CTSI Update

We are very pleased to share the news that
Drs. Lindsay Farrer and Rhoda Au received a U19 grant that will fund the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program (FHS-BAP).
The total 5-year award is $26.56 M.
Multiple R01-type projects supported by this grant were imagined and then successfully developed as a result of the Alzheimer Disease Precision Medicine ARC which not only brought together a talented group of senior and junior investigators from across the medical and Charles River campuses, but also provided the resources to develop a cohesive team to generate the preliminary data that helped make a very compelling argument for the program to expert peer reviewers and the National Institute on Aging. Of note, the FHS-BAP has a pilot projects program that will fund two to three one-year grants proposing to utilize FHS data and/or specimens. These pilot grants are earmarked for postdocs, junior faculty, or senior faculty who wish to "break in" to the Alzheimer's field.
Rhoda Au, PhD.,
Professor, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology (BUSM)
Lindsay A. Farrer, PhD., Professor of Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics (BUSM)
Alice Cronin-Golomb, PhD.,
Professor Psychological and Brain Sciences (BUSM)
CTSI Reminder
The BU CTSI Pilot Grant Program helps investigators explore
and solve challenges in translational science, particularly the special health problems of urban communities, by developing
and deploying new tools, methods and processes to expedite research and discovery. Review the Full RFA Here.
The CTSI will release an RFA to encourage pilot studies that will identify, develop, test, evaluate and/or refine strategies to advance preparedness of government agencies, healthcare systems, and community organizations to influence decision making to support the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines among people who are at greatest risk for exposure to the virus or spreading the virus. Priority will be given to projects that can demonstrate the ability to address both the urgency of this issue, and engage a diverse group of stakeholders in the design, conduct and dissemination of study findings.
New Funding Opportunities

A Convergent Neuroscience Approach for Integrating Levels of Analysis to Delineate Brain Function in Neuropsychiatric Disorders


Optimizing Multi-Component Service Delivery Interventions for People with Opioid Use Disorder, Co-Occurring Conditions, and/or Suicide Risk


Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes for the Nervous System


Discovery of Cell-based Chemical Probes for Novel Brain Targets.


New Technologies for the In vivo Delivery of Gene Therapeutics for an HIV Cure

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Administrative Supplements for Minor Alterations and Renovations to Advance Ongoing HIV/AIDS Research Projects Supported by the NIMHD RCMI Program or the NIGMS IDeA and NARCH Programs

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Integrative Studies of Neural Mechanisms Underlying Fundamental Affective Processes in Aging

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Global Infectious Disease Research Administration Development Award for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Collaborative Approaches to Engineer Biology for Cancer Applications


New Cohorts for Environmental Exposures and Cancer Risk

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NINDS Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Training of Postdoctoral Fellows

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

NIDDK Research Education Program Utilizing Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) - Generated Resources

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
News Highlights
Final Report Confirms Remdesivir Benefits for COVID-19

Remdesivir works by interrupting production of the virus. Coronaviruses have genomes made up ribonucleic acid (RNA). Remdesivir interferes with one of the key enzymes the virus needs to replicate RNA. This prevents the virus from multiplying. Read More


Prospects for a Safe COVID-19 Vaccine

 Rigorous clinical trial design and post-licensure surveillance should provide a reliable strategy to identify adverse events, including the potential for enhanced severity of COVID-19 disease, following vaccination. Read More

Two Studies Show COVID-19 Antibodies Persist for Months

The new findings show that people who survive a COVID-19 infection continue to produce protective antibodies against key parts of the virus for at least three to four months after developing their first symptoms. Read More
NIH Study Tests a Comprehensive Model Intervention to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths in Hard-Hit Communities

HEALing Communities Study provides a unique opportunity to understand the consequences of the intersection of COVID-19 and opioid epidemic in rural and urban communities. 
NIH Begins Large Clinical Trial to Test Immune Modulators for Treatment of
COVID-19

This is the fifth master protocol to be launched under the ACTIV partnership in an unprecedented timeframe, and focuses efforts on therapies that hold the greatest promise for treating COVID-19,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. Read More
NIH Study Aims to Identify Promising COVID-19 Treatments for Larger Clinical Trials

“The goal here is to identify as quickly as possible the experimental therapeutics that demonstrate the most clinical promise as COVID-19 treatments and move them into larger-scale testing,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Read More

NCI Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 (SeroNet)

The network aims to combat the pandemic by improving the ability to test for infection, especially among diverse populations, and speed the development of treatments and vaccines. Read More

Upcoming Events
Stem Cells: Assessing the Cutting Edge Gene Design and Therapies -
Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 7 p.m. EST

A panel of scientists discusses the challenges, promises, hopes, and dangers of stem cell research and the exciting new technologies that have enabled us to explore and even alter the building blocks of life itself. Read More
2020 NIH Virtual Seminar on Grants Administration and Program Funding

The NIH invites you to take part in a unique opportunity to learn more about working with the NIH grants process, programs, policies. Register Here
38th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium Overview,
November 4 - 6, 2020, 7 am - 4:30 p.m. EST

Each year, the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium® (CFS®), brings together more than 2000 healthcare professionals for 3 days, with the aim of promoting the delivery of evidence-based, state-of-the-art cancer care for both routine and the most challenging clinical scenarios. Read More
AMIA 2020 Virtual Annual Symposium Special Plenary Session: Anthony S. Fauci, MD, November 14 -18, 2020, 12 p.m. EST

Join us at the AMIA 2020 Virtual Annual Symposium for a special fireside chat with Anthony S. Fauci, MD. Dr. Fauci is Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Read More
Accelerating Discoveries Towards Better Health 
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