Research News - June 5, 2015

We've learned from our PI's that the new NIH Biosketch format can take substantial time to build. The issue is primarily the PMCID's on the references.  Proposals that do not use the new format will be considered non-conforming by NIH and will not be reviewed. We recommend the YouTube video as a guide.

For more information, visit the FAQs or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm#format.

The CCHI Youth Programs is working hard to secure 6 week internships for more than 150 high school students who will be working at the hospital this summer. We are seeking supervisors who are interested in mentoring students who are eager to develop themselves as professionals.

Summer Jobs for Youth Program
Six-week program, July 6 to August 14, 25-40 hours per week, at no cost to departments!

Seeking full and part-time internships for high school students who may or may not have worked at MGH previously. These entry level placements provide students with opportunities to strengthen their foundational skills in the workplace. Please contact Tracey Benner at tbenner1@partners.org  for high school placements.

Watch the Channel 7 Summer Jobs Video Clip!

Have you ever gone through the hassle of importing a mouse strain only to find out later that another investigator at MGH already had the same mouse?

The MGH MouseShare Resource is a new website that enables investigators to post and search for genetic mouse strains within the Partners research community to help minimize quarantine and shipping costs associated with the importation of mice from outside sources.  Link to it from the MGH Research Intranet under Animal Care, or click here.

CCIB Monoclonal Antibody Sequencing Core
Director: Ashok Khatri
Location: 149 Thirteenth St. Room #4-323A, Charlestown, MA                   

The primary goal of the CCIB Monoclonal Antibody (mAB) Sequencing Core facility is to provide advanced de novo protein sequencing technology services to CCIB and the Partners research community. The Core Facility, established originally as a resource for protein/peptide sequencing for the CCIB, is now formally established as an institution-wide resource focused on the sequencing of monoclonal antibodies and other novel proteins/peptides. The mAB Core Facility primarily provides the services of protein/peptide purification, amino acid sequencing, and mass spectral analysis for the determination of the primary sequence of monoclonal antibodies. Investigators from throughout the MGH consult with the staff of the Core Facility to facilitate the most effective use of the resources.

To learn more about the CCIB Monoclonal Antibody Sequencing Core, please click here.

Please click here to read the NIH Extramural Nexus.

Please click here to read the latest news from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015, 3:00 – 4:15 PM, Simches Auditorium (3.110)

Hosted by the MGH Research Institute and Partners HealthCare Innovation

MGH is one of 7 universities and medical centers across North America selected for a new program that will provide $100,000 in seed funding to support innovative projects as part of a collaborative effort with investigators at Sanofi. Successful projects will be eligible for up to $1 million in subsequent years to support collaborative drug discovery.
 
Details of the program are below. All are welcome to attend; no registration is necessary.

Agenda:
3:00                        Welcome & Introduction

3:00 – 3:15pm      MGH Research Institute (Harry W. Orf, PhD & Mason Freeman, MD)

• Background and Mission
• Collaborating with Industry at All Stages
  • Basic Research/Early Proof of Concept
  • Human Investigation

3:15 – 3:30pm      Sanofi-Aventis (Maya Said, ScD)

• Collaborating with Academia
• The “iAwards” Program 

3:30 – 4:15pm      Reception

Monday, June 8, 2015, 12:00 – 1:00pm, CNY Building 149, Conference Room A behind Eat Street Café

“Optical coherence tomography: An emerging tool for microscopic brain imaging”
Jonghwan Lee, PhD
Instructor of Radiology, Optics Division
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

Bring your lunch!

Contact: JLFuller@mgh.harvard.edu

Tuesday, June 9, 1:00 – 6:00 pm, The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center,  Harvard Medical School
With less than a week to go, time is running out to register for the Virus Quantification Symposium in Boston.  There is no charge to attend, so sign up now before space runs out at http://goo.gl/lz6Ove.

This event features presentations by industry thought-leaders and will provide essential insight for anyone involved in the research, development or manufacture of virus or virus-related products.

