The CCTS Investigator            
Accelerating Discoveries Toward Better Health
June 2019   
The  CCTS in collaboration with  The Ohio State University Office of Responsible Research Practices  and  Nationwide Children’s Hospital  hosted our annual FDA-focused conference entitled “FDA Regulated Research: FDA Review and Audit Preparedness” on June 11.

The conference welcomed more than 200 attendees from numerous institutes throughout the United States.

Presenters included a number of speakers from academic institutions, regulatory experts, and the FDA, and focused on topics like the use of animal models for phase one drug development, biologics and the FDA submission process, risk management, and audit preparation.

Keynote speaker, David Burrow, Director, Office of Scientific Investigations, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, discussed his experience with the FDA including working through the auditing process and best practices when communicating with the FDA.

On April 24, 2019, over 150 attendees gathered in celebration of research and creative inquiry. We honored our most innovative researchers, recognized key milestones reached in commercialization and engaged in meaningful conversations after inspiring spotlight talks.

Watch the videos below to be inspired all over again, see what others are saying and help us continue to advance a culture of research excellence across Ohio State and beyond.
The 2019  Appalachian Translational Research Network   (ATRN) Health Summit Committee is now accepting abstracts for oral presentations and posters.

The  call for abstracts  is open to faculty, research personnel, extension educators, trainees/scholars, students, administrators, community members and organizations, government agencies, and private foundations with experience or an interest in improving health in communities across the Appalachian Region.

The deadline to submit is Monday, July 15, 2019 at 11:59 pm.

This year's  ATRN Health Summit , "Working Toward Health Equity in Appalachia: Exploring Solutions"  will be co-hosted by the CCTS and  Ohio State University's Office of Extension   in Columbus, Ohio on October 14 - 15, 2019 at the  Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center . 

If you haven't previously benefitted from the expertise of one of our 3 board-certified veterinary pathologists for your preclinical animal studies, please stop by with your slides for a free consultation to discuss interesting lesions, animal model selection, best practices for tissue preparation/preservation, and more!

When: 2nd Tuesday of each month, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Where: 933 BRT, multi-headed microscope

The CCTS and the Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office presents “Tools of the Trade: Animal Models: Beyond the Mouse.” Rodent models are an important resource in translational therapeutics research, but they aren’t the only way to study disease in the preclinical setting. In fact, a variety of animal models exist that can augment your research to answer targeted questions or facilitate scaling up to larger organisms.

At this program you will hear from researchers at Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s Hospital who work with a variety of animals, including: zebrafish, sheep, and pigs. You will learn about the advantages of studying naturally occurring disease in companion animals. Comparative aspects of Animal Pathology and unique regulatory and ethical considerations for each species will also be addressed to help the attendee to explore the use of alternative animal models for their disease research.

Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Time: 8 AM to Noon (check-in with refreshments 7:30 AM forward)
Location: Biomedical Research Tower, Room 115

Contact Stuart Hobbs for more information.

The CCTS is presenting a two-day mentoring workshop designed to develop faculty into successful research mentors to junior faculty, especially in the sciences and biomedical sciences.

Registrants must attend both three-hour sessions, July 29 and July 31 from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM in Room 240 Prior Hall. Lunch will be provided.

The training will use a case-based approach to explore such topics as: establishing expectations; communications; assessing understanding; addressing diversity; and fostering independence. Facilitators will be Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD, College of Optometry, and Lisa Christian, PhD, College of Medicine.

Questions? Contact Stuart Hobbs.

The Translational Therapeutics Think Tank (T4) is a free CCTS resource designed to assist investigators at all career levels by providing input, consultation, and guidance on research study design, drug and device development projects, and translational projects of all kinds.

The T4 committee is made up of expertise from the OSU colleges of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Biostatistics, as well Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) and can provide feedback on most aspects of study design including biostatistics, helping to identify potential funding mechanisms and collaborators across the OSU/NCH network, relevant animal disease models, regulatory and ethical issues, and all aspects of study design. The service functions as a true “think tank” where investigators can bring a brief presentation of their proposed or on-going study and receive real time, in-person feedback on specific questions or needs they may have related to their project.

A meeting with the T4 group can be requested by visiting the CCTS website and selecting the Research Consultation tab, follow it down to the “Translational Therapeutics Think Tank T4, Click on that link and chose the “request a meeting” option. If there is an issue with that link, please feel free to go directly to the online service request.
ResearchMatch brings together people who are trying to find research studies and clinical trials, and researchers who are looking for volunteers. 
ResearchMatch is a national volunteer registry that researchers at OSU can use to find potential volunteers at no cost. The aim of ResearchMatch is to serve as an effective, useful and complementary recruitment tool that will help connect willing volunteers with researchers who are searching for appropriate volunteers to be placed in their research studies.  Ohio leads the nation in registered volunteers. The Recruitment + Retention office at the CCTS provides assistance obtaining IRB approval to use ResearchMatch.org for recruitment and best practice tips.

