therapies to market, which is why half of the SJTRI employees have experience in private industry. SJTRI offers preclinical and clinical resources, regulatory support, collaborative funding opportunities, and physician education and training. For more information, visit www.sjtri.org. The SJTRI 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.