Agenda: 

• 1pm-1:15: Michael Olszowy (ViroCyt) - Welcome
• 1:15-2: Christopher Kemp (Kempbio) - Optimizing Virus-Based Expression Systems
• 2-2:45: Daniel Vellom (Sanofi Pasteur Biologics) - Accelerating Viral Vaccine Development with the ViroCyt Virus Counter
• 2:45-3: Break
• 3-3:45: Mia Rushe (Biogen) - Streamlining Baculovirus Workflow with the ViroCyt Virus Counter
• 3:45-4:30: Michael Olszowy (ViroCyt) - Virus Quantification: Challenges and Opportunities
• 4:30-5: Mark Rehse (ViroCyt) - Introduction to the Virus Counter 3100 and Autosampler
• 5-6pm: Reception

Wednesday, July 15, 12:00 – 1:00pm, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

Sponsored by the MGH Clinical Research Program

Francine Molay, Senior Project Manager, Clinical Research Program
NurAlima Grandison, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Zora DiPucchio, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator

Having trouble recruiting subjects? Having trouble retaining subjects? Completely perplexed by the IRB? How do I develop a budget? Am I permitted to perform a certain study-related task?
If you are a new coordinator please join us and bring your study-related questions or issues. If you are an experienced coordinator bring your concerns and get a second opinion on how to solve an issue or problem. This is informal discussion group. The level of interactive will depend on the questions brought to the discussion. 
*Light lunch will be provided*

Registration is required. Contact Jillian Tonelli with further questions about this session.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015; 1:00 – 5:00pm, O’Keeffe Auditorium, Blake 1

Thanks to those of you who have registered for the conference. If you have not yet registered, have no fear – there is still time.  

The goal of this symposium is to bring together the Boston bone research community for an exciting afternoon of scientific exchange. The session will feature talks by talented invited leaders of the field and by young investigators who will describe the research they are conducting with the help of Pilot Grants awarded by the Center.   An important feature will be a poster session with prizes, which we hope will be an occasion for informal interchange about new research ideas.  Please register in advance due to limited seating.

To register for this event, please go to https://csr.mgh.harvard.edu/first-annual-symposium  or use our Quick link to:  Register

Wednesday, June 10, 2015, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Location provided upon registration

The Center for Faculty Development presents a lecture for MGH faculty with HMS academic appointments.

Are you interested in learning more about the Investigation Area of Excellence? The annual Academic Career Advancement Series helps MGH Faculty better understand the process of academic advancement and promotion. Plan to come and hear how to get promoted!

Panelists: 
Carol K. Bates, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, HMS
Stephen B. Calderwood, MD, Morton N. Swartz, MD Academy Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology), HMS; Chief, Infectious Diseases Division, MGH; Vice-Chair, Medicine Dept., MGH
Joshua L. Roffman, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, HMS; Associate Psychiatrist, MGH; Associate Director of Psychiatric Neuroimaging, Psychiatry Dept., MGH

Moderator: 
Theodore Stern, MD, Ned H. Cassem Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Psychosomatic Medicine/Consultation; Chief, Avery D. Weisman, MD Psychiatry Consultation Service; Director, Office for Clinical Careers

Faculty with HMS academic appointments, please click here to register or email us at cfd@partners.org if you have any questions.

Accreditation- Partners HealthCare System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Partners HealthCare System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity

Thursday, June 11, 2015, 5:00 - 7:00 pm, Location provided upon registration.

Co-sponsored by the MGH Graduate Student Division (GSD) and Massachusetts General Postdoc Association (MGPA), with support from the MGH Research Institute.

Come join the GSD and the MGPA at this outdoor event where you can meet and socialize with other postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Lots of fun and food are guaranteed!

Please click here to register.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, Location provided upon registration.

The Center for Faculty Development's Office for Research Career Development presents a seminar for MGH faculty and fellows.

This Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) seminar will provide strategies for managing laboratory data including:

• Maintaining integrity of data for peer review and sharing
• Managing different data formats (lab notebooks, electronic media, etc.)
• Ensuring data integrity for intellectual property

Responsible Conduct of Research Series: Data Management and Data Integrity
Facilitator: Javier Irazoqui, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology Division

Please click here to register by Thu, Jun 4. Please note that this is the final RCR seminar offered this Academic Year.

The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, presented by the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, honors the physician-scientist who has moved science forward with notable achievements in innovation, creativity and potential for clinical application.

