August 2023 NEWSLETTER

RECENTLY FUNDED HIRN CTAR GRANTS

Join us in welcoming the following recently funded grants into the Consortium on Targeting and Regeneration (CTAR ) per NIH RFA-22-009

• Developing A Platform Technology for β-Cell-Targeted Drug Delivery iiiJustin Pierce Annes, MD, PhD, Stanford University

• Development of Platforms for Beta cell-specific delivery and Ligand iiidiscovery, Amit Choudhary, PhD, Broad Institute, Rohit Kulkarni, MD, iiiPhD, Joslin Diabetes Center, Paul Andrew Clemons, PhD, Broad Institute

• iSTAR Tregs, Qizhi Tang, PhD, University of California, San Francisco,

iiiMichael T McManus, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

iiiAudrey Parent, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

RECENT PAPER ON HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL

OF FIBROSIS

Biomedical devices comprise a major component of modern medicine. However, immune mediated fibrosis and rejection can limit their function over time. Although mouse models of fibrosis such as the immunocompetent C57BL/6 strain can generate robust fibrotic responses to implanted devices, murine and human immune systems can differ greatly and results in mice do not always translate to humans. The fibrotic response observed in non-human primates resembles that observed in humans, but this model carries with it financial and ethical concerns. Doloff et al have now developed a small animal model of fibrosis using human immune system engrafted immunodeficient mice, i.e., “humanized mice”. This small animal model recapitulates the cellular and molecular fibrotic response observed in humans. These humanized mice can be used to investigate the mechanisms of the human fibrotic response and approaches to ameliorate the response. Moreover, this model can be used to test human specific therapies that cannot be tested in immunocompetent mice. JC. Doloff, M. Ma, A. Sadraei, HH. Tam, S. Farah, J. Hollister-Lock, AJ. Vegas, O. Veiseh, VM. Quiroz, A. Rakoski, S. Aresta-DaSilva, AR. Bader, M. Griffin, GC. Weir, MA. Brehm, LD. Shultz, R. Langer, D. Greiner, DG. Anderson. Science Advances. View HERE.

TIPS FOR THE NIH DATA SHARING MANDATE

New Reoccurring Series

Tip #3: Utilizing Available Templates 

Currently, there are many templates available intended as a guide through building a plan that complies with the NIH mandate. The NIH has made available a step-by-step template to help researchers address all the new requirements. The NIH template also provides example answers to each step to show what kind of information should be provided for each portion of the mandate. The same template also is accessible through the DMPTool in the same step-by-step manner.  

Click HERE to access the NIH template and create a Data Management Plan.  

ARE YOU READY FOR 2023: NEW NIH DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHARING MANDATES

Are you ready for the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan (effective Jan. 25, 2023). Have questions or need help. Join dkNET Office Hours on Friday, September 22, 2023, 11 am - 12 pm PT. Register HERE.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The second annual meeting for American Association of Extracellular Vesicles (AAEV) will take place October 26 - 29, 2023 in Boston, MA. The purpose of the Association is to promote the development, dissemination, integration, and utilization of knowledge in the field of EV. The Association provides a platform for researchers to learn, disseminate, and network with EV researchers worldwide through Annual Conferences, peer-reviewed journal, initiatives, and industry partnerships. For more information, please click HERE.

NIH HIGH-RISK, HIGH-REWARD RESEARCH

SEMINAR BY DR. ALOK JOGLEKAR

The NIH Common Fund High Risk, High Reward Initiative will be hosting a program seminar by HIRN Gateway Investigator Dr. Alok Joglekar.

The seminar will be Thursday, September 14, 2023. 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST. https://nih.zoomgov.com/j/1603759021?pwd=LzdJZ1Z0MVZ4anAwV2xlWlJVRnpTUT09

Meeting ID: 160 375 9021, Passcode: 015707

NIDDK WEBINARS

Microphysiological Systems (MPS) for Studying T2D, Obesity, and Their Complications

Dates: September 28, 2023 (Full Day), September 29, 2023 (Half Day)

Location: NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD (hybrid meeting - virtual available)

Purpose: Microphysiological systems (MPS) are in vitro systems that aim to recapitulate higher orders of cell/tissue organization than conventional two-dimensional static cultures and enable disease modeling and drug discovery studies. Advances in biomaterials, microfluidics, and tissue engineering allow for greater control of three-dimensional cell cultures containing multiple cell types and constituting more physiological tissue organization. The connection of chambers allows inter-organ crosstalk. The use of patient samples and human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cells may someday enable patient-on-a-chip or clinical-trial-on-a-chip studies for many disease processes that are high priority for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Challenges in this field of research include the need for multidisciplinary team science, evolving protocols for stem cell differentiation to obtain mature cell types, and balancing the system complexity with reproducibility and throughput. For more information please click HERE.

