ACTS Formation Announced 
Dr. Anantha Shekhar, Vice President, SCTS, announced the formation of a new organization, the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) at Translational Science 2012. This organization will bring three organizations together: Association for Clinical Research and Training (ACRT), Society for Clinical and Translational Science (SCTS), and Association for Patient-oriented Research (APOR), will become ACTS. Dr. Shekhar will be the first ACTS President. He noted that the reorganization is a logical next step, given the overlap in mission and membership among the three originating organizations. Dr. Shekhar also indicated that members of all the organizations will be better served due to increased management efficiencies. Work to complete ACTS will continue over the next several months. Watch future issues of Connection for additional descriptions and more exciting developments in the formation!News from SCTS
Translational Science 2012 Meeting Highlights
SCTS Advocacy Training and Hill Day Visits
ACRT/AFMR/APOR/SCTS 2012 Awards
Subscribe to Clinical and Translational Science Journal
Translational Science News
Increased Journal Retractions Lead to Call for Reforms
Leading Translational Researchers call for 'Disruptive Innovation' for Clinical Trials
Future Clinical Trials Workforce Examined
Merck Launches Translational Research Center Nonprofit
UCSF Chancellor Issues Call-to-Arms to Patient Advocates
Smart Regulation Is the Path to Innovation, FDA Says
Grant Opportunities
NCATS Announces New Funding Opportunity
The John Merck Fund Seeks to Make National Impact on Improving the Lives of Individuals With Down Syndrome and Fragile X
News from SCTS
Translational Science 2012 Meeting Highlights
SCTS joined ACRT and AFMR in holding Translational Science 2102 from April 18-20, 2012 in Washington DC. More than 700 researchers and trainees attended the meeting, with ample opportunities to share research and to network. Among the most popular sessions were three plenary speakers: first, on the new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), presented by Dr. Sherine Gabriel, PCORI Methodology Committee Chair, and Dr. John Ioannides, Rehnborg Chair, Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine and Committee Member; second, on new frontiers in translational sciences, with a summary of the new NCATS presented by Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director, and description of the CMS Innovation Center by Dr. William Shrank, Director of the Rapid Cycle Evaluation Group Innovation Center; and finally, a session on international health, including presentations from Dr. Christopher Wilson, Directory of Discovery and Translational Sciences, Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Dr. Max O’Donnell, Assistant Professor, Pulmonary Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The concurrent session on meeting with program officers was tremendously popular, with representation from most NIH Institutes and AHRQ. Several sessions on teambuilding attracted many attendees. Finally, the mock NIH Study sections, which included participation by NIH SRAs, were highly valued. Observers were allowed to participate this year, and we hope that many observers will continue participation next year.
Did you miss this exciting meeting? Meeting highlights are on the SCTS web page, including photographs and presentations. SCTS Advocacy Training and Hill Day Visits
Advocates from the societies involved in Translational Science 2012 , in Washington, D.C., met with congressional representatives and staff to advise them on the legislative and policy priorities for clinical and translational science. Before their meetings, members received training on effective communication with legislators and congressional staff. Advocates discussed key issues like funding for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards program and Career Development (K) and Research Training (T) Awards and learned to incorporate their own experiences into the conversation. As Congress works through this year’s budget process, SCTS members must remain engaged and keep in touch with their legislators regarding support for clinical and translational research. Visit the SCTS website for more information on our legislative priorities and to get involved.ACRT/AFMR/APOR/SCTS 2012 Awards
Congratulations to the award recipients from Translational Science 2012. The SCTS Coller Service Award was presented to Senator Thomas Harkin from Iowa. SCTS Distinguished Investigator Awards were presented to Christopher Callahan, MD and Lawrence Appel, MD, MPH. Madhu Mazumdar, PhD accepted the Team Science Award on behalf of the Mazumdar Team, an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, epidemiologists, public health policy experts, and biostatisticians. APOR, ACRT, and AFMR also presented awards in recognition of outstanding contributions in translational research and training.
Subscribe to Clinical and Translational Science Journal
Clinical and Translational Science (CTS), published by Wiley Blackwell, is the official journal of SCTS. The Society’s leadership will communicate with Society members via updates, articles, and editorials in CTS.
CTS has moved to an online-only content format. Your or your institution must subscribe in order to continue having complete, full access to CTS. Make sure your library knows you want access to CTS. Use their easy online librarian recommendation form to recommend this title to your librarian today.
By having your institution subscribe for 2012, you will continue to have immediate online access to the original research, didactic reviews, expert analysis, commentary and educational reviews in the field of translational medicine found only in CTS: Clinical and Translational Science, now indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE and Thomson Reuters/ISI.Translational Science News
Increased Journal Retractions Lead to Call for Reforms
Two leading scientists and journal editors, Drs. Ferrie Fang and Arturo Casadevall, have become concerned about increased rate of scientific article retractions occurring in the literature. They recently published an editorial in the journal Infection and Immunity documenting this problem which was also reported in the New York Times. They perceive this issue as a threat to the value of the scientific literature. Although some errors are due to honest scientific mistakes, others reflect inappropriate shortcuts or outright fabrication (see associated article in the New York Times. Increasing pressure for grant funding is cited as one cause. Interestingly, the highest retraction rates are found in some of the most prestigious, high-impact journals. A web-based watchdog blog, Retraction Watch, monitors scientific retractions.
