Research News - June 30, 2017

Is there an innovation that is making work and life in the lab more productive or efficient? Or one that has allowed for an entirely new line of inquiry? We at The Scientist want to hear about it. Whether you work for a company that makes a new gadget that is poised to revolutionize life science or you use an innovation-driving tool or technology in your lab, your insight could help us recognize the hottest new products and earn them a coveted spot in The Scientist’s annual Top 10 Innovations list. But your tool, tech, or method can’t win if you don’t submit.

Last year, our judging panel highlighted single-cell Western blot platforms, new CRISPR reagents, a high-powered camera, a SMRT sequencer, and more. As we’ve witnessed from years past, winners don’t just make a splash when they come on the scene, they make a long-lasting and profound impact on research.

We can’t wait to see what products our readers bring to our attention, and with our streamlined submission process, we’ve made it even easier to submit an innovation.

Just make sure that the product you’re entering was released after October 1, 2016, complete a brief questionnaire, and your submission will be entered in the competition.

Click here to submit!

To learn more about the history of our Top 10 Innovations competition, read all about previous years’ winners.

Thursday, July 6, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, CNY 149, Rm 2.204                                           

Wiring heart and neural development: Molecular establishment of peripheral nervous system
Takako Makita, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Southern California

Thursday, July 6, 5:00-7:00 pm, Charlestown Navy Yard, CNY 114 lawn

Sponsored by the Graduate Student Division, the Post Doctoral Division and the Mass General Post Doc Association (MGPA).

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

GSD, PDD, and MGPA Networking BBQ

*Open to Graduate Students and Research Fellows only*

Please click here for more information.

J-1 and J-2 visa holders must always have a valid travel signature on their DS-2019 (not more than a one year old) when travelling internationally. Please note that several of PIPS Advisors' regularly-scheduled travel signature sessions at BWH and MGH have been rescheduled in July/August 2017.

BWH

• July 13, 10:45am - 11:30am, Office for Sponsored Staff and Volunteer Services
• July 25, 11:30am -12:30am, (check calendar for location)
• August 10, 10:45am - 11:30am, Office for Sponsored Staff and Volunteer Services

MGH

• (Cancelled: July 3)
• (Cancelled: August 7)
• August 16, 11am-12pm (check calendar for location)

BY APPOINTMENT

Signatures are also available by appointment at our Somerville office, but PIPS will be closed on the following holidays:

• July 4, 2017 (Independence Day) - closed
• September 4, 2017 (Labor Day) - closed

PIPS Advisors recommend avoiding afternoon appointments on the workday preceding each holiday; Partners offices often close early on those days.

Thursday, July 13, 10:00am – 12:00pm, Simches 3.120

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research and the MGH Office of Research Compliance

Pamela Richtmyer, Senior Research Compliance Associate, MGH Research Compliance

This presentation will provide a basic overview of clinical research billing.  Attendees will gain a general understanding of the clinical research billing process including:

• Developing a study budget that will cover all costs
• Epic research billing responsibilities
• Determining what is billable to insurance
• Routing charges appropriately
• Insight Patient Care Correction process
• Maintaining financial health of study
• Understanding relevant regulations and requirements
• Available resources

The Clinical Trial Billing Education Series is provided by MGH Research Compliance for the MGH Division of Clinical Research.

This course is geared towards investigators, research nurses, study coordinators, project managers, and all other study staff.

This program meets the requirements of the Board of Registration in Nursing, at 244 CMR 5.00, for 1 contact hour of nursing continuing education.

Registration is required. Contact Tiereny Morrison-Rohlfs with questions.

Wednesday & Thursday, July 12 - 13, The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115

On behalf of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard, we would like to extend registration to our 18th Annual Symposium, which will take place in July. Please consider registering, as this is a very educational event to attend. Registration is free and we welcome everyone- students, physicians, community members, academic faculty, etc. Click here to register.

Contact: HarvardNORC@mgh.harvard.edu with any questions.

Thursday, October 5

On Thursday, October 5, MGH will celebrate the 15th Annual Clinical Research Day. The Division of Clinical Research invites investigators from across the hospital to submit abstracts at https://crp2017.abstractcentral.com/login by the July 10th deadline.

Please note that submissions must be about clinical research conducted at MGH and may include manuscripts published or submitted for publication between September 2016 and July 2017.

MGH awards for best abstracts:

• $5,000 Team Award (Nominations by chiefs required)
• $1,500 Translational Research Award, sponsored by the Department of Molecular Biology
• $1,000 Individual Award
• Departmental Awards for clinical researchers include: Anesthesia, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Medicine, Neurology, Ob/Gyn, Orthopaedic Surgery, Pathology, Pediatric Surgery, Pediatrics, Performance Analysis and Improvement/Practice Improvement, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Surgery

Clinical Research Day will begin at 8 a.m. with the keynote address delivered by Dr. Daniel J. Rader, Seymour Gray Professor of Molecular Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Please contact Jillian Tonelli with any questions.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, September - October 2017, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Potts Conference Room

Sponsored by the MGH Division of Clinical Research, the Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Psychiatry

Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials is an intensive thirteen-session course offered from early-September through late October. Physicians with a serious interest in clinical trials will be introduced to theoretical and practical issues facing clinical researchers.  Course participants will learn how to envision, plan, develop and execute effective clinical trials. Study content includes research designs, protocols, ethical patient recruitment, informed consent, regulations, and clinical trial management.

The course is ideally suited for clinical fellows starting their research years, junior faculty pursuing careers in clinical research, and physicians with an interest in becoming more actively involved in clinical research.  All participants are expected to use the course curriculum to develop and present a trial design at the final session of the course. 

