Research News for Mar 3, 2023

March 3, 2023

Announcements, events, funding opportunities and more news for the Mass General Research Institute community.

In this edition:

(Scroll down for more info and click on the links for additional details)

Funding Opportunities:

Cystinosis Research Foundation
Interim Support Funding 23-2
ISCCCE Pilot Funding RFA
Andrew L. Warshaw, M.D, Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Mass General Neuroscience Transformative Scholar Awards
NIH Instrumentation Grant Programs 2023
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards
Nurses’ Alumni Association (MGHNAA) Grant
HMS Foundation Funds
Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Research Fellowship Awards
Limited Submission Funding Opportunities
Foundation Funding Opportunities

Announcements:

Consulting: NIH K Grant Specific Aims
The Connell-Jones Endowed Chair Diversity Research Scholars Program
Supply Ordering
Anesthesia Machine Annual Maintenance
You must upgrade from Windows 7
Free Online MathWorks Training
MGB Research Core NVivo Software

Events:

MGH Research Council
Research Compliance Quarterly Discussion
MGB World Medical Innovation Forum
Research Recharge
CBRC SEMINAR SERIES
Artificial Intelligence for Clinicians (AI4C) Lecture Series
Digital Research Education
HTL Novelline Innovation Speaker Series
Women in Science Symposium
MIT Hacking Medicine - Grand Hackathon
MGH Midlife Women's Health Conference
MGH Nursing Research Day Events
The 24th Annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium
Meditation Sessions available every week
Parenting Series Panel
Fun Fridays
2023 Anne Klibanski Visiting Lecture Series 03

CYSTINOSIS RESEARCH FOUNDATION (CRF)

Spring 2023 Call for Research Proposals and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

The goal of the Cystinosis Research Foundation is to find better treatments and a cure for cystinosis. Research and fellowship applications must be consistent with the mission and goals of the foundation in order to be considered. Global calls for grant applications will be made twice each year. Research and fellowship grants are awarded for 1-2 years.

Currently, the Cystinosis Research Foundation has $5 Million available for research and fellowship grants. The number of awards and the awarded amount will depend on the number of outstanding proposals and the funds available at the time.

The deadline for the Spring 2023 Grant Proposals and Fellowship Applications is Tuesday, April 11, 2023. The successful grant applicants will be notified by the end of June 2023. Please note that the earliest start date for research projects submitted for this cycle is September 1, 2023.

Learn more

INTERIM SUPPORT FUNDING 23-2

Interim Support Funding

The Interim Support Funding (ISF) Program is open to Principal Investigators during a lapse or delay in their research funding from the NIH or another Federal agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense). Investigators must have applied for independent, long-term support (R01, R21, U01 and P01). The intent of the program is to rescue strong scientific programs that are in need of bridge funding in order to sustain their research. Applications will be accepted regardless of percentile or score, including applications that were not discussed.

When is the deadline?

Monday, April 3, 2023 - 5:00 PM

Learn more

NEW ISCCCE Pilot Funding RFA: Implementation Science Pilot Grants

The Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control Equity (ISCCCE) is excited to share the release of a new Request for Applications for Pilot Grants on implementation research on health equity in community settings. Up to $75,000 for 1 year to support the planning of a new clinical, community, or policy implementation science research project. Letters of Intent are due April 10, 2023.

ISCCCE leadership will host an orientation webinar to share more about the center’s infrastructure, existing pilots, and answer any questions about the RFA on March 9th from 3-4pm (no registration required, attendance is strongly encouraged). As part of the grant application process, we will also offer Community Engagement Studios to provided applicants with direct feedback and guidance on their research concepts via a facilitated conversation with community health center partners.

Learn more

2023 Request for Applications: Andrew L. Warshaw, M.D, Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 5:00PM

The Andrew L. Warshaw, M.D., Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research is pleased to announce the 2023 call for applications for $60,000 pilot awards for MGH Investigators. Applications are welcome from new investigators, established investigators in the field of pancreatic cancer, as well as senior investigators who have not previously worked in this area. The Institute is particularly interested in research directed towards identifying specific causes of pancreatic cancer; early detection, understanding factors that promote tumor growth; novel imaging modalities; understanding mechanisms of resistance to existing chemotherapy and radiation, as well as exploring novel therapeutic approaches. Basic, translational, and clinical research projects will be considered.

Pilot Awards: Up to three pilot grants will be funded for one year at $60,000 (direct costs).