Want to learn more? Get started here!
Biofabrication 2019 will bring together scientists, engineers, regulatory specialists, industry participants, and clinical investigators to present and share their recent discoveries, research direction, and views on the current problems and opportunities in the exciting field of biofabrication. Five plenary, fifteen keynote, ninety podium, and hundreds of poster presenters will gather for 2 and a half days at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to a sponsor’s trade show, special fora are planned on publishing strategies, translational research, regulatory issues, industrial technologies, and for young researchers, and a Gala Dinner at the Columbus Museum of Art. There will be ample opportunity to meet old friends and new collaborators, learn about funding opportunities, and meet the organizers of national and international consortia dedicated to promoting the field of biofabrication.

When: October 20-22, 2019
Where: The Ohio State University

New Online Course: Being a PI: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources
Title: Being a Principal Investigator: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources
 
This online course, designed by the Office of Research, provides guidance for Principal Investigators (PI) and their staff. “Being a PI: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources” benefits all members of the research community and enhances Ohio State’s efforts towards supporting the responsible conduct of research. The course content covers research administration/compliance processes & tools, explores the life cycle of sponsored project, and provides access to additional resources. This session is open to all members of the research team.
 
Instructions:
  1. Login to http://buckeyelearn.osu.edu
  2. Search for “Being a Principal Investigator...” to register.
  3. Click [Request] then select course from transcript to launch this course.
  4. This course will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
To build training capacity across our health professions workforce, Quinn Capers, IV, MD, will be providing opportunity for faculty and staff to participate in the Implicit Bias Mitigation Train the Trainer course that will convene for eight hours on the following four Saturdays:

  • July 13
  • July 27
  • August 3

Classes will be limited to no less than six and no more than 20 participants.
 
Prior to participating in the train the trainer course faculty/staff must have already completed one of Dr. Capers in-person implicit bias mitigation workshops which convene the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month.  

The training will be at no cost for faculty and staff.

Currently, over a billion people use Facebook and Instagram every day to access a variety of content. Unfortunately, there is a lot of content on these social media platforms and information is not always delivered to the most valuable audience. It is possible to make it more likely that a certain audience sees a post about a research study by using the Facebook Ads system.

The Recruitment + Retention Office at the CCTS is available to manage the Facebook Ad System as a participant recruitment strategy for study teams. They will work with your team to develop a Facebook Ad and will host the ad on the CCTS page once it has been IRB approved .  As part of the ad you’ll choose a target audience, a total budget, and the duration you want it to run. 

If you are interested in this service please complete our intake survey .
A  Research Study Participant Satisfaction Survey developed by OSU study coordinators and CCTS staff is available to the OSU research community. The survey helps researchers assess and improve the research experience of participants for a single study, studies conducted within a Division or Department, or potentially across the entire research enterprise.
 
For ease of use, the survey has been created within REDCap and can be offered digitally or paper-based. Any OSU research team with an IRB approved study may request use of the survey to collect data that includes participant demographics, source of recruitment, motivation, understanding of the consent process, level of satisfaction with research staff, overall experience and desire to participate in future studies at OSU.
 
Visit the Veterinary Medicine Academic Building, room 145 on Mondays from 8:00 am - 9:00 am for help on creating a testable hypothesis, study deign, data collection logistics, data management, and basic data analysis.

For questions, please contact Rebecca Garabed
Do you have questions about using an external IRB or making Ohio State the single IRB for your multi-site study? Join the Office of Responsible Research Practices and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science as we host walk-in office hours on Tuesdays from 12:30 am - 4:30 pm at the CCTS, room 259 .
 
IRB Submission Assistance
The Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP) is offering assistance for Biomedical and Cancer researchers who prepare IRB submissions. Open office hours are held in the CCTS suite, room 259 in Prior Hall. Appointments are recommended; walk-ins are also accepted:

  • Wednesdays from 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
  • Thursdays from 9:00 am -12:00 pm

These individualized sessions are intended to help navigate IRB forms, policies, and review procedures. You can schedule an appointment by contacting Brandie Dickens.

ORRP continues to offer specialized assistance with single IRB review and IRB reliance Tuesday afternoons at the same location.
Call for Proposals: T rial Innovation Network
What makes a good Trial Innovation Network proposal?

