Research Retreat


Saturday September 9th 2023

8am to 5pm

-

MIT Endicott House

80 Haven St, Dedham, MA 02026


Dear Colleagues,

 

This April 2023 issue of the research newsletter recognizes the recent awarding of successful grant applications to several of our researchers, with particular congratulations to Dr. Kristin Schreiber on the five-year renewal of her NIH R35 grant. We will have a strong showing at the 55th annual SOAP meeting with many abstracts to be presented at the conference in New Orleans early in May. There is an interview with Dr. Jeff Karp, with a particular focus on his recent work targeting stem-cell proliferation in order to reverse hearing loss.


Please note that the final deadline to submit medically challenging cases and quality improvement projects to this fall’s annual ASA meeting in San Francisco is nearly here. Medically challenging cases are particularly a good category for residents to submit. The deadline is May 17th.


Chris Connor

Awardee: Kristin Schreiber


Project title: Personalizing Perioperative Preventive Analgesia: Translational Studies Investigating the Biopsychosocial Underpinnings of Enhanced Pain Propensity

Funding Agency/Sponsor: NIH

Awardee: David Hepner

Collaborator: Richard Urman


Project title: Preoperative Monoferric for Abdominal Surgery

Funding Agency/Sponsor: Pharmacosmos A/S

Awardee: Srdjan Nedeljkovic

(Co-Investigator): Dr. Pritesh Topiwala and Dr. Elizabeth Rickerson

(Research Team): Zaina Sen, Zachary Nelson, Aashna Narang, and Sydney Chratian


Project title: CTA: A Multicenter, Phase 2 Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Epidural Resiniferatoxin for the Treatment of Intractable Pain Associated with Advanced Cancer-RTX-CAP-201

Funding Agency/Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics


Poster Award: AAPM Conference 

Awardee: Vesela Kovacheva


Project title: MLSC Data Science Internship Program

Funding Agency/Sponsor: Massachusetts Life Sciences Center  

Awardee: Christine Sang


Project title: Multicenter Phase 2a Clinical Trial To Evaluate The Efficacy And Safety of Tnx-102 in Multi-Site Pain Associated With Post-Acute Sequelae Of Sars-Cov-2 Infection (PASC).

Funding Agency/Sponsor: Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp./Premier Research International, LLC

Awardee: Chris Gilligan


Project title: From Nerve to Brain: Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Human Subjects

Funding Agency/Sponsor: NIH


Awardee: Nitin Joshi


Project title: An immunostimulatory nasal spray to combat respiratory viral infections

Funding Agency/Sponsor: BRI


Project title: Towards a lipidated siRNA therapy for lung cancer

Funding Agency/Sponsor: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Society for Obstetric Anesthesia & Perinatology 2023

For further details regarding our Department's successful showing at this year's SOAP conference, please refer to Dr. Rathmell's recent "Letter from the Chair: ALL STAFF Edition" dated 4/9/2023.

US Association for the Study of Pain

Colebaugh, C. A., Wilson, J. M., Flowers, K. M., Franqueiro, A., He, J., Edwards, R. R., Chai, P. R., & Schreiber, K. L.. | Favorite music’s modulation of pressure pain and temporal summation of pain among patients with fibromyalgia.

 

Flowers, K. M., Wilson, J., Colebaugh, C., He, J. A., Franqueiro, A., & Schreiber, K. L. | Examining trajectories in postoperative anxiety among women who developed persistent post-mastectomy pain after breast surgery.

 

Franqueiro, A. R., Wilson, J. M., He, J., Colebaugh, C. A., Flowers, K. M., Rathmell, J., Soens, M., & Schreiber, K. L.. | Psychological distress predicts acute postsurgical pain severity among patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: The moderating effect of sex.