Learn More

Mass General Neuroscience Transformative Scholar Awards

Application Deadline: March 15, 2023

Thanks to generous philanthropic donations, Mass General Neuroscience (MGN) will provide up to five Neuroscience Awards.

With these awards, we want to encourage and support young investigators in conducting laboratory and/or clinical research in Neuroscience and Brain Health, Tinnitus, and Neurodegeneration (new this year). The award will be offered to junior investigators at the level of Instructor or Assistant Professor with an MD and/or PhD. Each award will consist of a commitment of $150,000 total costs ($75K annually total costs for two years, inclusive of 20% indirect costs) intended to support salary and/or research expenses of the junior investigator during a two-year period at Mass General.

Interdisciplinary research across 2 or more of the 4 departments representing Neurosciences is encouraged but not required. The hope is to catalyze additional cross-disciplinary work in these thematic areas while providing the junior investigator with an opportunity to grow their program.

How to Apply

Review Application and eligibility requirements on the ECOR Grant Manager: click here.

Complete your application online by March 15th.

Learn more

NIH Instrumentation Grant Programs 2023

The NIH ORIP's Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10) program, also known as a SIG, supports the purchase of research equipment in the $50,000 to $600,000 price range. Examples of instrumentation supported by SIG funding include nuclear magnetic resonance systems, electron and light microscopes, mass spectrometers, protein and DNA sequencers, biosensors, X-ray diffractometers and cell sorters. For research equipment exceeding the $600,000 price range, investigators may apply for the High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant Program.

The MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) has again committed funding to provide institutional support this year for Shared Instrumentation Grant (S10) and High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant proposals. ECOR has made this commitment because it recognizes that institutional support greatly increases the likelihood that an application will be funded.

Learn more

Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards

What are they?

Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences Awards

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the Assistant Professor level.

MGH is eligible to nominate one candidate.

When is the deadline?

MGH internal preliminary applications: Wednesday, March 22, 2023– 5:00 PM

Learn More

The Massachusetts General Hospital Nurses’ Alumni Association (MGHNAA) Grant

The MGHNAA grant is supported and named for the Alumni Association of the MGH School of Nursing (1873-1981) whose mission is to support nursing education, professional development, research, community engagement and to record and maintain the history of nursing at Massachusetts General Hospital. The MGHNAA is a 2-year grant that offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice program or an advanced practice nurse graduate of a Master of Science in Nursing program the opportunity to lead a clinically-relevant EBP, Quality Improvement, or Original Research project. The project should aim to advance nursing science and improve outcomes for nursing workforce, patients, or families. The grant provides up to $3000 for project related expenses.

Learn More

HMS Foundation Funds

Each year several foundations invite HMS faculty and postdocs to apply for their fellowships and grants, which serve as critical funding at the early stages of a research career. Interested investigators must first apply for the HMS nomination through the HMS Foundation Funds office, and a committee will select the final candidates to submit applications to the sponsors.

Awards include:

Due Monday, March 6, 2023 at 5:00pm

Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award
Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship

Due Monday, March 20, 2023 at 5:00pm

Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation Grant
Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program
Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation Faculty Fellowship
Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award
Searle Scholars Program
W.T. Grant Scholars Program

Faculty and postdocs interested in applying for any of the awards listed above can apply for the HMS nomination by submitting an application online.

If you have questions regarding the MGH application process, please email MGH ECOR, ecor@mgh.harvard.edu.

Learn More

Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

We ask that all MGH Investigators interested in applying for any limited submission award submit a Letter of Intent (see detailed instructions below) to the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) by the deadline indicated for each award to be considered to receive an institutional nomination.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:

See full details for all awards on our website.

Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence, Basic Research Program (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications to participate in the NIAID Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE), a cooperative network intended to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Learn more

Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence, Clinical Research Program (UM1 Clinical Trial Required)

Learn more

Collaborative Program Grant for Multidisciplinary Teams (RM1 – Clinical Trial Optional)

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed to support highly integrated research teams of three to six Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) to address ambitious and challenging research questions that are within the mission of NIGMS.

Learn more

Consortium for Food Allergy Research: Clinical Research Center (U01 Clinical Trial Required)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications for the Clinical Research Centers (CRC) for the NIAID Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR).

Learn more

Consortium for Food Allergy Research: Leadership Center (UM1 Clinical Trial Required)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications for the Leadership Center of the NIAID Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR).