NIH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

RFA-DK-23-014: NIDDK Catalyst Award (DP1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

•  Application due date: September 29, 2023
• Foreign applications are not eligible

RFA-DK-22-037: Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (R25 – Independent Clinical Trial not Allowed)

•  Application due date: October 25, 2023
• Foreign applications are not eligible

RFA-DK-23-019: Integration of Novel Measures for Improved Classification of Type 2 Diabetes (U01, Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

•  Application due date: October 26, 2023
• Foreign applications are not eligible

RFA-DK-23-020: Integration of Novel Measures for Improved Classification of Type 2 Diabetes – Biostatistics Research Center (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

• Application due date:  October 26, 2023
• Foreign applications are not eligible

What is ISAC?

The Innovative Science Accelerator (ISAC) Program supports truly innovative, disruptive, risky research to accelerate breakthrough discoveries. ISAC provides:

• Funding for small high-risk/high reward projects via a streamlined process to support cutting-edge research and accelerate true innovation in areas of science of interest to the Kidney-Urologic-Hematologic (KUH) research communities.
• Collaboration and Events for researchers and trainees to efficiently exchange ideas and resources to accelerate innovation.

LEADERSHIP/FACULTY

Associate/Professor

The Department of Pediatrics at The Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of the University of Southern California (USC) and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) have multiple positions available and are recruiting an internationally recognized leader to serve as Research Director of the Division. Candidates are expected to qualify for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor and to be eligible for either tenure or clinical scholar designation. Rank and track will be commensurate with experience. Candidates must hold an MD, DO, and/or Ph.D. degree and have a strong record of training and scientific achievement preparing them to positively expand research and clinical practice in areas related to diabetes, nutrition, obesity and endocrinology. For more information click HERE. 

Assistant/Associate Professor

The Division of Gastroenterology in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University seeks an immunologist in pancreatic disorders to join the Division as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor in the University Tenure Line, University Medical Line, or the Non-Tenure Line (Research). The successful applicant should have experience in leading projects that characterize the immune landscape, using high end immune profiling, of either pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, diabetes, pancreatic insufficiency, or pancreas development and has a vision to partner with physicians and scientists at Stanford to make breakthroughs in focused areas in this space. Applicants for the position should send a CV and a brief letter to include an optional diversity statement HERE.

Associate or Full Professor 

The Department of Diabetes Immunology within the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute (AR-DMRI) at City of Hope has an opening at any professorial rank (Assistant/Associate or full professor). The successful candidate will be a scientist with interest in understanding islet autoimmunity and more broadly the disease pathogenesis at the preclinical and/or clinical levels and with the desire to translate promising insights into biomarkers, treatments and potential cures for type 1 diabetes. Interested Applicants for the position should send a CV, a brief statement of their research interests, and contact information for three references to Dr. Alberto Pugliese. 

RESEARCH STAFF/ADMIN

Program Manager

Stanford University is seeking a Program Manager to work under the direction of faculty or other management to implement and administer the vision, strategy, and goals of the assigned academic entity/program(s). Duties include: Oversee and administer research activities by evaluating academic programs, making recommendations that impact policies and programs, and coordinating and implementing changes. Collect and analyze data, create reports, review and explain trends to determine program effectiveness; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions and/or recommendations to achieve the goals of the program. For more information, please click HERE.  

Research Associate II

A Research Associate II opportunity is immediately available for the highly motivated individual in the laboratory of Dr. Alberto Pugliese, MD in the AR-DMRI Department of Diabetes Immunology. The research is highly translational and primarily focused on human type 1 diabetes. Major ongoing projects are investigating miRNA biomarkers, pancreas pathology, and novel therapeutics, also in the context of the analysis of live pancreas tissue from organ donors obtained from the Network for Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD), of which Dr. Pugliese is Executive Co-Director, and in future clinical trials. Interested Applicants for the position should send a CV, a brief statement of their research interests, and contact information for three references to Dr. Alberto Pugliese. 