This annual prize provides the awardee with:

• An unrestricted $20,000 honorarium
• The Harrington Prize Lecture, delivered at the ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting
• A review, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation

  This prize requires Institutional Nomination; MGH is not limited in the number of nominees we can submit. If you are interested, please contact MGH ECOR at ecor@partners.org by July 17, 2015 to be considered. Please contact Erin McGivney if you have questions regarding this process.

Click here for more information.

Proposal Deadline: Send to Partners Innovation by June 12, 2015

CTI is an innovative Pfizer program that partners with leading academic medical centers and patient foundations nationwide to speed the translation of novel targets into potential therapeutics. CTI seeks to identify and partner novel targets with the goal of identifying new compounds and accelerate drug development from validated target to proof-of-mechanism in humans.  A partnership with CTI may include collaborative use of Pfizer’s proprietary antibody drug delivery technologies, broad publishing rights and financial awards in the form of milestone and royalty payments for successful programs.

For more information, please see the CTI Request for Proposals.

• To see what CTI looks for, click here.
• For the CTI Pre-Proposal template, click here.

Hyundai Hope On Wheels (HHOW) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that joined the fight against childhood cancer in 1998. The organization funds life-saving research and creates awareness for childhood cancer. Since its inception in 1998, HHOW has donated more than $100 million to fund pediatric cancer research in the U.S. Our mission is to increase awareness about the disease and to fund transformative research to increase cure and care.

In 2015, HHOW is pleased to announce a NEW category of grant awards for pediatric cancer. HHOW will make available four (4) $1,000,000 Hyundai Quantum Grant Awards, $250,000 per year for four years. The Hyundai Quantum Award is focused on funding transformational pediatric cancer research. The awards are aimed at funding research focused on childhood cancers with a poor prognosis.

Eligibility & Award Information

• Research projects for the following pediatric cancers, which have low survival rates, will be considered:
  • Pediatric CNS tumors
  • Metastatic pediatric solid tumors
  • Pediatric myeloid leukemia.
• The lead investigator must have an established record in pediatric cancer research, must be an MD or MD/PhD, and must commit to devoting at least 20% of his/her efforts to the project.
• Applications must have demonstrable or potential translational relevance and impact.
• Collaboration between multiple investigators (including a sub-award to another institution) is allowed.
• Investigators can apply for a project that has grant funding from another source.
• Clinical research trials – or correlative biological studies in a clinical trial –are not eligible for consideration.
• Pediatric hematology research is not eligible.
• Pathologists are not eligible to apply.

For more information, please view the RFP and the FAQs.

MGH is limited to only one applicant for this award. If you would like to be considered, please submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org no later than June 18, 2015. In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project
• Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award focusing on relevance to pediatric cancer, quality of science, innovation, potential for success, potential impact on the field and demonstrated need for funding.

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigator interested in applying for a limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these funding opportunities.  Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

• Biomedical Research Programs:  Faculty Scholars Program, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
• Clinical Research Awards, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation Awards Program in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research, The Medical Foundation
• Request for Applications, Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR)
• PNH Research Grant, Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation, Inc. (AA&MDSIF)
• LE&RN/FDRS Lipedema Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program, Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

Process
Submit a one- to two-page Letter of Intent (LOI) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) via email to ecor@partners.org.  In addition to your LOI, please include an NIH Biosketch.

The letter of intent should include:

• Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
• A descriptive title of the potential application
• Brief description of the project
• Brief description of why you specifically should be selected to receive institutional nomination for this award

In the event that there is more than one MGH investigators interested in applying for each limited submission award, the LOIs will be used to assess candidates and a review and selection process will take place.

Current Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Please click here for more information and for our internal deadlines.

• Advancing Health Disparities Interventions through Community-Based Participatory Research (U01)
• Hyundai Hope On Wheels Quantum Grant – NEW!
• NIAMS Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30)
• Career Development Programs in Diabetes Research for Pediatric Endocrinologists (K12)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed above or you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

For the latest National Institutes of Health notices, requests for applications, and program announcements, follow this link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding
Application Deadline: June 7, 7th day of each month

Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC) Accepting PILOT & DRIVE Grant Pre-Proposals

Center for Skeletal Research Symposium – June 10

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