 

He, J., Wilson, J. M., Flowers, K. M., Colebaugh, C. A., Franqueiro, A. R., Fields, K. G., Reale, S., Farber, M. K., Soens, M. A., & Schreiber, K. L.. | Evaluation of a brief questionnaire as a screening tool to identify patients at risk for severe pain and increased opioid consumption after cesarean delivery.

 

Wilson, J. M., Flowers, K. M., Colebaugh, C. A., Franqueiro, A., He, J., Edwards, R. R., & Schreiber, K. L.. | Preoperative temporal summation of pain moderates the efficacy of ketamine in inhibiting acute postsurgical pain: A randomized controlled trial. 

American Society of Regional Anesthesia 2023

Oral Presentations

Kristin Schreiber MD, PhD | Persistent Postsurgical Pain: The Scope of the Problem and Why We Should Be Concerned


Kristin Schreiber MD, PhD | Gender and Cultural Differences in Perception and Expression of Pain

Ultrasound Workshops


Kristin Schreiber MD, PhD | Blocks for Chest & Trauma Surgery


Alex Stone, MD | Blocks for Spine Surgery

Poster Presentations


Kathy Chen, MD | What is it like to get blocked? How psychosocial and psychophysical pain profiles impact the peripheral nerve block experience


Amar Desai, MD | Ultrasound-guided ankle block in a patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: a case report


Joseph T Homsi MD, Erica Seligson MD, Inna Zinger DNP, Galina A Davidyuk MD PhD, Kamen V Vlassakov MD | A Case Report of Inadvertent Intrathecal Spread of Liposomal Bupivacaine After Retrolaminar Blocks


Joseph T Homsi MD, Kamen Vlassakov MD | From Oily Solutions to Liposomal Bupivacaine – The Timeless Search for Long-Acting Neural Blockade


Erica Seligson MD, Uyanga Batnyam MBBS, David Janfaza MD, Brahim Redouane MD, Victor Naufall, Usha Tedrow MD MS, Kamen Vlassakov MD | Safety and Efficacy of Sympathetic Blockade by Proximal Intercostal Nerve Block in Patients with Electrical Storm


Erica Seligson MD, Kristin Schreiber MD PhD, Kamen Vlassakov MD, Alex Stone MD | Optimizing Block Team Staffing at an Academic Medical Center: A Qualitative Pilot Survey.


Resident/Fellow travel award:


Sheila Gokul MD MS, Jenna Wilson MD, Kelsey Flowers, Carin Colebaugh, Angelina Franqueiro, Kristin Schreiber MD PhD | RCT of Ketamine in Mastectomy: Differential Analgesic Efficacy Based on a QST-Based Measure of Preoperative Central Sensitization


Podium Presentation | Perioperative Pain Care of the Substance Abuse Patient: New Substances and Best Practices


Patient Safety Award:


Philipp Gerner MD, Christopher Connor MD PhD, Alexander Stone MD | Visual Assessment of Effectiveness of Ultrasound Probe Hygiene Using Ultraviolet Fluorescent Powder


Podium Presentation| RC-01 Refresher Course: Safety: How to Provide Safe Regional Anesthesia in Physiological Extremes





ASRA Pain Medicine 2023

Resident / Fellow


Adlai Pappy, MD

American Society of Anesthesia 2023

San Francisco, CA October 13 - 17

ASA 2023


For further details & a submission list, please visit the ASA website, here.


ASA 2023 Submission Information

Dr. Karp is a chemical engineer from Canada, who grew up in a small town about an hour and a half northeast of Toronto called Peterborough. He grew up in the countryside when he moved out there with his parents and sister in the 3rd grade. This led to all the great exposure nature has to offer. He had a farmer’s field in his backyard, a sheep farm on one side, and a buffalo farm across the road. There was a creek that ran under bridge on his driveway. He recalls waking up in the middle of the night to a pack of wolves in the front yard heading over to the sheep farm. Dr. Karp went to McGill University where he studied chemical engineering. He was there for 5 years, initially registering in biology before transferring to chemical engineering in his 2nd year. He stayed an extra year to take physiology and biomedical engineering courses. Next, he went to the University of Toronto for his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. After that he joined Dr. Bob Langer’s lab at MIT for 3 years for post-doctoral work. Finally joining the Brigham in July of 2007.

