September/October 2023 NEWSLETTER

HIRN 2023 TRAINEE AWARD RECIPIENTS

The following researchers are recipients of the HIRN 2023 Trainee Awards. Awards are issued based on a competitive review of presentations and posters from the HIRN Annual Meeting. Presentation Awards are based on evaluations by meeting attendees and Poster Awards by designated pre-assigned judges. Please join us in congratulating the awardees!

ORAL PRESENTATION AWARD RECIPIENTS

Zeina Drawshy

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

HPAC (PI: Yuval Dor)

Miguel A. Medina-Serpas

University of Florida

CHIB (PI: Todd Brusko)

Liza Zamashanski

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

HPAC (PI: Yuval Dor)

POSTER AWARD RECIPIENTS

Catarina de Andrade Barboza

University of Miami

HPAC (PI: Joana Almaca)

Gregory Golden

University of Pennsylvania

HPAC (PI: Michael Betts)

Mollie Huber

University of Florida

CHIB (PI's: C. Matthews, M. Atkinson, E. Phelps)

Luciana Mateus Goncalves

University of Miami

HPAC (PI: Joana Almaca)

Stephan Ramos

Stanford University

CTAR (PI: Seung Kim)

Rob Robino

University of South Carolina

CMAI (PI: Leo Ferreira)

Sneha Varghese

City of Hope

CTAR (PI: Sangeeta Dhawan)

TIPS FOR THE NIH DATA SHARING MANDATE

New Reoccurring Series

Tip #4: Budgeting for Data Management & Sharing

The NIH data sharing mandate requires data to be accessible and reusable by other researchers. As it is understood that this requirement is likely to incur additional costs, however, researchers are allowed to budget for making their data accessible to other researchers. For that reason, the NIH has stated that researchers may request funds for data management in the budget section of the application. The NIH outlines two categories for funds – allowable costs and unallowable costs. Allowable costs include any funds that may be used for data curation, alternatively, unallowable costs include any funds associated with the routine process of conducting research. Additionally, the NIH asks investigators to justify the funds being requested by explicitly stating the amount of data expected to be shared.  

Click HERE to access the detailed NIH report addressing allowable vs. unallowable costs, and the application process for budgeting.  

UPCOMING WEBINAR

The next dkNET Webinar "The National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR) - Opportunities for Large-Scale Sleep and Circadian Data to Promote Understanding of Metabolic Diseases" will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023, 11 am - 12 pm PT.

Presenter: Susan Redline, MD, MPH, Peter C. Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine, Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.



To register click 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.

UPCOMING PUBLIC WORKSHOP

Don't miss out on the upcoming online workshop on Collaborative Microbial Metabolite Center (CMMC) deposition and molecular networking enrichment analysis workflows hosted by the Dorrestein Lab and the Wang Lab. Whether you are a researcher, scientist, or enthusiast in the field, this workshop will provide insights into the fascinating world of metabolomics - particularly about microbial metabolites.

Date: October 31, 2023 from 9 - 11 am (Pacific Time). To register click HERE.

WIELD PROFESSIONAL WOMEN

ADVOCACY GROUP

We invite you to join WIELD (Women Inspiring and Elevating Leadership in Diabetes). 

WIELD is an advocacy group for professional women (and allies) in diabetes and obesity-related fields. We focus on providing resources for networking and career development, and on using our voice to recognize the accomplishments of, and removing obstacles that limit the career advancement for, women in our field.

For more information and free membership, visit HERE

HIRN FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

RFA-DK-23-004: Human Islet Research Network - Consortium on Modeling Autoimmune Diabetes (HIRN-CMAD) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

•  Application due date: March 20, 2024
• Foreign applications are not eligible

LEADERSHIP/FACULTY

Scientist

Endotope Biosciences is a cutting-edge biotech start-up focused on developing the next-generation paradigm for treating with precision a broad spectrum of autoimmune conditions such as Type 1 diabetes. We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Scientist to join our dynamic team at the new Alexandria LaunchLabs space on the Columbia University Medical Center campus. The company is using a proprietary platform technology as well as unique approaches to elicit antigen-specific tolerance by in vivo targeting and reprograming of antigen-presenting cells. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research in the field of autoimmune diabetes and work towards improving the lives of autoimmune patients. To apply, please email your CV, a cover letter stating research experience and goals, along with three references to Dr. Creusot.

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.

Assistant, 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

Senior Research Investigator

Senior Investigator will lead ongoing research projects and the staff of NIH-sponsored beta-cell biology projects. Ensure the successful execution of ongoing studies, analyze the scientific results to prepare presentations and write manuscripts based on those results. Supervise existing laboratory staff, including facilitation, documentation, analysis and communication needed for ongoing laboratory work on behalf of the Principal Investigator.  For more information, please click HERE.

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. 

The Arvan laboratory (University of Michigan) has availability for one postdoctoral trainee in the area of pancreatic beta cell biology of the secretory pathway. The primary focus of work in the Arvan lab centers around the genes and environmental factors controlling the biogenesis and storage of insulin secretory granules, and defects in such genes/factors that contribute to the development of beta cell failure in diabetes. It is expected that the successful postdoctoral candidate for this position would have recent PhD training in cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, or related field. For more information, contact Dr. Peter Arvan, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes, University of Michigan, Dr. Arvan.

Postdoctoral Position

A position for postdoctoral fellow is available in the Poitout laboratory at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center. The objective of this postdoctoral project is to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying beta-cell proliferation during puberty in rodent and human beta-cells. Methodologies to be employed include rat and mouse islet isolations, adenoviral transduction of rodent and human islets, measurements of beta-cell proliferation by flow cytometry, assessment of hormone secretion, and islet transplantation in the anterior chamber of the eye. Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, letter of motivation, and the names of 2 references, to Dr. Poitout.

Postdoctoral Position

The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) at Houston, are seeking candidates who are highly motivated, detail-oriented, collaborative, and have excellent writing and verbal communication skills to join our research team. Individuals with experience in animal physiology, molecular biology, and cell biology are desired. The ideal candidates should be skilled in handling animals, mouse genetics, microscopy, and basic cell culture methods. Additional experience in transcriptomics, metabolomics, or bioinformatics is desired, but not required. To apply, please email your CV, a cover letter stating research experience and goals, along with three references to Dr. Cox.

Postdoctoral Position

The University of California, Los Angeles is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral associate interested in the interface of diabetes research and molecular imaging. This highly translatable research seeks to leverage the non-destructive, whole-body, and quantitative power of molecular imaging to directly visualize host immune-mediated rejection of allogenic β-islet grafts. The candidate is expected to lead this research initiative and deliver on research milestones described in the collaborative research initiative funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF). Candidates with experience in diabetes research interested in engaging in innovative molecular imaging or molecular imaging scientists excited to engage in research on the intersection of immunology and diabetes are strongly encouraged to apply. Interested candidates should provide a CV, cover letter, three references, and a summary of research experience to Dr. Ikotun. 

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.