Learn more

Foundation Funding Opportunities

Please contact Corporate & Foundation Relations in the Office of Development at devcfr@mgh.harvard.edu if you wish to submit a proposal in response to any of these opportunities. Note that proposals are still routed through the standard InfoEd/Research Management process.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES:

See full details for all awards on our website.

Expansion Award for Single Ventricle Research, Additional Ventures. $50,000. Proposal Deadline: May 4

Junior Investigator Award, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). $60,000. Application Deadline: April 3

Scholar Awards (multiple opps), American Society of Hematology (ASH). $150,000. LOI Deadline: May 1

Young Investigator Grants, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). $70,000. Application Deadline: March 23

NF Clinical Research Award, Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF). $150,000. LOI Deadline: March 20

Research Awards (multiple opps), Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). $300,000. Application Deadline: May 11

Cancer Research Grants, Elsa U. Pardee Foundation. Unspecified amount. April 30

NEW! La Roche-Posay Research Grant in Dermatology Patient Quality of Life, L'Oreal Foundation. ≈$27,000. Application Deadline: April 15

Research Grants, Morton Cure Paralysis Fund (MCPF). $75,000. Application Deadline: April 30

Do you want to learn more about identifying external funding opportunities? Please click here to request a research consultation with Amy Robb or see ECOR’s website for information on the Pivot database.

LEARN MORE

See full details for all announcements on our website.

Consulting: NIH K Grant Specific Aims

NIH K grant applicants, apply to have the specific aims section of your grant reviewed by Harvard faculty who have successfully received NIH grant funding. Offered by our Writing and Communication Center, this free service for Harvard-affiliated researchers is currently accepting consultation applications on a rolling basis.

Please note, consultations will occur remotely and a limited number of consultations will be offered.

Learn More

Call for Applications: The Connell-Jones Endowed Chair Diversity Research Scholars Program (DRS)

The Connell-Jones Endowed Chair Diversity Research Scholars Program (DRS) is for eligible members of the MGH clinical nursing staff.

Applicants for the DRS Program should demonstrate an interest in nursing research and must be willing and able to participate in and complete an eight-week summer research immersion program (10 hours/week for eight weeks).

The DRS program seeks to provide diversity research scholars with a comprehensive learning experience to increase the likelihood that diversity research scholars will actively consider nursing research as part of their future career.

Application Deadline is March 15, 2023

For more information, please click here

For additional assistance, please contact Julie Goldman.

Supply Ordering

Do you order reagents, consumables, or other lab-specific supplies for your lab? Have you ever used Quartzy or some other strategy to make this ordering process easier? If either of these is true, please fill out this brief survey from the Lab Managers Discussion Group (LMDG). The LMDG is looking to gather & share information on how lab managers organize the ordering process and how many use(d) Quartzy.

Stay tuned for an announcement of our next meeting date in early Spring! And remember, if you ever have any suggestions for topics to be covered at upcoming meetings, you can make those suggestions here or contact us via the LabManagers Teams channel. Information about the LMDG and being a part of our community can be found on our website.

Sincerely,

The Lab Managers Discussion Group Co-Chairs

Anesthesia Machine Annual Maintenance and Vaporizer Certification – Special Pricing!

Is your anesthesia machine/vaporizer due for service? Colonial Medical is offering discounted anesthetic vaporizer maintenance on Tuesday, March 7 for the Main Boston Campus and Wednesday, March 8 for the Charlestown Navy Yard (CNY) Campus. The cost to MGH researchers is $170 for a small machine or $270 for a large machine. To book an appointment and take advantage of this offer, contact Colonial Medical directly at 888-446-8427 or cms@colmedsupply.com.

MGB Devices Must be Upgraded from Windows 7

Information Security & Privacy is a top priority for Mass General Brigham. To best protect our patients and families, research subjects, and our institution, we require our workforce, vendors, and business partners to ensure they are meeting our security standards. Starting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, devices running Windows 7 have been blocked from accessing the MGB network. If you are using a MGB standard workstation or laptop that is still running Win7 OS, please contact the helpdesk to schedule an upgrade.

Need additional help?

For full instructions, visit; https://rc.partners.org/security/secure-your-computer or contact IS Service Desk for technical assistance with upgrading your OS.
If you are working with a vendor to update the device and need to apply for a variance, please do so by submitting an ISPO Cybersecurity Variance Request - IS Service Hub (service-now.com). Generally, those devices that cannot be upgraded to a newer operating system will need to be retired and/or removed from the network.