Postdoctoral Position

A postdoctoral research associate is available at Imperial College under the direction of Dr. Dominguez-Villar. The candidate with expertise in in vitro and ex vivo models to study autoantigen-specific T cell biology in type 1 diabetes using tetramers. The research programme led by Dr. Dominguez-Villar focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that maintain human regulatory T cell identity and plasticity and the regulation of CD4⁺ T cell responses in autoimmune and infectious disease settings. Interested candidates, please contact Dr. Margarita Dominguez-Villar.

Postdoctoral Position

The Ferreira laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, SC (http://www.ferreiralab.com) is seeking highly motivated and creative postdoctoral fellows interested in designing and developing engineered conventional and regulatory T cell therapies for autoimmune disease and cancer. Our research program is diverse, combining T cell biology, synthetic biology, and genome engineering approaches to study autoimmunity and cancer in immunocompetent and humanized mouse models of disease. Selected candidates will work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary team and will be encouraged to develop their own research interests. Candidates must have a PhD in biology, immunology, or a related field. Applicants for the position should send a CV, a brief statement of their research interests, and contact information for three references to Dr. Leonardo Ferreira.

Postdoctoral Position

A Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunity is immediately available for the highly motivated individual in the laboratory of Dr. Alberto Pugliese, MD in the AR-DMRI Department of Diabetes Immunology. The research is highly translational and primarily focused on human type 1 diabetes. The candidate will participate in several projects. Major ongoing projects are investigating miRNA biomarkers, pancreas pathology, and novel therapeutics, also in the context of the analysis of live pancreas tissue from organ donors obtained from the Network for Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD), of which Dr. Pugliese is Executive Co-Director, and in future clinical trials. Upcoming studies are projected to include the analysis of samples from patients with type 1 diabetes participating in clinical trials, with trials expected to start in late 2023 and 2024. Additional studies involve analysis of samples from recipients of pancreas-kidney transplant in the context of recurrent type 1 diabetes. Interested Applicants for the position should send a CV, a brief statement of their research interests, and contact information for three references to Dr. Alberto Pugliese. 

Postdoctoral Position

A Postdoctoral Fellowship position is available in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology (CDIB) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The position is available for a minimum period of two years. A major requirement will be expertise in molecular biology approaches and experience with CRISPR technology. The applicant will also be expected to have working knowledge of animal work (genotyping, islet and immune cells isolation); in vivo analyses (glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity); in vitro assays with beta-cells and immune cells; Western blotting; immunofluorescence analyses; and proficiency with RT-qPCR protocols. Interested applicants please send a cover letter and curriculum vitae, including the names of three references, to Dr. Sasanka Ramandham.

Postdoctoral Position

One postdoctoral fellow position is available at the ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Brussels, Belgium. We are looking for a highly motivated researcher to join the lab of Dr. Decio Eizirik. This lab aims to clarify the mechanisms of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and death in type 1 diabetes mellitus, with focus on endoplasmic reticulum stress, alternative splicing and other mechanisms that may contribute to beta cell death and generation of neoantigens. Interested individuals are encouraged to provide a brief letter stating their accomplishments and interest in the lab’s research, curriculum vitae, and a list of three references to Dr. Decio Eizirik.

Postdoctoral Position

The laboratory of Dr. Xuelin Lou at the Medical College of Wisconsin is seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Fellow to lead exciting research projects on membrane trafficking in islet β cells.  The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in Biology (or a related field) and quality publications. Experience in islet biology, or expertise in relevant research methods is highly desirable. Please send your cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the name/contact of three references to Dr. Xuelin Lou.

Postdoctoral Position

The Khosravi Immunoengineering Lab in the Department of Immunology at the Mayo Clinic Arizona is seeking two Postdoc Research Fellows in the areas of autoimmunity and transplantation. The Immunoengineering Lab research focuses on developing and applying novel ways of inducing immune tolerance using integrated approaches that combine laboratory, clinical, and computational methods. The engineering of immune cells is an integral part of these novel methods. The focuses of current research projects: 1) to develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tregs with enhanced stability and functionality for inducing immune tolerance in transplantation and xenotransplantation; 2) to study Tregs in autoimmune diseases and apply engineering strategies to develop autologous Treg therapies for these patients. Please contact Dr. Mohsen Khosravi Maharlooei for more information.