From "A Sharp Rise in Retractions Prompts Calls for Reform"
New York Times (04/17/12) Zimmer, Carl
Leading Translational Researchers call for 'Disruptive Innovation' for Clinical Trials
Dr. Robert Califf, head of the Duke University CTSA and SCTS Board member, was a lead author in the recent Institute of Medicine Discussion Paper on the clinical trials enterprise. With co-authors Gary Filerman, Richard K. Murray, and Michael Rosenblatt, Dr. Califf bemoaned the increasing separation of the clinical trials enterprise and the current community medical practice. Other areas of concern were the small size of many FDA-registered clinical trials and a highly restricted clinical trial design that impairs or prevents application to broader populations, and thus inhibits research translation. The authors call for the integration of clinical trials with medical practice.
From "The Clinical Trials Enterprise in the United States: A Call for Disruptive Innovation"
Institute of Medicine (04/20/2012)
Future Clinical Trials Workforce Examined
With the goal of a "true healthcare learning system," which would speed the integration of new research findings into medical practice, authors Ann Bonham, Robert Califf, Elaine Gallin, and Michael Lauer reported on "Developing a Robust Clinical Trials Workforce" in an Institute of Medicine Discussion paper. The paper describes an example of poor translation of clinical research into standard medical practice, resulting in continuing use of inappropriate therapy or failure to provide the best treatments. The authors call for expansion of a more broadly active clinical trials workforce with structured training, to include disseminating information and educating the medical community.
From "Developing a Robust Clinical Trials Workforce"
Institute of Medicine (04/27/2012) Bonham, Ann; Califf, Robert; Gallin, Elaine; et al.
Merck Launches Translational Research Center Nonprofit
Merck has opened a nonprofit translational research center in San Diego. The company is providing up to $90 million in a fund to be spread over a seven-year period for the California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr). Drug discovery scientists, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists will use this research center on collaborative work to accelerate the translation of biomedical research into disease treatments. When a project has reached preclinical proof of concept, Merck may obtain an exclusive commercial license to any proteins or small-molecule therapeutic candidates derived from the work conducted by Calibr. Dr. Peter G. Schultz, a world-renowned chemist and biotechnology entrepreneur, will lead the institute. The new center is located near the Scripps Research Institute, Salk Institute, University of California, San Diego, and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. Temple University is also opening its own translational research center, and biotechnology company Elan Corp. and Cambridge University announced they would open a translational research center for Parkinson’s disease later this year.
From "Merck Launches Translational Research Center Nonprofit"
MedCity News (03/15/12) Baum, Stephanie
UCSF Chancellor Issues Call-to-Arms to Patient Advocates
In November 2011, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences published a report calling for a data network that would function similar to Google Maps and could revolutionize medical discoveries. Now, committee co-chair, UCSF Chancellor Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, has issued a call-to-arms to patient advocates to bring this idea to fruition. In an editorial in the April 11 issue of Science Translational Medicine, Desmond-Hellmann asked patient advocates to work with policymakers to develop regulations that efficiently connect patient information between research and clinical care settings while protecting patient privacy. The "Knowledge Network" would integrate emerging disease research with patients' clinical data to help further the development of a more accurate disease classification and lead to more individualized diagnostics and treatments. The network would be based on a dynamic, interactive data repository that would connect layers of information to show patterns. Data would include environmental exposures, disease symptoms, and genetics, connected to data on individual patients. A major barrier to such a network is access to patient information, as less than five percent of the population participates in clinical trials. In addition, research and clinical settings also emphasize patient privacy in the form of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
From "UCSF Chancellor Issues Call-to-Arms to Patient Advocates"
Newswise (04/11/12)
Smart Regulation Is the Path to Innovation, FDA Says
Lack of innovation and slow economic growth are often blamed on regulation, but regulation done right is a pathway to achieving innovation, writes FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. "Smart, science-based regulation instills consumer confidence in products and treatments," she writes, adding that regulation can also aid businesses, lessen litigation threats, curb recalls and foster industry excellence. A strong, robust FDA will advance regulatory science, review products quickly and remain flexible, she writes
From "Smart Regulation Is the Path to Innovation, FDA Says"
FDA Voice blog (02/07/12)
Grant Opportunities
NCATS Announces New Funding Opportunity
The National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) announced a new partnership with several pharmaceutical companies and a plan for a new grant opportunity for researchers to investigate new applications of previously developed pharmaceutical products. NCATS proposes to provide $20 million to support this new pilot program in FY 2013 with the first grant preapplication due in July, 2012. A companion opportunity to comment on this program is available through Request for Information (RFI): Input on the NIH-Industry Program to Discover New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules with a comment deadline of June 3, 2012.
From "Notice of Intent to Publish a Request for Pre-Applications for the NIH-Industry Pilot Program: Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules"
NIH Grants (05/03/12)
The John Merck Fund Seeks to Make National Impact on Improving the Lives of Individuals With Down Syndrome and Fragile X
The John Merck Fund began a translational research awards program to achieve breakthroughs in treating developmental disabilities, particularly Fragile X and Down syndromes. The Translational Research Program, which is replacing the John Merck Scholars Program in the Biology of Developmental Disabilities, will provide four-year awards of $250,000 for research projects. Next year, the fund plans to launch the Research to Clinical Practice Program to identify and disseminate gold-standard treatment protocols for Fragile X and Down syndrome. For both disabilities, recent scientific advances are moving toward the development of pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments. The John Merck Fund intends to increase the pace of discovery and the impact of translational research focused on these syndromes. Researchers working on treatments for individuals with developmental disabilities can submit preliminary proposals by May 15.
From "The John Merck Fund Seeks to Make National Impact on Improving the Lives of Individuals With Down Syndrome and Fragile X"
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (04/03/2012)
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