Research News - September 12, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. PHS Government Affairs Update - September 10, 2014

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

2. Core of the Week: CCIB DNA Core

CCIB DNA Core
Directors: Nicole Stange-Thomann, Ph.D.
Locations: 38 Sidney Street, Suite 100, Cambridge, MA 02139

The Center for Computational and Integrative Biology (CCIB) DNA Core provides conventional Sanger DNA sequencing, Oligonucleotide Synthesis, custom molecular biology services, and high-throughput laboratory research automation services including project design and implementation.

To learn more about the CCIB DNA Core, please click here.

3. An invitation from PCORI's Executive Director - Join us for our Sept. 15 Board Meeting

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

EVENTS

1. MGH Faculty Happy Hour

Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 5:00-7:00 PM, Paul S. Russell, MD Museum; 2 North Grove St., Boston, MA 02114

Need an excuse to relax with your colleagues after the October 6 NIH Deadline?

ECOR invites our Research Faculty to our Fall Faculty Happy Hour on October 8!

RSVP: ecor@mgh.harvard.edu

2. HMS Faculty Seminar: 17th Annual Women in Medicine Month Celebration

Thursday, September 18, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Location provided upon registration

The Office for Women's Careers presents a seminar for MGH faculty with HMS academic appointments.

In commemoration of Women in Medicine month, the OWC announces the 17th Annual Women in Medicine Month celebrating women faculty.

Gender Equity in Academic Medicine: Insights and Innovations
Guest speaker: Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan Health System and Research Investigator in the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine

Dr. Reshma Jagsi will discuss recent evidence regarding the challenges faced by women pursuing careers in academic medicine, along with innovative, evidence-based approaches to promote gender equity and success in women's careers.

Faculty with HMS academic appointments please register by Wednesday, September 10.

3. Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Workshop

Thursday & Friday, October 2 & 3, 2014, Harvard University, Sherman Fairchild, Rm 268, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA

The two‐day workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to gain detailed information on several current methods for single‐cell transcriptome analysis. The speakers have either developed a particular method or extensively used it in their own research. The workshop will focus on the theory and key technical elements of each method (including practical demonstrations) and discuss their pros and cons depending on experimental design. The data analysis part will include a hands‐on session on data quality assurance, differential expression analysis and subpopulation analysis steps.

Registration is required for this free event, and space is limited to the first 40 registrants. Attendance on both days is required!

To register, beginning Monday, September 8th, visit the webpage.

Program includes a light breakfast and lunch on both days.

Faculty organizers:
Lev Silberstein (lsilberstein1@mgh.harvard.edu)
Peter Kharchenko (peter.kharchenko@post.harvard.edu)

4. Meet the Protocol Administrators and Managers of the Partners Human Research Office

September 22, 2014, 2:00pm - 3:00pm, Simches 3.120 

Please join us for a special IRB Roundtable in the new academic year where you will have the opportunity to meet the Protocol Administrators, Team Leads and other key Managers of the Partners Human Research Office. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions relating to how to best communicate with the IRB and troubleshoot any issues that they have recently faced with their IRB submissions.

Registration is required. Please contact Jillian Tonelli.

5. Join the Research Technical Lunch

Thursday, September 25, 12-2PM, WebEx or Prudential Center

This month, Anne Klibanski, Chief Academic Officer, Partners HealthCare will update us on "Unifying our Missions": research, continuous learning and practice. Esmond Kane, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and Joe Zurba, Research Information Security Officer, Partners HealthCare will gave a comprehensive security update and field questions and concerns. The monthly Tech Lunch is an important forum for research IS administrators and managers to engage with ERIS, Partners IS and each other regarding IS services, technologies, security and infrastructure. RSVP Online by 9/23 and note if you plan to attend remotely so that details are sent to you. Visit the website and contact rcc@partners.org with questions about Tech Lunch.

