Do You Want To Join A Research Study? Nationwide Registry Matches Volunteers With Researchers

Individuals who want to participate in medical research studies can now connect online with researchers nationwide through ResearchMatch.org. It is a not-for-profit, secure website designed to provide people who are interested in participating in clinical research the opportunity to be matched with studies that may be the right fit for them.

ResearchMatch offers an easy-to-use, free and safe way for volunteers to connect with thousands of researchers who are conducting research on a wide range of diseases. The site is a collaborative effort of the national network of medical research institutions affiliated with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs). The CTSA program, which is led by the National Center for Research Resources, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is focused on enhancing local and national efforts to enhance the translation of laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients.

The convenient and user-friendly registry employs a familiar research matching model that is complementary to Clinicaltrials.gov, another NIH research registry. One key difference is that ResearchMatch places the burden of connecting the right volunteers with the right study on the researchers, whereas Clinicaltrials.gov asks volunteers to identify the trials that could work for them.

How ResearchMatch Works

ResearchMatch will match any interested individual residing in the United States with researchers who are approved to recruit potential research volunteers through the system. After an individual has self-registered to become a volunteer, ResearchMatch’s security features ensure that personal information is protected until volunteers authorize the release of their contact information to a specific study that may be of interest to them. Volunteers are notified electronically when they are a possible match and then make the decision regarding the release of their contact information. It also will promote choice as there are no obligations on the volunteer to participate in studies.

For the first year of the project, only researchers affiliated with participating CTSA institutions are eligible to use ResearchMatch. However, plans are in place to make ResearchMatch available beyond the CTSA consortium by 2011. Currently 52 individual institutions associated with 40 CTSA sites are part of the ResearchMatch network. (See a list of these institutions.)

To learn more about ResearchMatch and to register as a volunteer, visit: www.researchmatch.org.

About The CTSA Consortium

The CTSA consortium is a national network of 46 medical research institutions working together to improve the way biomedical research is conducted across the country. The consortium, funded through Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), shares a common vision to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients and to engage communities in clinical research efforts. It also is fulfilling the critical need to train a new generation of clinical researchers. The CTSA program is led by the National Center for Research Resources, part of National Institutes of Health.

Launched in 2006, this network now includes awardees in 26 states. When the program is fully implemented, it will support approximately 60 CTSAs across the nation.

For more information about the CTSA program, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/ctsa. The CTSA consortium website, which provides information on the consortium, current members and new grantees, can be accessed at www.CTSAweb.org.

The National Center for Research Resources, part of NIH, provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the resources and training they need to understand, detect, treat and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of translational and clinical research, connecting researchers, patients and communities across the nation. For more information, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.

Talk With Your Doctor

Before you join a clinical research study, be sure to discuss it first with your personal physician. The NIH provides a list of publications about effective communication with your doctor. The National Cancer Institute offers a set of questions to ask about participating in a cancer trial.

Nov. 18 Faculty Workshop Covers Ethical Standards in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Dr. Jack Bantle, WSU vice president for research and graduate studies, invites Wright State University faculty to a lunchtime workshop on “Ethical Standards in the Conduct of Research” on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in E156 Student Union on the WSU main campus.

Wright State University supports efforts to provide education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).  One component of RCR education is to clearly define “research misconduct” and clarify the process for handling allegations of misconduct in research.  This guidance has been incorporated into Wright Way Policy #2101, “Administrative Procedures for Allegations of Research Misconduct.”

It is the policy of Wright State University that the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research be maintained. These standards apply to all members of the university community (faculty, staff, and students) who may be involved in research, scholarship, or creative activities whether supported by internal or external funds.

Pizza and refreshments will be provided to workshop participants. Please RSVP to Jan Power (rsp@wright.edu; 775-2425). The deadline for registration is Friday, November 13, 2009.

Request for Applications: 2010 BSOM Seed Grant Programs

The Office of Research Affairs announces four internal seed grant programs in FY 2010 for faculty investigators at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. The application deadline for all grant programs is February 1, 2010, for project funding periods beginning July 1, 2010.

