Director's Message
For basic research scientists, defining the role of a particular protein in health and disease — an early translational hurdle called "target qualification" — often is easier said than done. A chemical "probe" that can increase or decrease the activity of the target protein can be invaluable for target qualification. The problem is that creating these probes requires expertise in high-throughput (large-scale) screening and chemistry that most disease biologists lack. In these situations, collaboration across scientific disciplines is essential to moving research forward.
Read more of the latest Director's Message.
Christopher P. Austin, M.D.
What's New at NCATS?
Spotlight on Collaboration: A Journey From Biological Probes to Potential Therapeutics
NCATS Announces Small Molecule CRADA and Licensing Opportunity
NCATS Researchers Propose Innovative Approach to Test Drugs in Rare Diseases
NIH Director Recognizes Scientific Contributions of NCATS Programs and Staff
Pre-application Deadline for the New Therapeutic Uses Program Is July 15, 2014
SBIR/STTR Grantees: Apply to the New I-Corps at NIH Program
Collaborate with NCATS Scientists
Spotlight on Collaboration: A Journey From Biological Probes to Potential Therapeutics
In the past decade researchers at the NCATS Chemical Genomics Center have collaborated with academic, nonprofit and biotech researchers on more than 300 probe development projects. One project team exploring an enzyme family called lipoxygenases ultimately discovered three novel small molecule chemical probes with the potential to treat diabetes, stroke and thrombosis. Read the full feature.
NCATS Announces Small Molecule CRADA and Licensing Opportunity
On June 24, 2014, NCATS published a notice in the Federal Register to announce the availability of a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) and licensing opportunity. NCATS and the University of Delaware are seeking partners for the final stages of lead optimization, evaluation and pre-clinical development of a new series of small molecule inhibitors of the human USP1/UAF1 complex for the treatment of cancer. To be considered for the project, interested candidates must submit a statement of interest and capability to NCATS by July 24, 2014.
For more information and to submit a statement of interest, contact Lili Portilla, M.P.A., or Krishna Balakrishnan, Ph.D., M.B.A. in the NCATS Office of Strategic Alliances.
NCATS Researchers Propose Innovative Approach to Test Drugs in Rare Diseases
Developing effective treatments is a slow and costly process, and more than 80 percent of investigational drugs tested in clinical trials fail. Discovering treatments for rare diseases can be even more challenging because the small numbers of patients make it difficult to find enough people who can participate in clinical trials. NCATS scientists recently proposed a new way to test drugs and develop better treatments for rare disease patients: pursue treatments by targeting common molecular mechanisms across multiple rare diseases. Read the full feature.
NIH Director Recognizes Scientific Contributions of NCATS Programs and Staff
NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D., and Center researchers took a moment this month to reflect on their scientific contributions as they received NIH Director’s Awards at a ceremony held on June 12, 2014. Researchers from the Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) program received two awards. The NIH director acknowledged the entire Tox21 team for scientific leadership in implementing the interagency effort to develop better toxicity methods. In addition, Tox21 leadership received an award for their contributions to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NCATS/University of North Carolina DREAM challenge, which was the first crowdsourcing collaboration to analyze Tox21 data. Austin also received an award for his leadership in the NIH Common Fund's Molecular Libraries Program.
Pre-application Deadline for the New Therapeutic Uses Program Is July 15, 2014
Pre-applications for NCATS' Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules (New Therapeutic Uses) program are due by July 15, 2014. By pairing researchers with a selection of pharmaceutical industry agents, this innovative program aims to test ideas for new therapeutic uses, ultimately identifying promising new treatments for patients. For the first time in the program, the participating pharmaceutical companies have made available agents that are suitable for exploring pediatric indications.
On May 29, 2014, NCATS held a technical assistance webinar for potential applicants to the New Therapeutic Uses program. Download the slides (PDF - 610KB).
SBIR/STTR Grantees: Apply to the New I-Corps at NIH Program
I-Corps at NIH is a collaborative initiative with the National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program. This nine-week immersion program is designed to help participants commercialize their innovations. Active NCATS SBIR or STTR grantees are eligible to apply for this new funding and mentorship opportunity. The deadline to apply for I-Corps at NIH is August 7, 2014.
To learn more, register for the informational webinar featuring experts from NIH and NSF on Wednesday, July 2, 2014, 12:30–2:00 p.m. ET.
Upcoming Events
August
National Conference on Engaging Patients, Families and Communities in all Phases of Translational Research to Improve Health
On Aug. 21–22, 2014, Duke Translational Medicine Institute will hold the 2014 Community Engagement Conference at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The goal of this conference is to present and compare perspectives and examples of methods of engagement in research that include individuals, including patients and families, to community organizations and disease advocates as well as clinicians and other health professionals.
September
NCATS Advisory Council/Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) Review Board Set to Meet September 19
On Sept. 19, 2014, NCATS will hold a joint meeting of the NCATS Advisory Council and the CAN Review Board on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The meeting will feature reports from NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D., and others about the Center’s initiatives, policies, programs and future direction. For more information, visit the NCATS Advisory Council page and the CAN Review Board page of the NCATS website.
October
Addressing Irreproducibility in Target Validation
On Oct. 23, 2014, the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will host a one-day conference to address a growing concern from scientists and the public, which contend that the complex system for ensuring the reproducibility of biomedical research is failing and is in need of restructuring. The conference in planned around a series of talks and panels by industry, academia and government scientists, as well as editors from leading journals, to lend perspective and brainstorm practical solutions.
NCATS in the News
- From Lab Bench to Bedside: Accelerating the Commercialization of Biomedical Innovations • Rock Talk Blog • June 19, 2014
- "Making" in America, Changing the World: An Immigrant Maker’s Story • The White House Blog • June 19, 2014
- NCATS Researchers Propose Innovative Approach to Test Drugs in Rare Diseases • The Global Genes Project • June 19, 2014
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Launches New Funding Opportunity to Repurpose Industry Drug Candidates • AstraZeneca • June 17, 2014
Collaborate with NCATS Scientists
NCATS researchers are seeking collaborators in the following areas:
Bridging Interventional Development Gaps (BrIDGs) Program
The BrIDGs program makes available, on a competitive basis, certain critical resources needed for the development of new therapeutic agents. The next opportunity to apply to the BrIDGs program tentatively is scheduled for January/February 2015. Visit the BrIDGs page for more information.
NCATS Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC)
NCGC is one of the centers in the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN), which is an NIH Common Fund initiative. Through the MLPCN, NCGC offers biomedical researchers access to large-scale screening capacity along with the medicinal chemistry and informatics expertise necessary to identify chemical probe molecules and to study the functions of genes, cells and biochemical pathways. For inquiries or to obtain NCGC probe molecules, contact Ajit Jadhav.
NCGC researchers also seek collaborators for assay development and high-throughput screening, chemistry and chemistry technology, automation, and informatics. Learn more.
NIH RNA Interference (RNAi) Initiative
The NIH RNAi initiative, administered by NCATS, provides state-of-the-art, high-throughput RNAi genome-wide screens for humans and mice. This resource is available only to NIH researchers. Scientists interested in performing high-throughput RNAi screens can contact Scott Martin, Ph.D., for more information.
Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21) Program
The Tox21 program aims to test 10,000 chemicals and evaluate their potential to cause health problems. Any investigator may propose the development of biological assays for high-throughput screening.
To suggest an assay, submit an assay nomination form (PDF - 43.9KB) to Menghang Xia, Ph.D. Proposed assays must be compatible with the high-throughput screening guidelines as described in the assay guidance criteria.