Research News - January 16, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Announcing the New Clinical Research Forum!

The MGH Clinical Research Program (CRP) launched the Clinical Research Forum on January 14. The Clinical Research Forum is an online community dedicated to supporting study staff and investigators at MGH.

What Does the Launch of the Clinical Research Forum Mean for Investigators and Study Staff?

• Study staff and investigators can post questions or suggestions about the conduct of clinical research at MGH and obtain valuable feedback from colleagues and/or insight from various research-related departments at MGH or Partners.
• The Forum will be monitored by CRP to ensure that all questions are answered in a timely manner and in compliance with hospital policies and research regulations.

Forum Link and Contacts
Use this link to go to the forum directly: Clinical Research Forum
For questions about the Forum please contact the CRP Education Unit: CRPEDU@partners.org

Subscribing to the Forum:

• For research staff with research specific job codes, the CRP has already added your email addresses to the Forum.
• We were not able to add the contact information for all study staff (investigators, project managers etc.). If you know of someone at MGH, who would be interested in subscribing to the Forum, please share this subscription link.

The first 20 people who post a question or suggestion on the Forum will win a $5.00 gift card for lunch at one of the MGH Cafeterias.

2. Introducing the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics 

The Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics was created to advance the science of the human microbiome and the treatment of conditions and diseases associated with an altered microbiome. Located at MIT, with co-directors from MIT and MGH, the center is dedicated to fostering and supporting a research ecosystem involving the participation of hospitals, other universities, and research institutes in the region.

Co-directors of this new center are Ramnik Xavier, chief of Gastroenterology at MGH; the Kurt Isselbacher Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and senior associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University. Dr. Xavier is joined by Eric Alm, associate professor of Bioengineering at MIT and associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University.

The center’s official kickoff meeting will be held Friday, January 23 from 9:30 to 11 am at MIT, Room 34-101. This meeting will include an overview of the center’s goals as well as opportunities for collaboration and presentations from center members.

For more background on the center visit http://imes.mit.edu/microbiome

3. Fall/Winter 2014-15 issue of Partners Information Systems News is available

Check out the current issue of Partners Information Systems News and learn:

• why IT standardization is important to the success of Partners
• how the Lighthouse Project is raising awareness
• about how the new Consumer Technology Management team is supporting non-standard PCs
• details on the new Marlborough data center

4. Core of the Week: Peptide/Protein Core

Peptide/Protein Core
Director: Ashok Khatri
Location: 149 13th St. Room #4-314, Charlestown, MA

The primary goal of the Peptide/Protein Core Facility is to provide advanced peptide/protein technology services to the MGH research community. The Core Facility, established originally as a resource for the Endocrine Unit and the Partners AIDS Research Center is now formally established as an institution-wide resource. The Core Facility primarily provides services of peptide synthesis and purification. It also provides protein/peptide sequencing, amino acid analysis and mass spectral analysis. Investigators from throughout the MGH consult with the staff of the Core Facility to facilitate the most effective use of the resources.

Currently, the Core Facility is supported by an NIH program grants to Endocrine Unit and the Partners AIDS Research Center, as well as by charges to individual groups of services rendered. It is expected that these sources of funding will remain the prime support for the Core Facility.

By supporting the Core Facility, the MGH investigators will ensure a very high quality service to the entire research community. This will result in faster and more efficient service, significant cost savings, and consultative services.

To learn more about the Peptide/Protein Core, please click here.

5. PHS Government Affairs Update - January 15, 2015 

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

6. PCORI January Newsletter: Funding Deadlines and New Research in Action Narratives

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

EVENTS

1. Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) 2015 Poster Session

Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 110:00 am – 1:45 pm, SERI, Simches, 2nd Floor

ECOR is now accepting abstracts for the 2015 SAC Poster Session! 

