Director's Message
Although a great deal of painstaking work goes into creating and testing potential new treatments before they are administered to people, the most critical and complex stage of the translational process is the testing of interventions in humans for safety and effectiveness.
Read more in the latest Director's Message.
Christopher P. Austin, M.D.
What's New at NCATS?
New Funding Opportunities for Trial and Recruitment Innovation Centers
Partnering with Disease Foundations to Speed Drug Discovery
NCATS and Eli Lilly Make Drug Discovery Data Available
NCATS-FDA Team Receives Funds to Crowdsource Information on Treating Tropical Diseases
NCATS Job Opportunity: Biology Group Leader, Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation
CTSA-Supported Study Suggests Broader Inclusion Criteria Could Improve Some Clinical Trials
Grant Funding for Small Businesses: Apply by Sept. 8, 2015
Collaborate with NCATS Scientists
New Funding Opportunities for Trial and Recruitment Innovation Centers
On May 15 and June 5, 2015, NCATS announced two new Clinical and Translational Science Awards program funding opportunities, one for Recruitment Innovation Centers and the other for Trial Innovation Centers. Both are aimed at overcoming key roadblocks to multisite clinical trials. Read the full announcement.
Partnering with Disease Foundations to Speed Drug Discovery
Some patient foundations are funding unique research fellowship programs that help staff NCATS' intramural laboratories. The result is disease expertise paired with the development of new technologies and methods to build better disease models and advance the search for potential treatments. Read the full feature.
NCATS and Eli Lilly Make Drug Discovery Data Available
NCATS and Eli Lilly and Company researchers have generated drug discovery data that are now available to the public for download. This new resource is based on screening a portion of approved and investigational medicines from the NCATS Pharmaceutical Collection in assays (tests) from Lilly's Open Innovation Drug Discovery platform relevant to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and endocrine disorders. The results may help scientists uncover new lead compounds for therapeutic development. Get more information and access the data.
NCATS-FDA Team Receives Funds to Crowdsource Information on Treating Tropical Diseases
NCATS researchers and partners at the Food and Drug Administration recently received support from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Innovation Ventures Fund to develop the Web-based Collaborative Use Repurposing Engine (CURE). CURE will enable clinicians around the world to share their experiences and repurpose existing medical products developed for other uses in order to better treat neglected tropical diseases. Read the full news brief.
NCATS Job Opportunity: Biology Group Leader, Division of Pre-Clinical Innovation
NCATS seeks applications from qualified candidates to direct the RNA Interference Screening Core Facility, located within the Center's intramural research program and composed of several biological scientists with informatics, automation, compound management and project management support. View the job description and apply.
CTSA-Supported Study Suggests Broader Inclusion Criteria Could Improve Some Clinical Trials
All clinical trials have inclusion and exclusion criteria, but unnecessarily strict exclusions can slow translation and limit patient recruitment into trials. A researcher supported in part by NCATS' Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center decided to explore whether having had a prior cancer was an important exclusion criterion in lung cancer trials. In a study published in the Feb. 9, 2015, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, lead author David E. Gerber, M.D., and colleagues showed that prior cancer did not negatively affect clinical outcomes in patients with stage IV lung cancer, regardless of prior cancer stage, type or timing. These findings suggest that, for some studies, inclusion criteria could be broader, potentially leading to faster patient accrual, higher trial completion rates and results that better represent larger populations, ultimately providing improved treatments to patients faster. Read the study.
Grant Funding for Small Businesses: Apply by Sept. 8, 2015
The 2015 Omnibus Solicitation for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs is now open. The first application deadline for PA-15-269 (SBIR) and PA-15-270 (STTR) is Sept. 8, 2015.
Applicants to NCATS' SBIR/STTR program may address any stage of translation, from target validation through pre-clinical and clinical evaluation to intervention implementation and dissemination. NCATS has updated its research priorities across these categories:
- Drug Discovery and Development
- Diagnostics and Devices
- Bioinformatics/Information Technology
- Clinical Research
Interested applicants with a potential project idea should e-mail an abstract to NCATS-SBIRSTTR@mail.nih.gov. For more information, read the notice in the NIH Guide.
Get to Know NCATS Leaders
Petra Kaufmann, M.D., M.Sc., is director of NCATS' Division of Clinical Innovation. She works to engage a broad range of stakeholders to speed translation from discovery to health benefits through innovative methods and tools in translational research and training. Kaufmann oversees the Clinical and Translational Science Awards program, which supports a national consortium of medical research institutions.
Dorit Zuk, Ph.D., directs NCATS' Office of Policy, Communications and Strategic Alliances. Zuk's professional interests include communicating scientific findings to a wide variety of audiences as well as developing and implementing science policies that can provide a framework for handling issues related to translational science.
Kaufmann and Zuk are just two of the NCATS staff members now featured in the NCATS Staff Profiles section. Each profile includes a photo and brief biography, research topics or professional interests, and in some cases, selected publications. Check back often to meet more of our team!
