Announcing Biospecimen Processing Lab: With Praise for Frontline Excellence & Dedication |
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As part of Lab Appreciation Week (April 23-29), EVCP Catherine Lucey, Vice Chancellor for Research Harold Collard, and the Office of Research would like to thank and recognize the outstanding efforts of the technicians in CTSI’s Biospecimen Processing Lab (BSPL) for their ongoing hard work and frontline presence supporting clinical research. Please see below to learn more about the BSPL and some recent organizational changes.
The Biospecimen Services Program (BSP) and the Sample Processing Lab (SPL) previously operated as two separate groups offering numerous overlapping services and were situated in separate home departments (Cancer Center and CTSI, respectively). In 2022, the BSP transitioned from the Cancer Center into CTSI and is now housed in the same department as the SPL.
We are excited to combine these two programs and services under one cohesive program with the new BSPL name. This merger will create a single entry point for study initiation and standardize recharge rates and hours of operation. It will leverage the opportunity for cross coverage across labs, opening up the potential for after-hours processing capabilities and further growth across the UCSF campus.
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The anticipated completion of the merger is July 1, 2023. In the short term, current recharge rates for studies onboarded through BSP and SPL will remain separate. Future recharge rates are expected to be competitive with the current rates. Additional updates (approved recharge rates, standardized hours of operation, etc.) will be provided by email and all merger communications will also be posted on the BSPL website.
Here are just a few impactful studies involving BSPL:
- FIND COVID – Reported COVID-related information to the CDC
- Cancer Immunotherapy Program – The BSPLs support the cutting-edge research for cancer immunotherapies, such as those targeting multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, and B-cell malignancies.
- UCSF Biobanks
- Gynecologic-oncology Tissue Bank
- Head and Neck Tissue Bank
- Pediatric Solid Tumor Bank
- Spine Tissue Bank
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The research community is the initial focus of Project Echo, an enterprise-wide initiative to develop an employee-focused, digital portal that will serve as a gateway for sending, receiving, and accessing information, resources, and tools – as well as bolster data security and compliance and minimize risk to UCSF. Watch the recording of the lunch and learn hosted by Harold Collard, vice chancellor for Research, and Mandy Terrill, associate chief information officer for Research. To learn more, visit the Project Echo Initiative website.
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Compliance Systems: Call for User Feedback |
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The Research Administration and Compliance System (RACS) project started in July 2022 to assess the current landscape for three compliance systems at UCSF: the Conflict of Interest System (COI), Institutional Review Board (IRB), and Pre-Award application.
The project has three phases: (1) Discovery, (2) Evaluate Options, and (3) Vendor Selection. Discovery included focus groups and interviews with system users, and evaluation of system replacement options. Before moving into Vendor Selection, we are asking current system users to participate in a user feedback session and provide reactions on potential replacement system(s). Thank you those who have already participated!
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Licia Selleri, MD, PhD is Director of UCSF Program in Craniofacial Biology |
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Licia Selleri, MD, PhD has assumed the role of director of the UCSF Program in Craniofacial Biology (PCB), effective March 1. Dr. Selleri is a professor of orofacial sciences in the School of Dentistry and a professor of anatomy in the School of Medicine. For more than two decades, she has focused her research on the genetic and transcriptional basis of tissue formation during development and how perturbation of these processes leads to birth defects.
As director of PCB, Dr. Selleri intends to lead the program by bringing together an even broader cohort of UCSF investigators interested in studying the cellular and molecular processes that shape craniofacial structures. In addition to extending the reach of the program to new disciplines such as bioengineering and fetal therapy, her goals are to expand the program’s high quality basic and translational research and pursue new avenues for the early repair of craniofacial birth defects. She will continue to build PCB’s clinical partnerships across UCSF, which currently include the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center and the UCSF Craniofacial Center. Read more
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Announcing Seminars: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health |
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The new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) federal agency seeks to identify and fund breakthrough technologies and broadly applicable platforms, capabilities, resources, and solutions that have the potential to transform important areas of medicine and health that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity.
Two upcoming seminars:
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April 24: A UC Irvine/UCLA virtual event with former/current program managers from other ARPA-model agencies will provide insights on the function of program managers and important information for those considering a program manager role at ARPA-H and researchers who may engage with ARPA-H program managers in the future
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May 1: A UCSF in-person and virtual event with speakers including VCR Collard and Vice Chancellor of Science Policy and Strategy Keith Yamamoto, who will discuss how ARPA-H’s approaches to project evaluation, selection, funding, and management differ dramatically from those applied by NIH, and how researchers can craft winning proposals.
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Postdoctoral Scholar, Neurology
and colleagues
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Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
and colleagues
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Assistant Professor of Medicine
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UCSF’s Clinical Trials Operations team and the CRC Council want to recognize Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs) at the Clinical Trials Day Celebration. We invite nominations for CRCs who demonstrate integrity and excellence for the clinical research profession. Deadline: May 1, 5 p.m.
