All Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program sites have signed on to the NCATS Streamlined, Multisite, Accelerated Resources for Trials Institutional Review Board authorization agreement, making it possible to initiate multisite clinical studies within weeks instead of months. 

View CTSC Regulatory Knowledge Support for more information regarding practices at the Cleveland CTSA.

Online Graduate Certificate in Fundamentals of Clinical Care Research

Beginning in July 2017, Tufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences will offer an Online Graduate Certificate in Fundamentals of Clinical Care Research (CCR) that provides clinicians and scientists with graduate-level training in the methods and conduct of clinical research. 

The Fundamentals of CCR curriculum combines asynchronous lectures with participation in interactive webinars and active discussion boards, allowing for flexible yet dynamic interaction between faculty and students. The program is three courses (2.5 credits, one course per semester):

• Elements of Epidemiology for Clinical Research
• Principles of Biostatistics for Clinical Research
• Survey of Clinical Care Research 

Eligible applicants for the Fundamentals of CCR Certificate should hold a professional degree (e.g., MD, DDS, DVM) or a master’s or doctoral degree in a health-related field. Exceptional candidates with a prior bachelor’s degree (or non-US equivalent) in the sciences and a demonstrated interest in clinical research will be considered. 

Applications are being accepted now through May 1, 2017 at: https://gradhlthsci.admissions.tufts.edu/apply/?sr=1749ce1a-0ca0-46a0-8055-7c7ecac3b956

For more information, please visit: http://www.tuftsctsi.org/education/clinical-and-translational-science-graduate-program/online-graduate-certificate-in-fundamentals-of-clinical-care-research/

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, University of British Colombia, and ProTransit Nanotherapy LLC have received a Department of Defense grant for their research on acute spinal cord injury therapy. They were awarded $1.7 million to improve an injectable treatment which reduces the size of the cavity formed in the spinal cord after the initial injury. The injection is being developed as a treatment meant to be used during transit to a medical site.

 

Vinod Labhasetwar, PhD, is the principal investigator on the project. He runs a lab with a focus on researching translational nanomedicine and is a leader for the Cancer NanoMedicine program. Additionally, Labhasetwar is a reviewer for the CTSC Pilot Grant Program.

The award was mentioned in Crain's Cleveland Business this past month.

The Department of Medicine Research Day will be held on Friday, May 12, 2017 at the Wolstein Research Building.  Information regarding registration and abstract submission can be found at http://www.cwrumedicine.org/research-day .

For more information please contact Martha Salata at 844-1988 or [email protected].

•          Social/behavioral research
•          Biomedical research
•          Innovative research
•          Regulatory landscape
•          Community engagement

Founded in 1922,  Sigma Theta Tau International supports the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses working to make a difference in global health.

To that end, the organization is inviting applications from registered nurses for its Global Nursing Research Grant program. Through the program, a single grant of up to $10,000 is awarded annually to encourage nurses to focus on responding to health disparities globally. 

To be eligible, the principal investigator(s) should be a registered nurse (or country equivalent) with a current license and have at least a master's in nursing (or country equivalent). Preference will be given to Sigma Theta Tau members. 

Application Deadline: May 1, 2017

For more information visit the  STTI website.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting proposals for the latest round of Grand Challenges Explorations. Grand Challenges Explorations fosters early-stage discovery research to expand the pipeline of ideas for solving our greatest global health and development challenges. Launched in 2008 with an initial $100 million commitment from the foundation, Grand Challenges Explorations grants have already been awarded to more than 1200 researchers in more than 65 countries.

Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and for-profit companies. Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. 

Applications will be accepted on the following four topics:

• Health Systems Strengthening: Ensuring Effective Health Supply Chains;
• New Approaches for Improving Timeliness of Routine Immunizations in Low-Resource Settings;
• Wearables and Technology for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Behavior Change;
• Innovations for Integrated Diagnostics Systems;

Application Deadline: May 3, 2017

For more information visit the Grand Challenges website.

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation evolved from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004) into a national fundraising movement to raise awareness and find cures for all childhood cancers.

The purpose of the foundation's Reach Awards program is to advance its mission to find cures and better treatments for childhood cancers by providing support to move hypothesis-driven research into the clinic. To that end, the program supports late translational studies needed to ultimately initiate a clinical trial. Priority will be given to those research projects which, if funded, will result in the initiation of a clinical trial within two to three years. 

A successful application will identify an unmet clinical need relevant to the care of patients with pediatric cancer and describe how the work performed will allow for the translation of hypothesis-driven research to the clinic keeping broader clinical testing and implementation in view. 

Grants of up to $250,000 will be awarded over two years. 

Primary applicants may be an assistant-, associate-, or professor-level investigator with a track record of discovery, investigation, and external funding. Applicants may be an M.D., D.O., Ph.D, or M.D./Ph.D. In addition, applicants must have a demonstrated track record of pediatric cancer research and have experience in translational research. Multiple investigator applications that bring together pairs or teams of researchers with complementary expertise are encouraged.

Application Deadline: May 22, 2017

For more information visit the  Alex’s Lemonade website.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has announced that it seeks to appoint up to 20 new biomedical researchers through a national open competition. HHMI recently increased the standard term for HHMI investigators from five to seven years, providing longer term, flexible support as these scientists explore new research territory. The initiative represents an investment of approximately $168 million in basic biomedical research over the next seven years.

The HHMI investigator competition is open to basic researchers and physician scientists at more than 200 eligible institutions who bring innovative approaches to the study of biological problems in biomedical disciplines, plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology. Those selected in this competition will receive a seven-year appointment to HHMI, which is renewable pending favorable scientific review.

HHMI encourages its investigators to push their research fields into new areas of inquiry. By employing scientists as HHMI investigators—rather than awarding them research grants—the Institute is guided by the principle of “people, not projects.” HHMI investigators have the freedom to explore and, if necessary, to change direction in their research. Moreover, they have support to follow their ideas through to fruition—even if that process takes many years.

Application Deadline: June 27, 2017

For more information visit the HHMI website.

Pre-application for the NIH-Industry Program: Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules (X02)

• National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
• Application Receipt Date(s): April 17, 2017, by 5:00 pm local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on this date. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.