Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., Director, DAIT
Dr. Rotrosen announced the following new staff members and scientific activities:
Chuck Nsiegbe: Mr. Nsiegbe joined the Division in October as a recipient of the "ComSci Fellowship," sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Science and Technology Fellowship Program. Mr. Nsiegbe is assisting with various Division technology initiatives and developing an analytical framework for the future evaluation of bioinformatics programs.
Michael Bone: Mr. Bone joined the Division's Office of Clinical Applications in August as an Extramural Program Assistant to provide administrative support in a variety of office functions. Prior to NIAID, Mr. Bone worked as an independent consultant and as a medical laboratory technician.
Natasha Tomilin, R.N.: Ms. Tomilin joined the Division's Office of Clinical Applications in August as a Nurse Consultant for clinical trials supported by the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN). Her responsibilities include protocol development and implementation for the ITN transplant and autoimmunity trials. Ms. Tomilin has three years of research experience with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases transplant program.
Lisa Viviano, R.N.: Ms. Viviano joined the Division's Office of Clinical Applications in September as a Nurse Consultant/Project Manager. Her responsibilities include managing clinical trials supported by the Immune Tolerance Network. Ms. Viviano has worked at NIH for two years with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases as a nurse coordinator for islet cell transplantation.
SCIENTIFIC INITIATIVES
NIAID Investigator-Initiated Small Research Grants: The NIAID issued this Program Announcement to redefine the small grant mechanism and to extend its use to unsolicited applications for research that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. Examples of the types of projects that NIAID will support with this small grant mechanism include pilot or feasibility studies, research at small colleges without well-developed research traditions, emergency research support, unexpected research opportunities, or development of new research technology.
NIAID Technology Applications to NIAID-Funded Research: The NIAID in the Program Announcement will support exploratory/developmental projects that facilitate the application of innovative/emerging technologies to current NIAID-funded research projects related to the study of infectious diseases (bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic), diseases caused by category A agents of bioterrorism, HIV/AIDS, basic immunology, and immune mediated conditions.
Bench to Bedside Research on Type 1 Diabetes and its Complications: The NIAID, in collaboration with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Eye Institute (NEI), and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), issued this Request for Applications (RFA). This RFA will support partnerships between clinical and basic biomedical researchers with the goal of translating advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of type 1 diabetes and its complications into new therapies for the prevention, treatment and cure for this disease. In these "bench to bedside" research partnerships, teams of clinical and basic scientists will conduct collaborative research that will bring basic research advances from the laboratory to a point where a potential new therapy can be tested in patients or in animal models.
Innovation Partnerships in Type 1 Diabetes Research: The NIAID, in collaboration with NIDDK, NEI, NHLBI, and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), issued a Request for Applications entitled "Innovation Partnerships in Type 1 Diabetes Research." This initiative will support collaborations between principal investigators who focus their research efforts on type 1 diabetes or its complications, and researchers from other areas with expertise relevant to type 1 diabetes research. This RFA is intended to attract new research talent to type 1 diabetes research, to strengthen the ongoing efforts of type 1 diabetes researchers by providing access to specialized expertise or technologies, and to facilitate the formation of interdisciplinary research partnerships to investigate significant biological and medical problems associated with type 1 diabetes.
Gene Transfer Approaches to Enhance Islet Transplantation: The NIAID, in collaboration with NIDDK, issued a Request for Applications entitled "Gene Transfer Approaches to Enhance Islet Transplantation." This initiative will provide support for the development of gene transfer approaches to enhance islet transplantation. This RFA enables investigators to explore the feasibility of a concept related to gene therapy for diabetes and encourages researchers from other areas to lend their expertise to research in this area.
Bioengineering Research Grants: Multiple NIH Institutes and Centers issued a Program Announcement to support Bioengineering Research Grants for basic and applied multi-disciplinary research that addresses important biological or medical research problems. These projects are performed in a single laboratory or by a small number of investigators to apply an integrative, systems approach to develop knowledge and/or methods to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat a variety of diseases.
Bioinformatics Integration Support Contract: The Division issued a contract solicitation to provide advanced information technology support in the production, analysis, archiving, and exchange of scientific data for a diverse community of life science researchers. This new initiative will provide scientific data handling support and technical assistance to programs that: (a) conduct basic scientific research into the genetic correlates of immune diseases; (b) design and conduct clinical trials to evaluate the safety, toxicity, and efficacy of therapies for immune diseases; and (c) design and conduct studies of the underlying mechanisms of therapeutic agents that are under investigation in Division-supported clinical trials.
DIVISION ACTIVITIES
Annual U.S.-Japan Immunology Board Joint Meeting: The nineteenth annual joint meeting of the U.S. and Japanese Immunology Boards of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program convened in Maui, Hawaii, on November 9-11, 2001. This meeting was held in conjunction with the joint annual conference of the Society for Leukocyte Biology and the International Cytokine Society. Members of the U.S and Japanese Boards presented current research results.
Imaging Technology Workshop: On October 26, 2001, the NIAID convened a workshop on Imaging Technology and the Study of Immune Function. The objectives of the workshop were: (1) to discuss progress on the seven programs funded under RFA AI-99-004 (New Imaging Technologies for Autoimmune Disease); and (2) to advise the NIH on future directions for imaging technology to advance understanding of immune system function. One or two representatives from each project presented brief overviews of program progress over the past year. The meeting ended with a discussion of future directions to promote application of imaging technologies to the study of immune function. Four main recommendations were made: (1) reissue the original RFA; (2) promote additional interdisciplinary work by organizing small workshops or chairing sessions at existing workshops and meetings; (3) provide better support of translational research; and (4) support technical instrument development and upgrades, perhaps by partnering with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
Developmental Immunology Conference: In conjunction with Chiron Corporation and scientists of the European Union, NIAID organized a conference entitled Potential Impact of New Technologies on Vaccination in Early Life, held on November 5-7, 2001 in Sienna, Italy. The goal of the conference was to assess the possible applications of new technologies for improving vaccines for newborn and young children. Some of the recommended areas of future research include: (1) overcoming the lack of effector function in neonates; (2) determining differences in disease pathology between infants and adults; and (3) lessons to be learned from successful vaccines.
ASTHMA AND ALLERGY RESEARCH PROGRAM REVIEW
Ad hoc Council members, guests and staff participated in a highly stimulating discussion on current issues of Asthma and Allergy research. Moderator, and discussant Ken Adams, Ph.D., Chief, Asthma and Inflammation Section opened the discussion with an Overview of the Asthma and Allergy Program; Herman Mitchell, Ph.D., Rho, Inc. discussed the latest findings of the Inner City Asthma Study; Thomas Platts-Mills, M.D., Ph.D., University of Virginia, School of Medicine presented work on Modified Th2 Response: A Mechanism of Tolerance to Inhaled Allergens; Hugh Sampson, M.D., Mt. Sinai, School of Medicine closed the presentation with a discussion on The State of Food Allergy 2002.
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