Please share this message with any of your staff, including those who may have non-standard devices (i.e. devices other than standard MGB workstations) connected to the network. All devices connecting to the network are subject to these requirements.

Free Online MathWorks Training

Get started with basic techniques using MATLAB and Simulink, or learn applications like machine learning, deep learning, circuit simulation, wireless communications, and more. These courses are interactive and self-paced.

MGB Research Core NVivo Software

Time to renew your NVivo portal license through the ERIS Research Computing Core. Annual NVivo licenses expire each year on February 28th. Your license will automatically cancel, and you will need to order again at rcservices.partners.org (MGB login required). Nvivo licenses are $350/year per User and new licenses can be ordered and accessed today.

NVivo is software that can be used for qualitative analysis of textual and audiovisual data sources. NVivo portal licenses require no installation and you may log into your account on any computer, to access the NVivo portal. For more information on NVivo go to the Research Computing Core's software page or order now at rcservices.partners.org (MGB login required). All questions may be directed to rcc@partners.org.

LEARN MORE

MGH Research Council

Monday, March 6, 2023

MGB Gene and Cell Therapy Institute

The mission of GCTI is to bring together the community of MGB investigators which can utilize gene and cell therapy platforms to achieve their scientific and clinical goals and improve the health of patients. The Institute will harness the exceptional strengths of clinician scientists, the large and unique patient population, and major discoveries throughout the hospital system to propel MGB as the leader in Gene & Cell therapies.

Speakers

Roger Hajjar, MD

Director of MGB Gene & Cell Therapy Institute

Nathan Yozwiak, PhD

Head of Research and Development, Gene and Cell Therapy Institute

Learn More

MGH Research Compliance Quarterly Discussion

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Click here to register

MGB World Medical Innovation Forum

June 12-14, 2023

Boston's Top Healthcare Innovation Gathering

Join leading healthcare and financial experts at the World Medical Innovation Forum as they assess the impact of the latest innovations in three of today’s fastest breakthrough areas.

Network with industry disruptors and executives, including top Harvard clinicians and scientists from Mass General Brigham, the premier academic research organization and medical system in the U.S., and financial experts from Bank of America, manager of one of the largest healthcare portfolios in the industry.

Learn More

RSVP

CBRC SEMINAR SERIES VIRTUAL PRESENTATION

Speaker:

Heidi H. Kong, MD, MHSc

Senior Investigator

Dermatology Branch, NIAMS, NIH

Bethesda, MD

The Title of her talk is: “The skin we live in: The human skin microbiome”

Date of Seminar: Monday, March 6, 2023

Time:4 pm to 5 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting URL: https://partners.zoom.us/j/87185765309?from=addon

Meeting ID: 871 8576 5309

One tap mobile: US: +13052241968,,87185765309#

or +13092053325,,87185765309#

Artificial Intelligence for Clinicians (AI4C) Lecture Series

Presented by the Data Science Office

AI in Medical Imaging: Challenges and Opportunities

Woojin Kim, MD

Thursday, March 9th, 12pm ET

This presentation explores the fear, hype, and challenges associated with AI in medical imaging. We will discuss the reality of using AI in medical imaging and the importance of post-implementation surveillance, which involves understanding AI model decay and drift.

CBRC SEMINAR SERIES VIRTUAL PRESENTATION

Speaker:

Salvador Aznar Benitah, PhD

ICREA Professor

Stem Cells and Cancer Lab

Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) Spain

The Title of his talk is: "Epigenetic influence of fatty acids in metastasis: link with Schwann cells and systemic factors.”

Date of Seminar: Monday, March 13, 2023

Time:9 am to 10 am Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://partners.zoom.us/j/87942657971?from=addon

Meeting ID: 879 4265 7971

Digital Research Education

Part 3: Digital Health Research Development Process at MGH/MGB

When: Wednesday, March 15 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Location: Virtual via BBB

For research investigators, and study staff, this course will help you better understand the process to plan and implement a digital health research project at MGB. The final course in the three-part Digital Research Education series is intended to provide a roadmap to help you navigate the hospital’s research support structure and understand the regulations and procedures involved. At the end of the course, each participant will receive a comprehensive guide of the research steps involved, including topics such as Project Development, Contracts and Agreements, IRB and Data Security Review, and Project Implementation. This course was developed by the Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare (CIDH).

