Research News - March 28, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. SAC 2014 Agenda & Materials now available online!

The 67th Annual Meeting of the MGH Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is being held on April 2 & 3, 2014.

• The agenda for SAC 2014 is now available online at the following link: http://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/content/files/SAC/SAC2014_Agenda.pdf
• The Celebration of Science book contains a review of the past year in research at MGH and a summary report by Harry Orf, PhD, Sr. VP for Research, as well as profiles of the Martin and Goodman Prize winners and the SAC Keynote speaker. This is available at: http://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/content/files/SAC/ECOR_Celebration2014.pdf
• The Poster Session Abstract book contains the 252 abstracts submitted by MGH Researchers, as well as the listing of Poster of Distinction Awards. This is available at: http://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/content/files/SAC/ECOR_Posters2014.pdf

We hope that you will be able to attend at least part of the SAC events on April 2 & 3. Please note that all of the events, except the Poster Session, will be held in the Simches Auditorium and will also be broadcast to the Isselbacher Auditorium at CNY.

2. Core of the Week: Endocrine Histology Core

Endocrine Histology Core
Director: Marie Demay, MD & Dorothy Hu MSc, HTL (ASCP)
Location: Thier 11

The Histocore's services include processing, sectioning, and staining of paraffin sections, frozen sections, non-decalcified sections of bone (plastic and frozen) as well as consultative services for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization analyses.

To learn more about the Endocrine Histology Core, please click here.

3. Research IS & Computing Information Table at MGH SAC next Wednesday

Wednesday, April 2 from 11:00AM - 1:45PM, Wyndham Hotel, 5 Blossom Street, Boston, 15th Floor

Research IS & Computing (RISC) team members will be on site during the MGH Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) Poster Session next week. The research community is encouraged to stop by the info table to learn more about Freezerworks, RPDR, High Performance Computing (HPC), REDCap, Research Computing Core Facility, Partners Enterprise Apple Support (PEAS) and additional ERIS resources.

EVENTS

1. MGH Seminar Series in Cell Biology

Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 3:00 PM, Isselbacher Auditorium (CNY Bldg. 149-East, Room 7231)

Sponsored by the Division of Nephrology

“Structural Insights into TRPV Channel Function in Health and Disease”
Rachelle Gaudet, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University

Host: Roy J. Soberman, M.D.
Contact: Christine Plouffe: cplouffe@partners.org; phone: 617-724-1502

2. CRP Spotlight Series: Epic Research Functionality Overview

Wednesday, April 23, 12:00pm – 1:30pm, Simches Room 3.110

Sponsored by the MGH Clinical Research Program and the Partners eCare Research Team

Join us for a discussion on Epic research functionality and the impact it will have on your current workflow. This overview will introduce you to Epic and provide you with the information necessary to begin talking about how you and your colleagues will incorporate these changes into your workflow.

You will be provided with a high level overview of the research activities that will be conducted through Epic. These activities include:

• Subject/Patient Enrollments to Specific Protocols
• Scheduling of Appointments/Registration of Patients
• Research Charge Review

**Lunch will be provided.**

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

3. Save the date: Research Nurse Book Club

April 22, 2014, 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

The mission of the Research Nurse Roundtable is to provide a forum for nurses who work in clinical research to discuss issues common to their practice. The roundtable meets once a month and is led by experienced research nurses in collaboration with the MGH Clinical Research Program Education Unit. This forum provides a great opportunity for knowledge sharing, problem solving, peer support and community building.

We are very pleased to announce the next selection of the Research Nurse Book Club. We will be discussing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Book club is open to anyone who has read the book or who is interested in hearing more about it.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly can be found at Amazon.com, public libraries or your local bookstore.

Registration is required. Please contact Jillian Tonelli with any questions.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. MGH ECOR Deliberative ISF and Sequestration Relief Funding

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is accepting applications for the April 1st deadline for the Deliberative Interim Support Funding & Sequestration Relief Funding. April is the first of three standing deadlines for these awards in 2014. The next two deadlines will be August 1st and December 1st.

What are they?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding
This is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense). Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01). The Deliberative Interim Support process is open to:

1. Investigators whose grants were not scored or whose scores were not transferred into a percentile ranking.
2. Investigators whose grants received scores >20th percentile.
3. Investigators who were awarded Formulaic Bridge Funding (grants with scores < or = 20th percentile), and are now requesting additional financial support (in excess of $75,000 for RO1s, and $37,500 for R21s).
4. A PI who has already received Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support on their A0 grant application must apply through the Deliberative Interim Support process for their A1 resubmission regardless of the score they received on their A1.

Sequestration Relief Funding
This is open to Investigators that have experienced a funding shortfall as a result of sequestration and do not qualify for either Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support.

For eligible applicants:

1. The total funded amount, if awarded, will be sourced 50:50 with the Department. For example, if a PI applies for $100,000, then $50,000 will be sourced from ECOR funds and $50,000 will be sourced from Departmental funds.
2. All applications for additional funds must include the Chief’s Letter of Support & Cost Sharing Authorization Form for ECOR Funding.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 - 9:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Deliberative Interim Support Funding - Click here
Sequestration Relief Funding - Click here

2. Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard Pilot Feasibility Project Applications in Nutrition, Obesity or Related Research Fields

Application Deadline: May 15, 2014

The Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard (NORC-H) (previously known as Harvard Clinical Nutrition Research Center) will be accepting applications for new pilot/ feasibility projects as well as for competing renewals of currently funded one-year projects for the 19th year (08/01/2014-07/31/2015) of the NIH-supported NORC. Projects will be funded up to $20,000 in the first year with possibility for renewal for a second year.