Enrollment is limited to facilitate interaction and individual attention. To ensure placement in the course, early application is recommended. All applications will be reviewed in mid-August.

To submit an application and/or view a course schedule, please go to: Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials. Contact Tiereny Morrison-Rohlfs with any questions.

The Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) is accepting applications for the August 1st deadline for the Deliberative Interim Support Funding.  August is the third of three standing deadlines for these awards in Fiscal Year 2017.  The next deadline will be December 1, 2017.  

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 translated into a percentile ranking.
2. Investigators whose grants received scores >20th percentile.

3. Investigators who have already received Formulaic Bridge Funding or Deliberative Interim Support for a previous submission of this grant and are now requesting support for the resubmission of the same grant.  Investigators in this category must apply through the Deliberative Interim Support process for this application regardless of the score they received.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 - 5:00 PM

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

Preliminary applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards.

What are they?
The NIH Director’s Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or clinical residency, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career.

MGH is eligible to nominate two candidates to apply to NIH for this award.

When is the deadline?  
MGH internal preliminary applications: Monday July 10, 2017 – 5:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to for more information and to apply for this award.

(This award is designed for Canadian Citizens, permanent residents of Canada and foreign citizens of Canada.)

What is it?
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth. The award is designed for Canadian Citizens, permanent residents of Canada and foreign citizens of Canada.

The objective of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program is to:

• attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally
• develop their leadership potential
• position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow 

There is no set cap on the number of applicants MGH can endorse, however there is a significant amount of institutional involvement required for this application process.  The internal application will be used to confirm the applicant's eligibility and to assist the applicant with obtaining the required institutional letter of endorsement. 

How much is each award?
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship is a stipend of $70,000 (taxable) per year for 2 years and does not support indirect costs (IDC).  There are no additional funds provided for travel/research.  This Fellowship is not subject to the MGH 15% IDC requirement.

When is the deadline?
MGH Internal Application Deadline: Monday, August 21, 2017
Sponsor Application Deadline: September 20, 2017

How do I learn more and apply?

• Click here to read more and apply online.
• To review the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship application guidelines and process, please click here.

Submit ideas for: How might we re-imagine chronic disease management enabled by technology?
Prize (Valued at up to $200,000) 200hrs of User-Centered Design and 100hrs of software development services.

Deadline: August 11, 2017

Click here to apply

Through Connected Health Innovation Challenge (CHIC), Partners Connected Health invites you to submit your early-stage ideas and concepts featuring technology-enabled solutions that transform chronic disease management. 

Chronic diseases include but are not limited to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, arthritis, chronic pain, addiction, psychological disorders and others.

Think about ways to use technology/data to

• Empower patients to take control of their own health.
• Equip clinics/providers with better tools to manage populations.
• Support family and caregivers that care for people suffering from chronic diseases.
• And any other ideas on non-direct clinical care that we are not even thinking of!

We will work with you to convert your back-of-the napkin idea into a business pitch and a prototype!

Who can apply?
Everyone. (Including, but not limited to patients, physicians, nurses, caregivers, allied healthcare professionals, cafeteria staff, environmental services, lab technicians, transport services, researchers, fellows etc.)
This challenge is open to all teams of three or more members with at least one Partners HealthCare-affiliated member.
More details?

1. Go to our website
2. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
3. Subscribe for updates through our mailing list here

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

• An unrestricted $20,000 honorarium
• The Harrington Prize Lecture, delivered at the 2018 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting
• Participation at the Harrington Discovery Institute Annual Symposium
• A personal essay, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation

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

If there is more than one MGH investigator 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.

• Gabrielle's Angel Foundation
• NIAMS Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30)
• Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (P30)
• George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Core Centers (P30)

If there is a limited submission funding opportunity you do not see listed below or you have any additional questions, please let us know at ecor@mgh.harvard.edu.

Please note that any grant that brings in less than 15% in indirect costs (IDC) will need to be supplemented up to the 15% equivalent by existing investigator or departmental sundry funds. Resolution of this issue must occur prior to submission of the award.

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.

Week of 6/30/17

•  ALS Research Grants, Judith & Jean Pape Adams Charitable Foundation
• Nurse Researcher Grants:  Discovery Grant, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
• Early-Career Scientific Research Grants Program (NBF Scientific Research Grants Program), American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)/National Blood Foundation (NBF)
• R. Robert and Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)/AGA Research Foundation
• Uncovering New Patterns Grants (Uncovering New Patterns in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Grant), American Heart Association (AHA)/Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine
• Uncovering New Patterns Fellowships (Uncovering New Patterns Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke), American Heart Association (AHA)/Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine
• Grants, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)/ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation
• Research Grant Program, Amyloidosis Foundation
• NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF)
• Research Project Grants, Cerebral Palsy Alliance/Research Foundation of Cerebral Palsy Alliance
• LeRoy Matthews Physician-Scientist Award, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• Postdoc-to-Faculty Transition Awards, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• Harry Shwachman Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Investigator Award, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF)
• Meniere's Disease Grants, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)
• SWOG/Hope Foundation Impact Award, The Hope Foundation
• Saving Lives at Birth in Low-Resource Setting, Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine
• SCCM-Weil Research Grant, Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
• Victoria S. Levin Grant for Early Career Success in Young Children's Mental Health Research, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
• Special Initiatives:  The Social, Economic and Political Effects of the Affordable Care Act, Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)

MGH ECOR Formulaic Bridge Funding Support
Application Deadline: July 7, 2017; 7th day of each month

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