HTL Novelline Innovation Speaker Series

23 March 2023 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET.

The next session features Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of the Digital Medicine (DiMe) Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing digital medicine to optimize human health.

As the professional home for digital medicine, DiMe tackles the toughest digital medicine challenges to deliver clinical-quality resources via open-source channels and educational programs. Join us for an hour-long discussion with the CEO of DiMe to discuss: Navigating the Future of Digital Health: Collaborating to Promote Evidence-based Use.

Please register for the event here.

About the Speaker: Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe

Prior to serving at DiMe, Jennifer spent several years at the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI), a public-private partnership co-founded by Duke University and the FDA. She also spent five years working in research at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, first in Outcomes Research in the Department of Surgery and later in the Department of Medicine. More recently, she helped launch the Value Institute, a pragmatic research and innovation center embedded in a large academic medical center in Delaware.

MIT Hacking Medicine - Grand Hackathon

Tackle healthcare’s toughest pain points alongside healthcare professionals, designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Participants of any background with a passion for healthcare are welcome! With 400+ participants and multiple healthcare tracks, there’s a challenge for everyone.

Where is MIT Grand Hack?

MIT Hacking Medicine is excited to bring you the 2023 MIT Grand Hack on April 20-23rd, in Cambridge, MA.

Learn more

MGH Midlife Women's Health Conference

May 12, 2023

Midlife Women’s Health 2023 provides a multi-disciplinary approach to the care of menopausal women. Advances in research, technology, and pharmacology increase options available for midlife women, but this rapidly changing knowledge-base presents a challenge for clinicians. Care for women at this stage of life is optimized by education on a range of medical concerns provided by experts from a wide variety of medical specialties. Given demographic changes in the US population, midlife women are becoming an increasingly important group served by health care professionals, with needs that cross many areas of medical expertise. CME will be offered for this conference.

Learn more/Register

MGH Nursing Research Day Events

Calling ALL Nurses! A Celebration of Practice Nurse’s Scholarship: MGH Nursing Research Day Poster Award Winner Presentations

Tuesday May 16^th 1:30-2:30-Virtual Presentation

Support and cheer on your colleagues as they present their award winning projects! Learn how to access and review over 40 virtual EBP, QI and research projects conducted by YOUR fellow nurse colleagues from MGH and affiliates!

MGH Nursing Research Day: Learn How Our Nurses Transform Cutting Edge Practice into Scholarship to Improve Outcomes

Thursday May 18^th 1:30-3:00-Hybrid Presentation

Come in person to the O’Keeffe Auditorium to celebrate and hear updates from the MGH Munn Center, the announcement of the 2023 Nursing Grant Award Recipients,

and learn about fun initiatives for ALL Nurses!

Featured Invited Presenter:

Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN

Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Presentation title: “The Power of Nursing: Pathways and Possibilities.”

Program details and registration information are forthcoming. We hope to see everyone!

The Munn Center munncenter@partners.org

The 24^th Annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium – Adiposity, Immunity, and Inflammation: Interrelationships in Health and Disease

Date: June 7, 2023

Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm EST

The Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard (NORCH) invites you to attend our 24th Annual Symposium, featuring the latest research on a wide range of topics including nutritional regulation of immunity, immunometabolic drivers of heart failure, and immunological landscape of adipose tissue. The George L. Blackburn Keynote Lecture, "Obesity and Immunometabolism," will be given by Dr. Lydia Lynch of Harvard University School of Medicine.

Additional event info and speaker information can be found here.

This event will be held virtually. All are welcome!

Registration is free for all attendees. Register now

Two Meditation Sessions available every week

SESSION 1: Meditation Mondays with Dr. Darshan Mehta

Every Monday, 8:00 – 8:30 am, Zoom à next session, Monday, March 6!

Co-sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Well-Being and the MGPO Frigoletto Committee

Join Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH, Director, Office for Well-Being, for a guided meditation session on Monday morning.

SESSION 2: Midweek Meditation with Guest Leader

Every Wednesday, 8:00 – 8:30 am, Zoom à next session, Wednesday, March 8!

Sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development’s Office for Well-Being

Join guest leader, Jennifer Cataldo, E-RYT 500 Hour Yoga, Meditation and Reiki Master/Teacher, for next Wednesday’s guided meditation session on March 8^th!

Parenting Series Panel: “Parenting Children with Mental Health/Learning Disabilities”

Wednesday,

March 8, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, Zoom 