Deadline for Submission: Tuesday, January 20, 2015 - 5:00 PM

The SAC Poster Session gives researchers the opportunity to create a compelling visual display of their work, and present it to some of the best scientific minds in the nation. It is an essential part of the two-day meeting, which highlights excellence in research at MGH. Presenters must be a MGH employee.

NEW for 2015!
This year, we will be featuring a limited number of electronic poster boards (ePosterBoards). We are looking for dynamic, visually interesting presentations for these ePosterBoards.

LOCATION, DATE & TIME
Schepens Eye Research Institute
185 Cambridge St.
Simches Building, Second Floor
Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 11:00am - 1:45pm

PRIZES
Twelve $1,000 Awards of Excellence for Scientific Meeting Travel

HOW TO SUBMIT
Please click here for more information and to submit a poster abstract!

Please note: Space is limited! Submissions will be closed before the deadline if we reach capacity.

QUESTIONS
If you have problems or questions, please email sac@partners.org.

2. 5th Annual Research Administrators Retreat 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, reception to follow, Simches, 3rd Floor 

Please join us for the 5th Annual Research Administrators Retreat. All MGH Department Administrators and Partners Central Administrators are invited to attend as well as any interested investigators. The retreat will be equally beneficial to those who are new to research administration and those who have been in the field for years, and will be a great opportunity to network with your colleagues.

Please click here to register.

3. Conquering the K: Applying for an NIH Career Development Award

Wednesdays 3:00pm - 5:00pm, Simches Building, 2nd Floor, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

This course is sponsored by the MGH Clinical Research Program

Are you planning on submitting for an NIH Career Development Award? Then plan on attending Conquering the K!

Conquering the K is a comprehensive, seven session course, which focuses on the preparation of an NIH career development proposal. MGH faculty will discuss research design and career development plan focusing on how all the sections of the application must fit together to demonstrate the applicants’ commitment to becoming a clinical investigator. Hands-on workshops are included to help participants prepare each section. At the end of the course each participant will have a workable draft of an NIH career development proposal.

Who should attend? Fellows and instructors interested in submitting for an NIH K-Award (K08, K23 etc.) in June/October 2015 or February 2016.

Course Requirements: All attendees will be required to submit their research idea, draft of specific aims, name of mentor, and confirm whether they have preliminary data.

** Due to limited space, incomplete applications will not be considered **


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

4. Want to Become a Certified Clinical Research Professional? 

Monday, April 27, 2015, 9:00am -1:00pm, Simches 3.120

The MGH Clinical Research Program and the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) are hosting a certification exam at MGH. Participants who successfully complete the exam will become a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).

Requirements to take the exam:

• Be a current member of SOCRA (member ID is required for CRP registration)
• Submit the required documents and application to register for the exam
• Approval of application by SOCRA

Application Deadline for SOCRA: March 16, 2015

Attendance is limited to 40 participants.

Cost to take the exam:

• SOCRA annual membership fee ($75.00)
• Certification exam fee ($195.00)

Benefits eligible employees at MGH may take advantage of tuition reimbursement for the cost of the certification exam. Please ensure you submit and are approved in PeopleSoft prior to taking the exam.

Prior to the exam:
Please review the SOCRA candidate eligibility requirements and exam preparation guidelines. SOCRA requires 15 hours of continuing education annually to keep certification current. The majority of courses offered by the MGH CRP qualify for CE credits.

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

5. Applied Methods in Designing and Conducting Health Surveys 

Tuesdays 3:00pm - 5:00pm (March 10, 17, 24; April 7), Simches Building, 2nd Floor, Garrod/Mendel Conference Room

This course is sponsored by the MGH Clinical Research Program and the Mongan Institute for Health Policy

Course Director: Karen Donelan, ScD, EdM

Course Description:
This course is designed to prepare health professionals with an introduction to theory and practice in the design and conduct of surveys. Course topics will include all phases of the survey process: matching research design to data needs, understanding the role of qualitative research in survey development, probability and non-probability sampling methods, developing questions and questionnaires, choosing modes and methods of data collection, issues in analyzing and reporting survey data, and the effective presentation and reporting of survey findings to relevant audiences.

