| ID | Title | Body | Facebook Description | Facebook image | Facebook Title | Facebook Video | Twitter Description | Twitter Image | Twitter Title | Meta tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7529 | NCATS Day Poster: NCATS Division of Clinical Innovation | Download the poster here. | Division of Clinical Innovation | Division of Clinical Innovation | ||||||
| 7487 | NCATS Day Poster: Drug Combination Discovery at NCATS | Download the poster here. | Drug Combination Discovery at NCATS | Drug Combination Discovery at NCATS | ||||||
| 7486 | NCATS Day Poster: Assay Development & Screening Technology | Download the poster here. | Assay Development & Screening Technology | Assay Development & Screening Technology | ||||||
| 7473 | NCATS Day 2017 Posters | NCATS Day included a poster session that showcased the Center's research and activities. View the posters below. Assay Development & Screening Technology Biomedical Data Translator CTSA Program Patient and Community Engagement Division of Clinical Innovation Drug Combination Discovery at NCATS Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center NCATS Chemical Genomics Center NCATS Therapeutic Development Branch: TRND & BrIDGs NCATS Toolkit for Patient-Focused Therapy Development Project New Therapeutic Uses Program Office of Strategic Alliances Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network Stem Cell Translation Laboratory The Trans-NIH RNAi Facility Tissue Chip for Drug Screening Program Trial Innovation Network | NCATS Day 2017 Posters | NCATS Day 2017 Posters | ||||||
| 7472 | NCATS Day 2017 Presentations | NCATS Day featured a wide range of presentations about many of the programs and initiatives that NCATS offers. View the presentations below. NCATS Day - Partnering with Patients for Smarter Science (PDF - 266KB) Case Study in Translational Science Collaboration (PDF - 273KB) Biomedical Data Translator (PDF - 167KB) Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program (PDF - 217KB) NCATS Division of Preclinical Innovation (PDF - 69KB) New Therapeutic Uses Program (PDF - 68KB) Office of Rare Diseases Research (PDF - 388KB) Office of Strategic Alliances (PDF - 68KB) Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases & Bridging Interventional Development Gaps (PDF - 378KB) Tissue Chips for Drug Screening (PDF - 333KB) | NCATS Day 2017 Presentations | NCATS Day 2017 Presentations | ||||||
| 7471 | NCATS Day 2018 | NCATS is committed to including diverse patient and community perspectives in all phases of translational science, from basic research to public health implementation. To facilitate and advance robust dialogue and meaningful collaboration, NCATS staff hosted NCATS Day 2018: Engaging Patients and Communities for Smarter Science on the NIH main campus in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sept. 28, 2018. Purpose NCATS Day 2018: Engaging Patients and Communities for Smarter Science provided a forum to share and reflect upon patient and community needs — as well as best practices in addressing those needs — so that the Center can best shape its research priorities, programs and initiatives. Patients and patient advocates, caregivers, community partners, community health engagement professionals, clinical and translational researchers, NCATS staff and others shared and discussed ways to overcome translational research challenges and leverage opportunities through effective patient and community engagement. Participants learned strategies to broaden participation in research and to incorporate patient and community input in their work. (Daniel Soñé Photography) 2018 Event Information Sept. 28, 2018 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. National Institutes of Health William H. Natcher Building (Building 45) Natcher Conference Center, Rooms E1/E2 45 Center Drive Bethesda, Maryland 20892 This full-day event featured presentations, interactive discussion and activities, and a poster session. The event fostered an open dialogue for participants to discuss common roadblocks to translational science, brainstorm ideas for improvement and apply that knowledge to strengthen patient and community engagement at NCATS. Website • Agenda (PDF - 36KB) • Videocast • Photos • Participant Roster (PDF - 847KB) • Community Engagement Resources • Patient Engagement Resource (PDF - 421KB) • Posters • NCATS Fact Sheet (PDF -351KB) (Daniel Soñé Photography) Who Should Attend NCATS encourages the following groups to participate: Patients, patient advocates and caregivers Community members and representatives Community health engagement professionals Clinical and translational researchers NCATS staff Past Events View the presentations, posters and photos from NCATS Day 2017. | /sites/default/files/ncats-day-900.jpg | NCATS Day | /sites/default/files/ncats-day-900.jpg | NCATS Day | ||||
| 7394 | News Brief: NCATS Supports Novel Methods to Improve Institutional Review Board Efficiencies | Kim Shoenbill, a Ph.D. student in the clinical investigation program at the University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, used machine learning and statistical methods to analyze institutional review board review times for a quality improvement study. University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Photo. NCATS’ Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program support helped a University of Wisconsin–Madison Ph.D. student discover new ways of identifying factors affecting institutional review board (IRB) review times. The results, recently published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, can serve as a guide to improve IRB efficiencies. Posted July 2017 | NCATS' CTSA Program support helped a University of Wisconsin–Madison Ph.D. student discover new ways of identifying factors affecting institutional review board (IRB) review times | /sites/default/files/wisconsin-kimberly.jpg | NCATS Supports Ways to Improve Institutional Review Board Efficiencies | NCATS' CTSA Program support helped a University of Wisconsin–Madison Ph.D. student discover new ways of identifying factors affecting institutional review board (IRB) review times | /sites/default/files/wisconsin-kimberly.jpg | NCATS Supports Ways to Improve Institutional Review Board Efficiencies | ||