The Trial Innovation Network is looking for study projects with:
  • Principal Investigators who are willing to partner with the TIN through the project lifecycle
  • Innovations in operations
  • Multiple sites
  • Inclusion of many populations
  • Academic evidence to improve clinical trial design

Any full-time faculty member at The Ohio State University and/or Nationwide Children’s Hospital is eligible to submit a study proposal to the Trial Innovation Network through the  CCTS TIN Hub Liaison Team.

To submit a proposal or for questions about the Trial Innovation Network, please contact Hub Liaison Team Administrator, Angela Sow .
The OSU Office of Research provides a campus-wide subscription to an excellent newsletter on Research Grantwriting News. Writers are experts in research/proposal development and this resource should be required reading for anyone preparing a grant proposal. Recommendations are especially helpful to those who are new to grant writing or want to enhance their grantsmanship skills.

If you are thinking about your next research project, we encourage you to schedule a research funding consult and learn how to use SPIN, an extensive research funding opportunity database. SPIN contains over 40,000 opportunities from more than 10,000 sponsors. With SPIN, you will learn how to:
 
  • Create and save customized searches that generate daily email funding alerts
  • Organize and share funding announcements with colleagues
  • Access an extensive Keyword list, allowing for greater flexibility in your searches
  • Quickly locate Federal or non-Federal programs
  • Locate all types of funding information, e.g., travel grants, fellowships, and other sponsored programs
 
All Ohio State faculty, staff, and students are able to create an account in SPIN. Please visit  http://go.osu.edu/funding  for step-by-step instructions.
We need your help in educating scientists, particularly junior faculty, about peer review. The  NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR)  would like to create materials that experienced reviewers on your faculty could use to teach more junior people. Currently, we are creating materials to make peer education about NIH peer review easier. But before going too far, we would like to hear from the CTSA community. Many experienced reviewers have told us that they conduct, or are interested in conducting, talks on NIH peer review for colleagues, especially early career colleagues, at their institutions.

CSR is looking for your ideas to help us provide the most useful resources to you. We’re specifically wondering . . .
  • What additional information would make the talks you provide easier and/or better?
  • Would an annotated slide deck for “NIH Peer Review 101” be helpful?
  • What about specialized slide sets for the review of fellowship or SBIR/STTR applications?
  • Would slides and background information on NIH rigor and reproducibility policy in review be helpful?
  • What other materials would be useful? Handouts? Videos?

Please, share this message with your local community and email your thoughts to  [email protected] .
The MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change Competition aims to fund a single project that promises real and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time. Competitive proposals will address problems and support solutions that are radically different in scale, scope, and complexity and where there is a distinct plan for deployment of a $100 million investment that will make a measurable impact over a five-year term.

The MacArthur Foundation is looking for BOLD, not innovative, solutions. They will not fund Research & Development, Clinical Trials, or Basic Research. Proposed solutions must be evidence-based and ready to scale.

An internal competition will be held to ensure that Ohio State puts forward its 2-3 most compelling ideas.

An i nformation session will be held on May 3, 2019 from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM in the Research Commons Brainstorming Room, 3rd Floor. Submitting teams are strongly encouraged to attend the information session.

Sponsor Registration Deadline: July 16, 2019
Sponsor Application Due Date: August 6, 2019


For questions, please contact Leanda Rix
The PhRMA supports research and early career endeavors of scientists in drug discovery and development, and recently published application materials for three 2019 award programs. Click on one below to learn more.


The OSU CCTS is excited to announce that The OSU Office of Research’s CarmenWiki listing of all internal funding opportunities has been updated with a new column titled “ Includes Human Health ”. Thanks to Jeff Agnoli and his team, this resource will now help translational scientists to quickly find grants that are applicable to human health.

Funding Opportunities from the NIH.

Read about the latest translational science news, opportunities, and announcements in the latest edition of the NCATS e-Newsletter and the NIH's Weekly Funding Notice.



Learn more about PCORI through their blog, video room, news releases, and other resources.

Discover the latest news in translational science and grant opportunities from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science's monthly newsletter. 

When you sign up as a member of the OSU CCTS, you are entitled to become a member of The Association for Clinical and Translational Science at no cost .

As a member of the ACTS, you have access to a wide variety of benefits and tools to assist you with your research. These benefits include:

  • Discounted registration for the Translational Science Meeting
  • Email updates and web access to relevant translational science topics
  • Access to the ACTS newsletter, the ACTS Connection
  • Access to articles in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, published by Cambridge University Press
  • Opportunities for development and participation in committees and special interest groups