Who should attend? Investigators who have a survey project in the early stages of development and design.

Course Requirements: Students will work on a survey project during the course and are therefore required to:
1. Have a survey project in the early stages of development and design approved as suitable for the course by the instructor; and
2. Work on a group survey project with other participants to be assigned by the instructor.

Registration is limited to 20 participants.

** Due to limited space, incomplete applications will not be considered **

Register here. Please contact Kelsey Gay with any questions.

6. Boston Single-Cell Network Meeting: Single-cell Analysis in Leukemia 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 4:00 - 5:30 pm, Simches 3.110

Boston Single-Cell Network Meeting - open to all in MGH research community. No registration necessary.

Presenters:
Catherine Wu, Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS/DFCI
"Precise dissection of genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia by single cell analysis"

Timothy Graubert, Director of Hematopoietic Malignancies, MGH Cancer Center
"Clonal architecture of secondary acute myeloid leukemia defined by single-cell sequencing"

Faculty organizers: Peter Kharchenko and Lev Silberstein

7. Join the Research Technical Lunch 

Thursday, January 29, 12-2p.m., WebEx or Prudential Center

This month, Jefferson Burson, Director of IT Network Strategy, Harvard University will present on the University's Big Data initiative, Internet2 and networking updates in the Longwood Medical Area. Tim White, Associate Director, Integrated Network Communications, Partners will provide an overview of his teams, touch on their major accomplishments over the past year and review the highlights of their roadmap plans in the areas of voice, data and network security. The monthly Tech Lunch is an important forum for research IT administrators and managers to engage with ERIS, Partners IS and each other regarding IT services, technologies, security and infrastructure. RSVP Online by 1/27 and note if you plan to attend remotely so that details are sent. Visit the website and contact rcc@partners.org with questions about Tech Lunch.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

1. MGH-MIT Grand Challenge 3: Neuroscience

We are pleased to announce our next funding opportunity available through the MGH-MIT Strategic Partnership - Grand Challenge 3: Neuroscience!

Grand Challenge 3: Develop joint ventures which link basic and clinical research in order to accelerate progress towards more effective diagnostic approaches and therapies in clinical neuroscience.

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

Note: Each award amount represents total award, inclusive of IDC/fund fees, 10% at MIT and 15% at MGH.

Letter of Intent (LOI): To be eligible to apply for this award, you must submit an e-mail notification with a letter of intent to apply as well as an award coversheet by February 6, 2015. Letters of intent should include the attached cover sheet, the names of the principal investigators and a brief description of the project. Please submit the LOI and coversheet to imes_rfp@mit@mit.edu AND to ecor@partners.org.

The email subject should read “MIT-MGH Challenge 3” and should include a single pdf file with the following name convention: the PI(s) last name separated by “_” and followed by “_LOI_GC3”.
Example: “Smith_Clark_LOI_GC3”.

Selected LOI will receive an email inviting a full proposal and detailed submission instructions.

Full Proposal Submission Date: March 15, 2015

Project Start Date: June 1, 2015

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

To view the complete RFA, please click here. 

2. Pfizer Centers for Therapeutic Innovation 2015

We are pleased to alert you to a call for proposals for Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) 2015 CTI program for the development of bio-therapeutics for treatment of various diseases. For those familiar with the program we also want to call your attention to some changes in CTI process.

CTI supports translational programs in the therapeutic areas of Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Tissue remodeling, Oncology, Cancer immunotherapy, Rare or genetic diseases, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

CTI now has three annual Call-for-Proposal deadlines. The 2015 submission deadlines for a 2 page pre-proposal are February 13, June 12 and October 16.