| 7393 | NCATS Stem Cell Translation Laboratory Grand Opening | On July 6, 2017, NCATS officially opened its Stem Cell Translation Laboratory (SCTL), which is supported through the NIH Common Fund. SCTL scientists are seeking proposals to collaborate on projects to bring pluripotent stem cell technology closer to clinical application, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Learn more about stem cell research at NCATS. | NCATS Stem Cell Translation Laboratory Grand Opening | NCATS Stem Cell Translation Laboratory Grand Opening | ||||||
| 7386 | News Brief: CTSA Program Mentoring Helps Engineers Develop Innovative Rehabilitation Therapies | Michael Fu, Ph.D. (left), and Jayme Knutson, Ph.D. (right), with their Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation video game therapy, an innovative method for training hand function in adults after stroke and in children with cerebral palsy. Erika Woodrum/Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center Photo. After completing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Michael Fu wanted to use his skills in medical robotics to solve problems in rehabilitation medicine and focus on helping patients recover in their homes. The challenge was that he didn’t have experience in clinical research or working with patients. Fu found a solution through the Mentored Clinical Research Scholars (KL2) program at the Case Western Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative in Cleveland. Supported by NCATS’ Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program, the KL2 program enables early-stage investigators to conduct team-based clinical research and helps them jumpstart independent careers in translational research. “The most valuable parts of the program included the formulation of a plan to develop my clinical research skills and the mentors who were willing to train me on the clinical side,” said Fu. For example, he learned how to design and carry out clinical trials to test whether the devices he created helped patients. He also worked with a transdisciplinary team of researchers, physicians, physical therapists and patients while developing and testing the device. “I was able to bounce ideas off the people who assign the therapies and the patients who will use the therapy,” Fu said. “It allowed me to see the whole continuum of the translation spectrum and understand the big picture.” Through the program, Fu connected with former KL2 scholar Jayme Knutson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Case Western Reserve University and MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. Knutson was working on a promising new electrical stimulation device to help stroke patients regain control of their paralyzed or weak hand. Patients wear a glove with sensors on their unaffected hand. When they open their unaffected hand, the device sends electrical stimulation to the paralyzed hand that causes it to open. The device is unique because it enables patients to control the stimulation themselves and allows them to use their hand to practice tasks, leading to better results than with other electrical stimulation therapies. Fu was impressed — especially since patients could use the device in their own homes — but Knutson wanted to make the therapy more engaging. With KL2 program support and mentoring from Knutson, Fu created video games to use with the device, including a skee ball game where opening the weak hand launches the ball. Getting patients to adhere to their rehabilitation therapy is a major challenge. But the patients Knutson and Fu worked with found the games were fun, which might help them stick with therapy. Additionally, the video game encourages patients to not just open and close their weak hand but also control how wide they open it in order to achieve a task on the screen. This could help re-train the brain better than electrical stimulation therapy alone, something Knutson and Fu are studying. Both Fu and Knutson credit the KL2 program with getting this innovative therapy off the ground and launching their careers as independent investigators. As a KL2 program scholar, Fu tested the video game-assisted electrical stimulation therapy in a small sample of children with cerebral palsy and found that it helped them. Based on these promising results, Fu, who is now an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University, received independent funding to test the therapy in a larger clinical trial of cerebral palsy patients. Fu and Knutson recently received a grant from the New England Pediatric Device Consortium to commercialize their device. But they know their work will not be done until the device gets to market. “The last thing a biomedical engineer wants to do is to develop a therapy that can help people but then never makes it out of the lab and into the hands of those who need it,” said Knutson. Posted July 2017 | NCATS-supported KL2 program enables early-stage investigators to conduct team-based clinical research and helps them jumpstart independent careers in translational research. | /sites/default/files/case-western_900.jpg | CTSA Program Mentoring Helps Engineers Develop Rehabilitation Therapy | NCATS-supported KL2 program enables early-stage investigators to conduct team-based clinical research and helps them jumpstart independent careers in translational research. | /sites/default/files/case-western_900.jpg | CTSA Program Mentoring Helps Engineers Develop Rehabilitation Therapy | ||