Dr. Karp has always been interested in science, but school posed a lot of challenges for him as he was diagnosed with learning differences including ADHD imposing significant struggles in his curriculum. Dr. Karp loved everything science and was really fascinated by what he could learn. “In the 7th grade I had an incredible science teacher who was very inspirational. That’s when I got really excited about it,” says, Dr. Karp. He did have his fair share of teachers who didn’t believe in him, but the ones who did were inspirational and saw the potential he had and helped guide him to realize it.

His Ph.D. research in Toronto was in the area of bone engineering where he spent 5 years. He did his Post-doc at MIT and focused for the first year on advancing his bone engineering work to keep it safe and maximize potential for a publication. During his 2nd year he wanted to step outside the box and only work on things that he had never worked on before. He began synthesizing new degradable polymers for biomaterial applications. He also began developing microscale devices for diagnostic applications and for analyzing the biology of stem cells. In 2007, before his faculty position began, at the tail end of his post-doc he began developing new bio-inspired medical adhesive glues and tapes that were intended to attach to tissue to seal them in place of staples or sutures. He built upon this after starting his faculty position and continued to turn to nature for inspiration to help solve medical problems.

Dr. Karp and his colleagues recently had a breakthrough in reversing of hearing loss. “The hearing regeneration work began in the intestine while trying to understand how the lining of the intestine perfectly regenerates every 4 or 5 days,” says Dr. Karp. The stem cell responsible for this incredible regenerative capacity had been identified by a research group in the Netherlands. Karp and team began trying to understand how to control this stem cell with standard drugs like small molecules, but as many know stem cell therapy is complicated due to the need of having to take cells out of the body, manipulate them, and put them back in the body. Transplanted cells respond and behave differently in different areas of the body adding to the complexity of achieving a predictable homogeneous response. Therefore, the question that arose was “could we simplify the approach by being able to deliver small molecules into the body and target the stem cells or progenitor cells in-situ without needing to isolate, manipulate or deliver cells” Dr. Karp says. They started in the intestine and discovered two small molecules that could replicate key signaling in the micro-environment of the stem cells. This enabled control of the division of the stem cells while maintaining their stem cell state and generated substantial excitement.

Rather than keep advancing the discovery in incremental ways, Dr. Karp and his colleagues asked themselves “is there something that we can do with this new information and insights that would be just as exciting or even more than what we had just done.” Dr. Karp describes. They found a paper demonstrating that the progenitor cells of the inner ear had similar properties of the progenitor cells lining the epithelium of the intestine, including a cell surface receptor called LGR-5. Unlike the stem cells in the intestine which keep diving throughout life, in the inner ear these progenitor cells don’t divide after birth and remain dormant. This led them to the question “Might the small molecules discovered in the intestine model work on the progenitor cells in the inner ear?” The answer was yes. They found a 2000-fold greater level of proliferation. This catalyzed the formation of Frequency Therapeutics, a biotechnology company co-founded by Karp, Bob Langer, and others, and the advancement of the work into clinical trials. One of the ongoing trials will have a readout during the first few months of 2023.

In the future Dr. Karp is interested in developing technologies for oral delivery of biologics. Specifically, to orally deliver in the form of pills or capsules proteins, nucleic acids, and peptide-based drugs. He and his collaborators are currently in the process of developing a number of bio-inspired prototypes.  Dr. Karp is also advancing a new platform to achieve a more targeted way to deliver drugs to the brain and a new immune stimulating methodology to treat cancer.