The specific purpose is to find:

1. Young investigators (senior fellows* or junior faculty) established by research programs relevant to clinical research who are without NIH R01 and R21 grant support (K awardees are encouraged to apply).
2. Established scientists not currently focused on nutrition per se who wish to initiate studies of direct or indirect importance to nutrition, metabolism or obesity.
3. Established nutrition researchers with novel new projects distinctly removed from their currently funded research projects.

Applications should be in the format of an R01, including all the NIH forms and budget pages, with the text portion of the grant limited to 3-5 pages single-spaced (NIH PHS 398). For anyone planning to submit a continuation, please be certain to detail the progress you have made in the first year, as well as your plans for the proposed second year.

In addition, please suggest 3 or 4 individuals who might be able to review your application knowledgeably. These individuals can be from within or outside the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, but should not be current collaborators. Please include their full names, mailing addresses, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address.

All applications should be received in the NORC office by May 15, 2014. Please submit electronically to Ewelinka ‘Nika’ Grzejka at egrzejka@partners.org . For a complete application go to the NORC website

For any science related questions please contact Dr. Steven Grinspoon, Co-Director of the NORC and Director of the Pilot Feasibility Program at 617-724-9109.

*Fellows must be in the final year of training and must have a documented commitment to a faculty appointment by a sponsoring division or department.

3. MGH-MIT RFA Announcement: "Transforming Diagnosis"

Investigators and research leadership at MGH and MIT have been working for the past year to establish an MIT-MGH Strategic Partnership. The first Grand Challenge in this partnership is entitled Transforming Diagnostics and has been the subject of two workshops to date. Based on discussions at these workshops and in other venues, on behalf of co-chairs Charlie Sodini and David Louis, the MIT-MGH Strategic Partnership is pleased to announce the new RFA and call for proposals.

MGH-MIT Strategic Partnership Grand Challenge 1: Diagnostics
Make diagnosis cost-effective and accurate, and guide individual clinical decisions based on real-time monitoring and massive patient data sets.

Award Types and Amounts:

• 2 (two) “large” grants at $150,000 (total costs) per team per year for up to 2 years
• 4 (four) "small" at $50,000 (total costs) per team per year for 1 year
• 3 (three) “continuation" projects at $50,000 (total costs) per team for 1 year, to follow a "small" project

Letter of Intent: E-mail notification is required by May 15, 2014 if you plan on submitting a proposal. Letters of intent should include the names of the principal investigators and a brief description of the project. Write to: rdfadel@mit.edu AND to ecor@partners.org

Full Proposal Submission Date: June 16, 2014

Project Start Date: September 1, 2014

Submission Information: Letters of intent and applications should be submitted electronically to: rdfadel@mit.edu AND to ecor@partners.org

To learn more about the MGH-MIT Strategic Partnership and to view the complete RFA, please click here.

4. Limited Submission 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:
1. Name of the Principal Investigator with appropriate contact information
2. A descriptive title of the potential application
3. Brief description of the project
4. 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 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.

• Alzheimer's Disease Core Centers (P30)
• Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (P50)
• Charles H. Hood Foundation Major Grants Initiative to Advance Child Health
• Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus: Network Leadership Center (UM2) - NEW!
• Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus: Network Research Sites (UH2/UH3) -NEW!
• Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (UG1) - NEW!
• Data Coordinating Center for the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (U01) - NEW!
• Diabetes Research Centers (P30)
• Consortium for Food Allergy Research (U19)
• Jointly Sponsored Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Predoctoral Training Program in the Neurosciences (T32)
• Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant
• Cystic Fibrosis Research and Translation Core Center (P30)
• American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes Research Awards
• Atopic Dermatitis Research Network (ADRN) (U19) - NEW!

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.

5. Private Funding Opportunities

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.

• Bio-Therapeutics Impact Awards, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• Paediatric Brain Tumour Initiative: Collaborative Project Grants in Paediatric Neuro-oncology Research, Children With Cancer UK
• Clinical Research Awards, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)/Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT)
• Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, Health Effects Institute (HEI)
• Medical Research Grants: Reach Awards, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Scholar in Thrombosis, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)/CHEST Foundation
• LRRK2 Challenge, Michael J. (MJFF) Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• Dyskinesia Challenge, Michael J. (MJFF) Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• Neurotrophic Factors Challenge, Michael J. (MJFF) Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
• CHEST Clinical Research Grant in Lung Cancer, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)/CHEST Foundation

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

6. NIH Update for Week Ending March 28, 2014

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

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Reminders of recently posted funding opportunities, deadlines and events

The Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award
Letter of Intent Deadline: May 2

Connecting Immunologists across Harvard: Junior Faculty Retreat - March 31

IRB Roundtable Series: Part I: Continuing Review and Amendments - April 3

CRP Spotlight Series: Best Practices for Training a New Clinical Research Coordinator - April 9

Applied Biostatistics for Clinical Trials - April 9, 16, 23 & 30

Epigenetics: An Introduction and Applications - April 15

Budgeting for Industry Sponsored Clinical Trials - April 24

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@partners.org