| 7374 | First NCATS Day Demonstrates Commitment to Patients Through Smarter Science | Translational Science Highlight NCATS hosted an inaugural event to identify patients’ needs and brainstorm ways to foster engagement at every step of the translational science spectrum. To gain more insight about patients’ needs and discuss opportunities to integrate the patient perspective into translational research, NCATS convened the first NCATS Day on June 30, 2017, on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. More than 150 people attended, including patients, their families and other caregivers, and representatives of more than 75 patient and disease advocacy groups. With a theme of “Partnering with Patients for Smarter Science,” the all-day event enabled participants to learn more about NCATS and research supported by the Center. It also served as a forum for NCATS staff and researchers to hear directly from patients about their needs, establish new communication channels or strengthen existing ones and identify ways to enhance patient participation in research. The Power of Partnering with Patients The process of developing new treatments takes too long and is too costly. The situation, especially for rare diseases, has been bleak. “Incremental change is not going to do it,” said NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D., during his opening remarks. “We need a quantum-level change in our efficiency and effectiveness.” Austin noted that biomedical researchers are passionate about learning about diseases and finding new and better treatments but often fail to ask the people who are supposed to benefit from that work about what they want from the products under development. Although many NCATS programs place a high value on patient engagement, it is not always obvious how patients and their support organizations can be involved in research. This event was designed to begin a dialogue between NCATS and the public about how the patient perspective can be included in translational science. James Hendrix, Ph.D., director of global science initiatives for the Medical and Scientific Relations Division of the Alzheimer’s Association, thought the time might be right for disruptive research. “The time is coming to be heretical — even crazy — to transform the current paradigm for developing new treatments,” he said. “What seems to be the most logical path from basic science to new treatments may be too slow. The current situation demands approaches that are higher in risk but potentially higher in reward.” Daniel Soñé Photography. “Too frequently, at the end of the drug development process, the treatment misses the mark in terms of patients’ needs,” Austin said. “At NCATS, we are committed to getting input from the people living with diseases to make sure that research aligns with their priorities.” Dr. Christopher Austin. Daniel Soñé Photography. That is why NCATS strives to find ways to involve patients in all stages of research, ranging from preclinical studies using cell lines and animal models to human trials for evaluating investigational drugs and to dissemination and implementation research focused on identifying best practices. The second goal in NCATS’ Strategic Plan embodies this concept: As the eventual recipients of these research endeavors, patients’ participation as members of the research team provides insight and meaning to the creation, testing and clinical implementation of new medical interventions. About a third of NCATS Advisory Council members are disease advocates, patients or caregivers. In addition, institutions funded through NCATS’ Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program have community advisory boards to help promote patient engagement and provide feedback to researchers. CTSA Program hubs support training on patient and community engagement, and many employ patient engagement specialists. In addition, CTSA Program researchers have access to the Recruitment Innovation Center, which is transforming recruitment methods in order to enroll participants in clinical trials more quickly, thereby overcoming a major barrier in the testing of potential new treatments. A Promising Example of Collaboration with Advocates Many different paths are available to patient groups interested in accelerating translational science. For example, advocacy organizations can directly support research and scientists studying the disease of interest. This approach was highlighted in a case study presented during NCATS Day by Michael Iannotti, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the NCATS Division of Preclinical Innovation, and Jean-Marc Quach, M.B.A., the executive director of The Alpha-1 Project at the Alpha-1 Foundation. They demonstrated how the foundation is working with NCATS to find new treatments for patients who have a defect in an enzyme called alpha-1 antitrypsin, causing serious liver and lung disease. The Alpha-1 Project supports a research fellowship for Iannotti at NCATS, where he designs new assays (tests) and conducts research into promising drug candidates that could help correct the enzyme’s function. Michael Iannotti, Ph.D. (left), listened as Jean-Marc Quach, M.B.A. (right), explained, “This partnership is succeeding because it builds on the strengths of the Alpha-1 Foundation and NCATS. NCATS is sharing its technical expertise, technologies and libraries of compounds. The foundation contributes its deep knowledge of patients’ needs and the resources supporting Iannotti’s research. We are assembling tools and materials that bring us several steps closer to finding a cure for alpha-1 antitrypsin disease.” Daniel Soñé Photography. “Working with a disease advocacy group has given me opportunities to meet and talk with patients and their families,” Iannotti said. “These interactions would normally not be available to me, since my work is performed in a research lab, not in a clinic. Spending time with the patient community has strengthened my commitment to discovering therapies for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.” NCATS Day participants found the case study enlightening and suggested that future communications include