Formerly the Health Disparities Research Symposium, the renamed HEAR Symposium is scheduled for October 2023 in person in San Francisco. The event aims to build community among health-equity focused research across disciplines and develop connections and collaborations across units, schools, and campus sites and the wider community. Deadline: June 30.
Congratulations to the 10 finalists for their fantastic presentations!
April 24, 9-10 a.m. | virtual
In anticipation of the continued growth of ARPA-H and the important role of program managers in their model, join this UC Irvine and UCLA panel discussion.
April 26, 4-5 p.m. | hybrid (Mission Bay)
UCSF community members from Syria and Turkey will discuss the latest developments following a series of devastating earthquakes.
April 27, 8-9:30 a.m. | virtual
Join us for a virtual information session (registration) with Tippi MacKenzie, MD and UCSF colleagues who will present information about and updates from a phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04532047) to treat eight lysosomal storage diseases prenatally by infusing the fetus with weight-adjusted doses of recombinant enzymes currently approved for use in pediatric patients.
May 1, 2-3:30 p.m. | hybrid (Mission Bay)
The RDO and Office of Science Policy and Strategy will host an informational webinar on ARPA-H (registration), a new federal funding agency created to speed medical breakthroughs to patients who urgently need them. Presenters include VCR Collard and Vice Chancellor of Science Policy and Strategy Keith Yamamoto.
May 18, 2-3:30 p.m.
UCSF Clinical Trials Day celebrates the many contributions of clinical research coordinators (CRCs) to UCSF’s research enterprise. This year’s program will include leadership remarks, themed breakout rooms to support information sharing and networking, and the announcement of the CRC of the Year Award.
May 23, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Mission Bay
Attend the first in-person health services research symposium at UCSF! This is an opportunity to learn about UCSF health services research, build UCSF community and support collaboration, and engage with senior health policy leaders and experts from around the country.
May 25, 1-2:30 p.m. | Parnassus
This year's Nahm Research lecturer is SON alumna Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, professor at Emory University, who has launched a program that uses tech to address health disparities for midlife women. Reception to follow.
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Infrastructure and Operations |
UCSF is now included in the UC's expanded open access agreement with Wiley, one of the world's largest publishers. Under the 2023 agreement, UC libraries will automatically pay the first $1,000 of the open access fee, or article processing charge (APC), for UCSF authors in any of Wiley’s journals.
The site currently offers resources and guidance on International Human Resources and International Project Implementation, as well as engaging UCSF’s foreign NGO offices, Global Programs for Research and Training. Over the coming year, more information will be added and feedback will be solicited.
Importing Biomaterials for Research
Importing biomaterials which cause human or animal disease requires a CDC or USDA-issued import permit, respectively. Permits must be accurate and correspond to all agents and locations listed on the PI’s BUA. Contact UCSF Biosafety Officer Peili Zhu (415) 514-2824 with questions.
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Information, Trainings, and Tools |
The White House's budget request proposes flat funding for most NIH institutes, reducing the number of new grant opportunities that lead to new scientific discoveries and medical treatments. Join us in asking Congress to increase NIH funding by $3.5 billion to $51 billion.
The IRB website guidance on "External (off-site) adverse events" and "Post-Approval Reporting Requirements Summary Sheet" have been updated to clarify reporting requirements for external safety events. Note: "External" refers to any study site that does not rely on the UCSF IRB.
As part of our Digital Health Humanities (DHH) pilot program, UCSF Archives and Special Collections is pleased to share a new Archives as Data Research Guide. "Archives as Data" refers to digitized archival collection materials that can be shared, accessed, analyzed, and referenced as data. This guide enables researchers to find and understand how to work with data from archival health sciences collections. Researchers will find information on accessing and using archives as data, as well as links to learning resources about various data analysis methods.
UCSF offers valuable CMS Medicare datasets for research, accessible to members for a fee, which saves costs compared to direct requests from CMS. Services include data selection, analysis, cleaning, extraction, and management, with IRB guidance. Data is stored in a secure, NIST-compliant environment.
New Restrictions on Exporting to BGI Group (China and Hong Kong) for Sequencing Services
Alert: There are new export restrictions (3/2/23) on certain companies in China and Hong Kong that provide genetic sequencing services. Restricted companies include BGI Research, BGI Tech Solutions, and Forensic Genomics International (and several aliases). Contact ExportControl@ucsf.edu for information.
If you are still considering getting a master’s or certificate in clinical research, good news! We have extended the deadline to May 2.
Clinical Research Operations Training is now available for UCSF PIs! Join us on May 8 on Zoom for one or more modules including Hiring and Managing Research Staff, Pre- and Post-Award Tasks, Recruitment and Informed Consent, and IRB and Safety Reporting. Full schedule and registration info.
UCSF's subscription to Dimensions, the world's largest linked research database, allows us to build a full picture of the local and global scholarly landscape, as well as its impact. This database overview session takes place online May 23 at 11 a.m.
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Read past ReSearch ReSource issues.
ideas of interest to our research community.
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