Research News - May 6, 2016

On May 2 at Research Council, we presented some new ways in which the Mass General Research Institute is working to promote your science.

• Download the presentation from Misty Hathaway, Chief Marketing Officer
• Download the presentation from Susan A. Slaugenhaupt, PhD, Scientific Director

Mass General has the largest federally-funded, hospital-based research program in the United States, yet we often don't get the recognition we deserve.

We need to rally together to tell the world that Mass General is a research powerhouse.
This will lead to more opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration, more productive partnerships with industry and more ways to engage with philanthropists—all with the goal of increasing funding for our research.

Here are some key ways that you can help us tell the world about your science:

• Submit your one-page research outline describing the problem you are trying to solve and the approach you are taking to solve it
• Use the Research Institute name whenever possible--on the web; in printed materials; on your business cards (download assets here)
• Follow us on Facebook and share our posts with your friends
• Send your research story ideas to researchinstitute@mgh.harvard.edu
• Watch for Research Portfolio Wrap Sessions—an informal chance to present your research outlines to our MGH Development and Partners Innovation teams over lunch
• Contact us if you are interested in joining our Research Communications Committee

Also be sure to check out the new and improved News Section of the Research Institute website. We've created lot of new vehicles for advertising your work, from a publications listing to study spotlights and much more.

Partners HealthCare EDC Support is looking for feedback on how to better integrate REDCap with RPDR, EPIC and other data sources. Over the next year, we will be releasing tools that help streamline data flow into REDCap. We are gathering requirements for future initiatives. Please take a quick survey and provide your contact information so we can follow-up with you to review your use case(s) in detail. 

Please click here to read the latest update from the Partners Government Affairs office.

Please click here to read the latest news from the NIH Office of Extramural Research.

Tuesday, May 10, 4:00 – 5:00 pm CNY 149, Room 2.204

Kidney disease in people of African ancestry
Martin Pollak, MD
Chief of Nephrology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

July 11-29, 2016

Applications due: May 13, 2016
Before starting their basic/translational research fellowships, clinical fellows and residents have the opportunity to participate in the MoD Boot Camp. This popular three-week course is offered annually, and includes group activities such as interactive lectures presented by leading faculty on their recent discoveries, reviews of topical updates in biomedical science by leaders in academia, and panel discussions, among others.

Eligibility
Current Harvard teaching hospital-based clinical trainees with substantive prior basic/translational research experience who plan to continue basic or translational projects in their postdoctoral research fellowships in 2016.

Applications are due by May 13, 2016.

Thursday, June 9, 3:00 – 4:00 PM, MGH Main Campus, details provided with registration

The Center for Faculty Development's Office for Research Career Development (ORCD) presents a seminar for MGH research faculty:
Responsible Conduct of Research Series: Data Management and Data Integrity

Facilitator: Javier Irazoqui, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology Division, Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

This RCR seminar will discuss the data integrity responsibilities of researchers, and 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

Please click here to register by Friday, June 3. This is the final RCR session offered by the ORCD this Academic Year 2015-2016.

NOTE: This seminar counts as one of the four required lectures in part III of Partners RCR training. All are welcome, but space is limited and registration preference will be given to those with RCR training requirements.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Location provided upon registration

The Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Research Careers (ORCD) presents its annual poster celebration for MGH research fellows.

The ORCD's Research Fellow Poster Celebration will take place on May 25, 2016. The Poster Celebration highlights the excellent research being done by MGH postdoctoral fellows. The morning program includes lectures on the 'Trends in Biomedical Science' and 'Research Career Development.' Posters are on display all day.

Please click here to register by Mon, May 16.

Mondays June 13, 20, 27 & July 11, 1:00pm - 4:15pm, Simches Room 3.110

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research, Partners Human Research Committee and Partners Quality Improvement Program

Good clinical practice (GCP) is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting human subjects’ research. GCP guidelines define the roles and responsibilities of the IRB, investigator, and sponsor throughout the clinical trial and also describe the essential documents needed for the conduct of a clinical trial. Compliance with GCP assures that the rights, safety, and welfare of subjects is protected and that the data produced from the research are credible. After completing this training the learner will have a comprehensive understanding of FDA Good Clinical Practices and be able to apply those Practices to the conduct of clinical research.