6. 2014 MGH-University of Tokyo Symposium: Frontiers in Biomedical Engineering

Wednesday, September 24, 9 am -6 pm, Simches 3.110

The Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH presents a symposium to celebrate the 10 years of success of the MGH-Tokyo Summer Training Program jointly organized by the Center for Medical System Innovation (Director: Kazunori Kataoka) at University of Tokyo in Japan. The symposium offers 18 invited talks and 41 posters on various topics including optical imaging, drug delivery systems, biomedical devices, and tissue engineering.

Please click here for the September 24 Symposium schedule. Registration is required. Graduate Students, Research Fellows and Faculty with HMS appointments and MIT Health Sciences and Technology are invited to attend.

Please RSVP to James Schulz at jkschulz@mgh.harvard.edu by September 16.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. HMS Foundation Funds

Each year several foundations invite HMS faculty and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. Interested investigators must first apply for the HMS nomination through the HMS Foundation Funds, and a committee will select the final candidates to submit applications to the foundations.

Information on funding opportunities offered through the HMS Foundation Funds is available online at: http://hms.harvard.edu/FoundationFundswww.hms.harvard.edu/foundationfunds

Awards include:

• Brain Research Fund Fay/Frank Seed Grant Program
• Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Project Grant (MGH Nomination required)
• Bullock-Wellman Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Dana Foundation David Mahoney Neuroimaging Program
• Macy Foundation Faculty Scholars Program
• Mary Kay Innovative/Translational Cancer Research Award
• Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering
• Rita Allen Faculty Scholars Program

Faculty and postdocs interested in applying for any of the awards listed above can apply for the HMS nomination (unless noted) by submitting an application online no later than October 15, 2014 at 5:00PM. Please direct all inquiries to the Office of the HMS Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs, 617-432-7463, Betty_Carbunari@hms.harvard.edu.

If you are an MGH investigator, you should not apply directly to HMS for several of the funding opportunities offered through the HMS foundation funds annually. Please see the chart located here to determine where to apply and for information on the process.

If you have any questions, please contact Erin McGivney at 617-643-6471.

2. 2015 Training Program in Nervous System Tumors

National Cancer Institute Paul Calabresi Career Award for Clinical Oncology (K12)

The Massachusetts General Hospital is pleased to offer a National Cancer Institute-sponsored, 2-year research/training fellowship in nervous system tumors. Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents, must have completed clinical training in neurology, neurosurgery, medical oncology, pediatric oncology or radiation oncology and must be eligible for HMS appointment at the Fellow or Instructor level. The program consists of 2 years of research experience as well as didactic training in clinical research methodology. Trainees are expected to devote at least 75% effort to research training. Trainees should engage in laboratory-based or clinical translational research on nervous system tumors under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

Applications are due December 1, 2014 for the training period July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2017. Awardees will be notified by December 15, 2014. An application consists of 1) project description (2 pages maximum), 2) curriculum vitae (HMS format) and 3) three letters of recommendation.

Applications should be submitted as a single pdf via email to:
Leah Hesse, Ph.D., K12 Program Administrator, lhesse@mgh.harvard.edu

3. 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 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.

• NINDS Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25)
• Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium: Coordinating Center (U01) - New!
• Neurological Sciences Academic Development Award (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.

4. 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.

• Awards for Teams, Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)
• Physician-Scientist Training Award, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
• Established Investigator Awards, Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)
• Medical Research Grants, Progeria Research Foundation (PRF)
• Awards for Young Investigators, Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)
• Independent Investigator Awards: Lung Cancer Discovery Award, American Lung Association (ALA)
• Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) Grants, Cancer Research Institute (CRI)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Hope Funds for Cancer Research
• Awards for Established Investigators - Pilot Awards, Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

5. NIH Update for Week Ending September 12, 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

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

ADA-BI Targeted Award in CKD 
Application Deadline: October 15, 2014

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

Minority Faculty Career Development Seminar - September 5-8

The Commercialization Apprenticeship - September 18

Maintaining Research Subject Privacy and Information Security: What Clinical Researchers Must Know - September 30

A Practical Guide to Biobanking for Biomarker and Personalized Medicine Research - October 1

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@partners.org