Upcoming Events
July
Personalized Medicine: Novel Biologic Therapies for Rare Eosinophilic Disorders
Join NCATS, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the International Eosinophil Society on July 14, 2015, in Chicago for a personalized medicine workshop on novel biologic therapies for rare eosinophilic disorders. The workshop is part of the pre-conference agenda for the Society's 9th Biennial Symposium. Workshop goals include:
- Bringing together a multidisciplinary group of clinician-scientists with expertise in rare eosinophilic disorders to discuss issues related to improved patient care and clinical trial design.
- Continuing to foster collaborative relationships between multidisciplinary clinical and basic science researchers interested in eosinophilic disorders.
Fourth International RASopathies Symposium
Join NCATS on July 17–19, 2015 for the Fourth International RASopathies Symposium in Seattle. The event will enable a scientific conversation among clinicians, researchers, trainees and families, who will share and discuss clinical issues and basic science for this group of genetic diseases. Symposium participants also will discuss a framework for future research, translational applications directed toward therapy and best clinical practices for RAS/MAPK pathway syndromes.
August
Genomic Integrity
Join NCATS and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on August 1–5, 2015, for a meeting on genomic integrity in Cairns, Australia. The goals of the meeting are to identify new avenues of investigation, to define therapeutic strategies for the maintenance of genomic integrity, to stimulate collaborations and to foster the long-term development of this critical research area.
September
NCATS Advisory Council/CAN Review Board to Meet September 3-4
On Sept. 3–4, 2015, NCATS will hold a joint meeting of the NCATS Advisory Council and the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) Review Board on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The meeting will feature reports from NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D., and other presenters about the Center's initiatives, policies, programs and future direction. For more information, visit NCATS Advisory Council and CAN Review Board.
NCATS in the News
- NIH-Funded Researchers Identify New Genetic Immune Disorder • NCATS, NIAID • June 17, 2015
- Bioengineered Patch, Molecular "Booster" Could Improve Stem Cells' Ability to Treat Heart Failure • ScienceDaily • June 17, 2015
- A Robust Science of Translation: DIA Co-Chair Christopher P. Austin, M.D. • Global Forum • June 10, 2015
- Gene Variants Differ among Brain Tumors • MedPage Today • June 10, 2015
- EXAMINE: Use of Nesina, Placebo with, without ACE Inhibitors Reveals Similar CV Outcomes • Healio • June 6, 2015
- News Feature: Building Benchtop Human Models • PNAS • June 2, 2015
- Is Gut Bacteria Responsible for the "Terrible Twos" in Toddlers? • NHS Choices • May 28, 2015
- Sudden Infant Death Risk Greater in Mountains • MedPage Today • May 26, 2015
- Cystic Fibrosis Medicine Study Offers Hope • WebMD • May 26, 2015
- Naltrexone May Be Effective for Methamphetamine Addiction • Neurology Advisor • May 25, 2015
- Allergy Drug Can Treat Hepatitis C • Gazette Review • May 24, 2015
- Scientists Reveal Potential New Drug Target for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis • ScienceDaily • May 20, 2015
Collaborate with NCATS Scientists
NCATS researchers are seeking collaborators in the following areas:
Bridging Interventional Development Gaps (BrIDGs)
Through its BrIDGs program, NCATS assists researchers in advancing promising therapeutic agents through late-stage pre-clinical development toward an Investigational New Drug application and clinical testing. The 2015 project solicitation is coming soon; stay tuned to NCATS for more information.
NCATS Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC)
NCATS offers biomedical researchers access to large-scale screening capacity and medicinal chemistry and informatics expertise to develop chemical probe molecules. These resources can help scientists study the functions of genes, cells and biochemical pathways. For inquiries or to obtain NCGC probe molecules, contact Ajit Jadhav. NCATS researchers also seek collaborators for assay development and high-throughput screening, chemistry and chemistry technology, automation, and informatics.
NIH RNA Interference (RNAi) Initiative
Through the NIH RNAi initiative, NCATS provides state-of-the-art, high-throughput RNAi genome-wide screens for humans and mice to NIH intramural researchers. For more information, contact Madhu Lal-Nag, Ph.D.
Pfizer's Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) for NIH Researchers
NCATS is facilitating a collaboration with Pfizer's CTI program at NIH, which pairs NIH intramural researchers and clinicians with Pfizer resources to pursue scientific and medical advances through joint therapeutic development of biologic compounds. To apply, submit a completed pre-proposal brief to your NIH Institute or Center's technology transfer office by Oct. 16, 2015. Download the pre-proposal brief template (Word - 37KB) and view pre-proposal submission instructions.
Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND)
NCATS soon will be accepting proposals through its TRND program for collaborative projects that focus on pre-clinical and early clinical development of new drugs for rare and neglected tropical diseases. The 2015 project solicitation is coming soon; stay tuned to NCATS for more information.
Toxicology in the 21st Century (Tox21)
The goal of the Tox21 program is 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 a nomination form (PDF - 44KB) to Menghang Xia, Ph.D. Proposed assays must be compatible with the high-throughput screening guidelines described in the assay guidance criteria.