Session I: June 13: 1:00pm – 4:15pm

• Keynote Address
• Introduction to Good Clinical Practice & Case Study
• Regulatory Requirements & Human Subjects Research & Genetic Research
• HIPAA, Privacy and Security

Session II: June 20: 1:00pm – 4:15pm

• FDA Regulations: IND/IDE
• Process of Informed Consent
• Drug and Device Accountability
• Essential Documents, REDCap Regulatory Binder, Demo

Session III: June 27: 1:00pm – 4:15pm

• Unanticipated Problems including Adverse Events
• Study Monitoring
• GCP for Coordinating Centers
• Study Audits and Case Study
• Special Considerations for Pediatric Studies

Session IV: July 11: 1:00pm – 4:15pm

• Research Compliance and Examples of Noncompliance
• Research Misconduct
• Conflict of Interest
• Potpourri of IRB Issues

This is a highly interactive, four session course on the principles of GCP. In order to receive a certificate of completion a participant must attend all 4 sessions and successfully pass a post-course exam online.
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to: comprehend the principles of GCP; integrate the principles of GCP into the daily activities of research conduct; utilize the information provided during the course to make decisions about research conduct relating to study management, protocol adherence, collection of data, reporting study results and subject safety.

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

This program meets the requirements of the Board of Registration in Nursing, at 244 CMR 5.00, for 16.0 contact hours of nursing continuing education.

May 18, 25, June 2, 9 & 16, Simches 3.110

Speaker: Ruslan Sadreyev, Director of Bioinformatics

This introductory mini-course is intended for experimentalist who would like to get oriented in basic Bioinformatics concepts and tools. It is intended as a primer that would allow you to better understand general ideas and approaches and to start asking the right questions about your data. If you want to drill very deeply into a specific question or to get hands-on experience, this probably isn't a course for you. However, we are open to organizing more in-depth courses and workshops in the future.

This course will consist of five seminars with basic introduction to specific topics.
Session 1: Basic Statistics & Introduction to R
Session 2: Protein/gene sequence analysis and protein structure prediction
Session 3: Microarray expression analysis and gene set enrichment analysis
Session 4: Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis: part 1
Session 5: Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis: part 2

Registration is required. For registration or additional information on the course please visit the course page: Introduction to Bioinformatics

Contact Kelsey Gay at kgay1@partners.org with any questions.

Education Fair
June 14, 12:00 – 3:00 pm, Bulfinch Tent
The fair provides one-stop-shopping to explore certificate, undergraduate and graduate clinical and non-clinical programs, including nursing, research administration, health care policy and administration.  Featured schools include Boston University, Bunker Hill Community College, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Emmanuel College and UMass Boston.

Financing Your Education Workshop
June 30, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, Thier Conference Room
Representatives from the Harvard University Employees Credit Union, the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and the MGH Training & Workforce Development office will discuss various options to assist in financing your education.

Presented by the MGH Training & Workforce Development Office

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Tosteson and Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards for Fundamental (Basic) and Clinical Research!

What is it?
The Tosteson & FMD Awards are intended to support junior investigators (MD and PhD fellows/postdocs) at Massachusetts General Hospital pursuing either fundamental (basic) or clinical research.  
The ECOR Subcommittee on Review of Research Proposals (SRRP) reviews the applications and selects the awardees. The top three applicants will receive Tosteson Awards - named for the longtime Dean of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine - and the remaining awardees receive FMD awards.

How much is each award?
The awards are $40,000 for one year, plus applicable fringe benefits and 15% indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?

• Click here to read more and apply online.
• Visit the ECOR website http://ecor.mgh.harvard.edu/ and specifically the Tosteson and Fund for Medical Discovery page under the ECOR Post Doctoral Awards section of the Awards and Grants tab of the site.