more of these examples presented not only by scientists but also by patients, caregivers and other advocates. Showcasing NCATS Programs and Initiatives A series of presentations and poster sessions highlighted a wide range of exciting work taking place at NCATS or with Center support. The idea was to ignite interest in translational research and help patients and advocates identify research programs that might fit with their interests and needs. For example, Mary Dollear, vice president of the Lupus Society of Illinois, said of NCATS’ Tissue Chip for Drug Screening program, “I am really excited to learn about this technology. People with lupus are often reluctant to participate in clinical trials, because they worry about their disease flaring up. But the tissue chips might be a way to test treatments on tissues from patients to see what might work for them — sort of like a clinical trial for each person.” Kathryn Devanny, M.A., M.P.H., director of advocacy for PatientWorthy, said, “I was interested in this event because I wanted to know more about how rare disease patient advocacy groups, both formal and informal, could interact with NCATS’ programs. Advocacy groups are a critical source of patient and disease information, spanning natural history to DNA, and their goals dovetail with those of NCATS. How would such organizations take the first step to working with NCATS? What is the best way for them to engage the scientists, researchers and technology experts at NCATS?” Daniel Soñé Photography. The Big Picture NCATS Day wrapped up with a group discussion focused on the key ideas advanced during earlier breakout sessions. Several themes emerged, including the importance of two-way communication between scientists and patients. The scientific community should discuss research in easily understood language. Efforts to boost science literacy could help communities understand the research process and scientific evidence, as well as roles that they can take on. Camille Hart, M.P.H., program manager for community engagement at the CTSA Program hub at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, was on a quest for information about NCATS programs that would be of interest to community partners — both organizations and individuals — back in Arkansas. “Last month, we ran a Patient Scientist Academy to help patients learn about how they can get involved in research as advisors, grant reviewers or study participants,” Hart said. “I am always on the lookout for new ways to engage people in the research process.” Daniel Soñé Photography. For example, Jessica Nagro, federal government and health policy manager with the National Psoriasis Foundation, shared an idea: “Our foundation set up a program called Citizen Pscientist that links people with psoriatic disease in the first-ever global online research network dedicated to this condition. The Citizen Pscientists answer questions prepared by researchers, and they can conduct their own analyses and discuss the information.” Other comments touched on the need for training scientists to engage patients in research in meaningful ways, especially in early-stage studies. Event participants also underscored the importance of recruiting diverse and underserved populations for clinical trials. Sue Hargrave of Itching to Help!, LLC, NPC, an advocacy group helping people with chronic urticaria (hives), discussed a poster with Madhu Lal-Nag, Ph.D., lead of the trans-NIH RNAi facility in NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation. Hargrave identified scientific literacy as a patient need and said she was at NCATS Day to “lurk and learn” from Center staff and representatives of other organizations. Communication tools might help patients sort fact from fiction. “Too often, patients focus on ‘treatments’ they read about on the Internet — things that are unproven,” she said. “How can we help people distinguish treatments based on real scientific evidence from anecdotes on social media?” Daniel Soñé Photography. Several participants expressed enthusiasm about engaging with NCATS and were interested in “on-ramps” or a “matchmaking” system to find the best fit between patient/disease organizations and the Center. Building on this idea, another suggestion was to create a “decision tree” for moving through translational science, including working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Several people envisioned opportunities for advocacy groups to come together to develop research platforms and share resources to address collective needs. Stay Tuned — There’s More to Come NCATS Day was the first of many events being planned to strengthen ties between the Center and the patient community. On Sept. 8, 2017, NCATS will host rare diseases and other patient community members at its Toolkit for Patient-Focused Therapy Development: Demonstration and Dissemination Meeting. Participants will have an opportunity to learn how the toolkit can help with therapeutic development activities and to provide feedback to expand available content. “Translational science is a team sport,” Austin said. “We need contributions from all the team members, especially patients, their family members and advocacy organizations. By working together, we can get treatments to patients sooner and ensure that treatments meet patients’ needs.” And that’s what smarter science is all about. Posted July 2017 | NCATS hosted an inaugural event to identify patients’ needs and brainstorm ways to foster engagement at every step of the translational science spectrum. | /sites/default/files/ncats-day-900.jpg | First NCATS Day Demonstrates Commitment to Patients Through Science | NCATS hosted an inaugural event to identify patients’ needs and brainstorm ways to foster engagement at every step of the translational science spectrum. | /sites/default/files/ncats-day-900.jpg | First NCATS Day Demonstrates Commitment to Patients Through Science |
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