Dr. Karp and his wife started African Drumming the past several months and take lessons together. Dr. Karp has two children. His son is 17 years old and plays quarterback at Brookline High and his daughter is 14 years old plays volleyball, basketball, and is an avid dancer. His wife owns a Pilates studio in Coolidge corner. In Dr. Karp’s free time outside of work and family he likes to spend time meeting with friends and colleagues for lunch and coffee to bring fresh energy to his life. He loves being exposed to different perspectives and the energy transfer between humans and non-human beings (namely his 2 dogs). Finally, Dr. Karp is an amazing scientist who has done two TED Talks, cofounded numerous companies, and several honors and awards.

 

Follow the link below to see more of Dr. Karp’s work:

Insights from the Lab Lead to a New Approach to Reversing Hearing Loss - Brigham Clinical & Research News

Are you considering submitting a grant?

Please reach out to Rachel Abrams for a list of required documents and to get the process started.

Featured Opportunities

BRIGHAM-BASED


2023 Stepping Strong Innovator Awards

Amount: $100,000

Deadline: March 17, 2023 (Letter of Intent)

Eligibility details here.


BRI Centers, Programs, Initiative Awards

Amount: $1,000 - $10,000

Deadline: No deadline/rolling basis

Eligibility details here


BRI Microgrants

Amount: $500 - $1,000

Deadline: No deadline/rolling basis

Apply Here


Brigham Ignite "Seed' and 'Development' Programs

Amount: $50,000 - $200,000

Deadline: No deadline/rolling basis

Eligibility details here


Full-time Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Amount: $50,500

Deadline: No deadline/rolling basis

Eligibility details here


MGB Collaborative Grant Application

Details: https://covidinnovation.partners.org/funding/


COVID-19 Funding opportunities

https://covidinnovation.partners.org/funding/


Brigham–Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator (DxA)

The Brigham–Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator aims to create new diagnostic technologies through deep collaborations driven by unmet diagnostic needs.

More details here.



DEPARTMENTAL


Anesthesiology Department Seed Funding

Deadline: No deadline/rolling basis

Funding: up to $10,000 

Eligibility: Lecturer, Instructor, Assistant, or Associate Professor at the time of award funding

  • Goal: Support clinical, translational, or basic science research and project development
  • Prerequisites: 
  • Grantee should have a mentoring plan (senior mentor or mentoring team in area of proposed investigation)
  • Grantee should have a career development plan

Up to five seed grants will be awarded in 2023. Grant recipients are required to present their work to the Research Leadership Committee before the start of the project and to the Department at the conclusion of their grant.

For guidance and advice on the research process and resources, contact Sarah Corey.


For a Department of Anesthesiology Biostatistical consult, please follow this link or send an email to Kara Fields.


Partners Pulse Login Page for access to training/learning modules


Perioperative Data Group

(requires Partners login to access)


Research Navigator Login Page


Committee on Human Research (IRB) resources

(requires Navigator login to access)


New Support Services | MGB Human Research Affairs - IRB:


MGB IRB | Office Hours | Mondays | 10:00AM – 1:00PM | Zoom

Do you have a quick question that you would like to run by an IRB Specialist? Join the MGB HRA/IRB Office Hours: Drop in any time between 10am and 1pm on Mondays to get your questions answered.

Join on Zoom here: https://partners.zoom.us/j/84612060129

 

MGB IRB | Consult Service

Would you like in-depth, individualized support for your new or existing IRB protocol? Complete the REDCap form and one of our IRB Specialists will contact you within 2 business days to arrange a time to discuss.

 

MGB IRB | Determinations for “Not Human Subject Research” (NHSR) Including Quality Improvement (QI) Research

Are you looking for a NHSR determination or trying to determine if your study falls under QI? Complete the REDCap form and an IRB Specialist will review your case and provide the necessary documentation. Visit the IRB Services page for additional information.

 

IRB Helpline: 857-282-1900 / IRB Mailbox: irb@partners.org

Click here to view our department's most recent publications!