If you plan to resubmit a proposal from FY 2009, please note: program descriptions, evaluation criteria, and application forms have been revised for all seed grant programs.

Emerging Science Seed Grants fund new research projects with a strong potential for extramural support. Submission of an external grant proposal is a required outcome. Funding: up to $15,000. See program guidelines; download the application form (MS Word).

Genomics Seed Grants support new research projects that utilize core facilities at WSU’s Center for Genomics Research (CGR). Submission of an external grant proposal is a required outcome. Funding: support for a maximum of 30 gene array samples. (Funding reimburses CGR for materials and services and is NOT awarded directly to the principal investigator.) The principal investigator must have adequate funding to support all other components of the research project. See program guidelines; download the application form (MS Word).

Early Stage Investigator Grants support faculty early in their careers as investigators who want to develop new biomedical or clinical research projects leading to extramural support. Submission of an Emerging Science Seed Grant proposal is a required outcome. Funding: up to $5,000, equivalent departmental matching support required. See program guidelines; download the application form (MS Word).

Medical Education Research Grants support rigorous scientific research in medical education that may not necessarily lead to future extramural support. Engaging the educational research community is a required outcome. Funding: up to $5,000, departmental matching support expected. See program guidelines; download the application form (MS Word).

Beginning in FY 2010, seed grant proposals will be evaluated using criteria based on the NIH Enhanced Review Criteria implemented in 2009. Modifications have been made to fit the scale of the BSOM’s internal seed grant programs. Reviewers will evaluate proposals using a 9-point scoring system similar to that used by NIH.

The BSOM Research Committee will review and score the proposals. Recommendations will be made for the top ranked proposals and submitted to the BSOM Associate Dean for Research Affairs for final decision.

If you have questions about the seed grant programs, contact Mark Willis, research coordinator (mark.willis@wright.edu; 775-3814).. If you have questions about using the application forms, contact Amber McCurdy, administrative specialist (amber.mccurdy@wright.edu; 775-4533).

NIH Peer Review and Grant Compliance Workshop Scheduled Dec. 9

The BSOM Office of Research Affairs and the WSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) will hold a faculty workshop on “NIH Peer Review and Compliance Issues” on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 from 1:00–3:00 p.m. in 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium) on the WSU main campus.

This workshop will be of interest to faculty, residents, advanced graduate and medical students, and others involved in or likely to become involved in the submission of NIH research grants and/or in the administration of funded proposals. Although focused on NIH grants, the compliance topics will be of interest to all extramurally funded investigators. The workshop will include brief presentations and opportunity for discussion of issues including the new NIH scoring system, new page limits, and grant compliance.

Everyone is welcome, but if you wish to attend, please RSVP to Mark Willis (mark.willis@wright.edu; 775 3814) no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday December 4.

NIH Peer Review and Grant Compliance program:

• 1:00-1:25 p.m.: Changes in page limits for NIH grant applications – Robert Fyffe
• 1:25-1:45 p.m.: Enhancing Peer Review – the “1-9” scoring system – Robert Fyffe
• 1:45–2:30 p.m.: Grant Compliance Ellen Reinsch Friese & Robert Fyffe
• 2:30 – 3:00 p.m.: Final discussion and wrap-up

Please download this announcement (PDF) to post in your office or lab:

Translational Research Lecture Probes Role of Human Gut Microflora in Pediatric Disorders

The Medical Student Research Club invites all BSOM faculty and students to the second lecture in its series, “Translational Research: From Bench to Bedside,” on Tuesday, November 3, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in Room 101 White Hall (Gandhi Auditorium) on the WSU main campus.

Sonia Michail, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, will be the faculty lecturer. She will be joined by Matthew Durbin, a WSU medical student on her research team. An introduction will be provided by Arthur Pickoff, M.D., chair of WSU’s Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health.