Preliminary applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards

What are they?
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the Assistant Professor level.

MGH is eligible to nominate one candidate.

When is the deadline?  
MGH internal preliminary applications: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards - Click here

The iAwards Program:  Following the successful inaugural year (2015) with 8 proposals funded at MGH and BWH under the Sanofi Innovation Awards (iAwards) Program, we are pleased to announce the second call for pre-proposals.

The Sanofi iAwards Program brings together 7 top academic research institutions across the country and aims to support research ideas early in the translational path, at the transition between basic research and first proof of concept.

Successful projects have the potential to grow into sponsored research agreements with significantly increased funding levels and timelines. Additional information and timelines

Research Areas of Interest to Sanofi (including but not limited to)

• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Diabetes
• Immune Diseases
• Inflammation
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Oncology
• Rare Genetic Diseases.

Funding & Term: $125,000 (this is total amount including full IDC) for one year.

Pre-proposals: Please use this editable electronic document (link below) for pre-proposal and limit the total length to a maximum of 2 pages (excluding publications). All information in the pre-proposal should be non-confidential. Pre-proposal document template

Deadline for submission: May 13th, 2016 - Please send pre-proposals by email

Questions:  Please contact Rajesh Velagapudi, PhD, at Partners Innovation (857) 307-2413 and/or Zongxi Li, PhD, at the Mass General Research Institute

JDRF is requesting applications for the following opportunity:

• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Career Development Awards
• Early Career Patient-Oriented Diabetes Research Awards

Key Dates
May 2, 2016 - Applications Open
June 27, 2016  - Application Deadline
January 2017  - Funding Notification
February 2017  - Earliest Start Date

Please reference the Grant Mechanism Descriptions (http://grantcenter.jdrf.org/grant-center/information-for-applicants/grant-mechanism-descriptions/) on the JDRF website for more information.


To apply, please submit your application via RMS360
(https://jdrf.smartsimple.us)

Please feel free to share this opportunity with your colleagues. Additionally, please visit the Request for Applications section of the JDRF website (http://grantcenter.jdrf.org/grant-center/grant-opportunities-and-deadlines/) regularly for more funding opportunities!

The Stepping Strong Innovator Awards are part of the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund that was established by the Reny family following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. During the attack, Gillian Reny, an 18-year-old aspiring dancer, sustained severe injuries to both of her lower legs. The fund’s goal is to support clinical and research efforts that will enable future patients who have suffered from traumatic, athletic, military, or disease-related limb injuries to return their highest possible level of functionality and mobility in order to resume their physical passions and step strong again.

The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund announces ‘Stepping Strong Innovator Awards’ to inspire innovative research addressing well-defined clinical problems in areas related to trauma injury recovery, advanced stem cell technology, orthopedic and plastic surgery, bioengineering, rehabilitation, limb reconstruction, limb transplant, bone and wound healing, and other facets of trauma care that impact both civilian and military patients. These awards will fund high-reward projects by the best and brightest physicians and researchers, as long as they collaborate with a BWH investigator around their proposed project. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis with one non-renewable $100,000 award available through this RFA. 

This year, for the first time, the award is open to applications from physicians and researchers in the Boston area, as long they collaborate with a BWH investigator around their proposed project. Full applications are due July 18. For more information, click here.

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.

• Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers (42)
• Nutrition Obesity Research Centers (NORCs) (P30) – 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.

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.

• Familial RUNX1 Grant Program:  Familial RUNX1 Patient Samples Grant, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• Familial RUNX1 Grant Program: Familial RUNX1 Research Grant, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• Grant Opportunities, LAM Foundation
• Neuro-Habilitation Program, Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)
• Basic Research Grant Program, Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)
• Translational Research Grant Program (HeART (Help Accelerate RTT Therapeutics) ), Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)
• Mentored Training Fellowship Program, Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

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 Support
Application Deadline: May 7; 7th day of each month

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

Responsible Conduct of ‘Omics’ Research - May 24

Center for Skeletal Research Symposium - June 8

Looking for something you saw in a previous Research News release? Check out our archive!