November 29, 2012

SPOTLIGHT

Letter from Dr. Stephen I. Katz: Evaluation of NIAMS Centers Programs

Dear Colleagues:

The NIAMS regularly reviews the programs which it supports to ensure that we are effectively and efficiently funding research to promote advances in science. To that end, the Institute is undertaking an evaluation of its Centers programs to inform the design of innovative funding strategies to address research challenges and opportunities that require synergistic, integrated groups of investigators, significant infrastructure and technological innovations. As part of this evaluation, NIAMS is seeking input from the investigator community and organizations involved in its mission areas.

Read more.

Image: Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D.

NEWS

NIH Grantees Win 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2012 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to National Institutes of Health (NIH) grantees Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D., of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; and Brian K. Kobilka, M.D., of the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, for studies of protein receptors that let body cells sense and respond to outside signals.

NIH Common Fund Announces Awards for Single Cell Analysis

The NIH plans to invest more than $90 million over five years, contingent upon the availability of funds, to accelerate the development and application of single cell analysis across a variety of fields. The goal is to understand what makes individual cells unique and to pave the way for medical treatments that are based on disease mechanisms at the cellular level. Supported by the NIH Common Fund, the NIH plans to support 26 awards as part of three initiatives of the Single Cell Analysis Program.

Was Your Research Hurt by Hurricane Sandy?

If Hurricane Sandy affected your research funded by the NIH, please contact your grants management specialist or program officer to let him or her know your status. For more details, read When Disaster Strikes on Rock Talk and see the NIH’s FAQs on the NIH Extramural Response to Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies.

NIAMS Website Updated With the 2013 Interim Funding Plan for Research and Training Grants

The NIAMS is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution through March 27, 2013. The interim funding plan for research and training grants has been posted on the NIAMS website.

First Gene Therapy Study in Human Salivary Gland Shows Promise: Treatment Proves Safe and Effective, Helps Cancer Survivors With Chronic Dry Mouth

Gene therapy can be performed safely in the human salivary gland, according to scientists at the NIH's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

NIH-Sponsored Workshop Calls for More Detailed Reporting in Animal Studies: Improved Study Design and Data Sharing Are Expected To Speed Therapy Development

A workshop sponsored by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has produced a set of consensus recommendations to improve the design and reporting of animal studies. By making animal studies easier to replicate and interpret, the workshop recommendations are expected to help funnel promising therapies to patients.

NIH Study Finds Leisure-Time Physical Activity Extends Life Expectancy as Much as 4.5 Years

Leisure-time physical activity is associated with longer life expectancy, even at relatively low levels of activity and regardless of body weight, according to a study by a team of researchers led by the NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study, which found that people who engaged in leisure-time physical activity had life expectancy gains of as much as 4.5 years, appeared November 6, 2012, in PLoS Medicine.

NIH Videos Demonstrate Behavior’s Role in Personal Health: Habit, Education and Environment All Affect Our Behavior and Our Health

The NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research released four videos highlighting outstanding behavioral and social science research on mindless eating, risk-taking, diabetes management and the evolution of skin pigmentation.

Other Federal News

FDA Approves Xeljanz for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate.

NEW PUBLICATIONS 

NIH Research Matters

NIH Research Matters is a review of NIH research from the Office of Communications and Public Liaison, Office of the Director, NIH.

NIH News in Health

Read practical health information in NIH News in Health, which is reviewed by the NIH’s medical experts and is based on research conducted either by the NIH’s own scientists or by its grantees at universities and medical schools around the country.

Your Microbes and You: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Microscopic creatures—including bacteria, fungi and viruses—can make you ill. But what you may not realize is that trillions of microbes are living in and on your body right now. Most don’t harm you at all. In fact, they help you digest food, protect against infection and even maintain your reproductive health. We tend to focus on destroying bad microbes. But taking care of good ones may be even more important.

MEETINGS

Save the Date: NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting

The next NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held February 5, 2013, in Building 31, 6th floor, C Wing, Conference Room 6, NIH Campus.

2012 International Conference: “Sustainable Laboratories: Choosing the Right Equipment”

Date: December 13–14, 2012
Location: Natcher Auditorium
(Building 45), NIH Campus
For more information, email orfdtrconference@mail.nih.gov.

NIAMS Exhibit Schedule

The NIAMS exhibit is traveling to several events. See the schedule of health fairs and exhibits.

Image: The NIAMS Exhibit

FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS

NIAMS Announcements

Request for Information (RFI): Evaluation of NIAMS Centers Programs
(NOT-AR-13-007)

Notice of Intent To Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Core Centers in Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine (P30)
(NOT-AR-14-003)

NIH Common Fund Initiative Announcements

Mentored Research Scientist Development Award in Metabolomics (K01)
(RFA-RM-12-025)
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: Not applicable
Application Receipt Date: February 28, 2013

Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10)
(PAR-13-008)
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: Not applicable
Application Receipt Date: March 21, 2013

Additional Information Regarding RFA-RM-12-019
(NOT-RM-13-001)

Notice of Clarification of Award Budget and Application and Submission Instructions for RFA-RM-11-016: Regional Comprehensive Metabolomics Resource Cores (RCMRC) (U24)
(NOT-RM-13-002)

Other Funding Announcements

Notice of Participation of the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) in PA-11-335: Lab to Marketplace: Tools for Biomedical and Behavioral Research (SBIR [R43/R44])
(NOT-OD-13-001)

NIH Provides Policy Clarification Concerning Disclosure Requirements for Reimbursed and Sponsored Travel—42 CFR Part 50 Subpart F, Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which PHS Funding Is Sought
(NOT-OD-13-004)

Amendment to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Contract Solicitation (PHS 2013-1)
(NOT-OD-13-008)

Notice of Change in Eligibility of Foreign Institutions for RFA-LM-12-002: Basic Social and Behavioral Research on Culture, Health and Wellbeing (R24)
(NOT-LM-13-001)

If you would like to review information about funding opportunities more frequently than our monthly updates allow, see the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, the primary source for information about NIH funding opportunities. You can also request a weekly Table of Contents from the NIH Guide.
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