Researchers working with validated drug targets that are tractable with biologic modalities such as antibodies, peptides, proteins, and are interested in developing a novel therapeutic agent to address an unmet clinical need should apply.Pfizer may fund 1-3 post-doctoral fellows for 2-3 years per project. Any intellectual property covering the newly developed therapeutic will be jointly owned by the Partners entity and CTI. Background intellectual property is not necessary for submission, but access to it may be required, if it exists.

The process: Pre-proposals should be submitted via email to Partners Innovation. Innovation will conduct a review of each pre-proposal to ensure that no confidential or proprietary information is included, prior to forwarding to CTI. CTI will make the decisions on which pre-proposals to advance to a full proposal stage. Invitations will then be sent to the PI‘s to submit confidential full proposals, to be developed together with CTI personnel. Funding decisions on full proposals will be made by the CTI-Partners Joint Steering Committee.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Rekha Paleyanda at rpaleyanda@partners.org.

3. 2015 Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women Faculty

Request for Nominations - Deadline: February 16, 2015

The Dean’s Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Women Faculty was initiated in 1998 by Joseph B. Martin, M.D., Ph.D., former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, to recognize faculty members committed to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine. In 2007, the Award was renamed the “Joseph B. Martin Dean's Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women” to honor Dr. Martin for his long-standing support of this effort.

The nomination process for the Award is coordinated by the Joint Committee on the Status of Women at HMS and HSDM.

• Candidates may be of any gender and may be nominated by any HMS/HSDM faculty member.
• The award recipient will be recommended by the JCSW Dean’s Award Selection Subcommittee and selected by Jeffrey S. Flier, M.D., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
• The faculty awardee will receive a cash award and will be recognized at the May 21, 2015 Faculty of Medicine meeting and the June 4, 2015 JCSW joint committee meeting.

For more information on award criteria and submitting a nomination, please visit the
Joseph B. Martin Dean's Leadership Awards for the Advancement of Women Faculty and Staff website or contact Tammy Brown.

4. Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards for Junior Faculty Women Investigators in Basic & Clinical Research

Applications are now being accepted by the Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) for the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards!

What are the Claflin Awards?
Although women scientists are recruited to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) programs, their advancement to senior faculty positions is still far less frequent than that of their male counterparts. In 1993, The Women in Academic Medicine Committee, originally chaired by Mrs. R. Morton Claflin, Honorary Trustee, was established to facilitate the academic careers of women in science at MGH. Recognizing that a significant obstacle to career advancement is the difficulty of maintaining research productivity during the child-rearing years, this Committee, with the sponsorship of the Executive Committee On Research (ECOR), established the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards. It is intended that this transitional funding will increase opportunities for women to advance to senior positions in academic medicine.

How much is each award?
These are two year awards for $50,000 per year in direct costs, plus 15% for indirect costs.

When is the deadline?
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - 9:00 PM

How do I learn more and apply?
Click here to read more and apply online!

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.

• Neuro-Habilitation Program, Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)
• Read-Through Program, Rettsyndrome.org (International Rett Syndrome Foundation)
• Research Program: External Awards Program (Research Awards Program), Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation
• Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Program, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
• Type 1 Diabetes Research Grants, Iacocca Family Foundation

Please click here for further details on these funding opportunities.

6. 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.

• Centers for Common Disease Genomics (UM1)
• Centers for Mendelian Genomics (UM1)
• Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) (P30)
• NIAMS Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-based Centers (P30)

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.

7. NIH Update for Week Ending January 16, 2015

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

MLSC Cooperative Research Matching Grant Program
Application Deadline: February 13, 2015 

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

Responsible Conduct of ‘Omics’ Research - January 20

Clinical Trial Billing (Part 2): Tracking Charges and Patient Care Corrections - January 22

Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Study Subjects - January 22 

Research Nurse Book Club - January 27

Research Administrators Retreat - February 10

Save the Date! SAC 2015 - April 1 & 2, 2015

2015 World Medical Innovation Forum - Neurosciences - April 27-29

Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Staniford Street, Suite 1001, Boston, MA 02114

ecor@mgh.harvard.edu