Dr. Michail and Oleg Paliy, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, are collaborating on a series of projects that explore the role of microflora in gastrointestinal disorders of children. Their translational research is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read more in Vital Signs (PDF).

Dinner will be provided on Nov. 3. Please RSVP to Adam Deardorff (deardorff.2@wright.edu) if you plan to attend.

Faculty Development Workshop Explores Clinical and Translational Research Opportunities

SOARnet will host a faculty development workshop on “Clinical and Translational Science Awards”  on Friday, November 20, 2009, 1:30-4:00 p.m., at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton (Private Dining Room A). The workshop presenter is Ron Ackermann, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Susan Howard (susan.howard@wright.edu) or Caroline McNicholas (caroline.mcnicholas@wright.edu).

The Southwestern Ohio Area Research Network (SOARnet) is a new and growing group of pediatricians and family medicine physicians associated with Wright State University and the Children’s Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. Its mission is to support its members to design and carry out office-based clinical research of importance and interest to its members, to other primary care providers, and to those involved in formulating health policy. The research network facilitates the formulation of clinical questions and provides support in study design and statistical analysis of data.

Ohio Supercomputer Center Schedules Informational Meeting Oct. 13

Wright State University faculty, researchers and students are invited to meet with Ohio Supercomputer Center co-directors Ashok Krishnamurthy, Ph.D., and Steve Gordon, Ph.D., on Tuesday, October 13, from 10 to 11 a.m. in 144 Russ Engineering Center.

You will learn more about resources available to you through the center, which provides supercomputing, networking, research and educational resources to a diverse state and national community.

The one-hour presentations will include:

• Overview of the computational hardware/software resources and programs available
• National trends in supercomputing
• Opportunities for collaboration
• STEM workforce development
• Industry-focused programs

Afterward, OSC staff will be available to answer your questions.

The Ohio Supercomputer Center is a catalytic partner of Ohio universities and industries, providing reliable high performance computing and cyber infrastructure resources to education, academic research, industry, and state government. Funded by the Ohio Board of Regents, OSC promotes and stimulates computational research and education in order to act as a key enabler for the state’s aspirations in advanced technology, information systems, and advanced industries.

LEADER Consortium Seeks Mini-Grant Proposals

The LEADER Consortium seeks proposals for its first annual mini-grant  program, which is intended to support and advance women faculty in academic science and engineering.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program, the LEADER Consortium is a partnership of four diverse institutions of higher education in the Dayton region: the Air Force Institute of Technology, Central State University, University of Dayton, and Wright State University.  The consortium’s mission is to promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of tenure-track women STEM faculty at these institutions, and to promote a workplace environment that fosters those achievements.

Funding requests can be targeted to support any activity that addresses the above objectives. Examples include (but are not limited to): convening a workshop; attending a conference on professional development; hosting a speaker or visiting scholar; or supporting a research program by hiring a student research assistant or purchasing equipment or supplies.

Proposals may come from individuals or from groups, within or across institutions. Each proposal should provide a three-page (maximum) narrative that a) describes the proposed activity and b) identifies how the funding will promote the LEADER Consortium and ADVANCE objectives.  In addition, please append a) a budget and justification, b) a two-page biosketch (NIH or NSF format) for the lead applicant, and c) one letter of support, from either the lead applicant’s Department Chair or from the chair of the Faculty Development (Promotion and Tenure) Committee.

Grants should support activities that will occur between January – December, 2010, and can be for any amount up to $5,000.  All documents should be submitted by e-mail to leader@wright.edu by Friday, October 30, 2009. Address any questions to Susan McGovern, LEADER Consortium program director, at susan.mcgovern@wright.edu.

Calamityville Tactical Laboratory Breaks Ground

Representatives from Wright State University and the city of Fairborn, along with government officials and area business and military leaders, gathered at the site of the former CEMEX facility in Fairborn on Sept. 28 to mark the groundbreaking for the National Center for Medical Readiness Tactical Laboratory (NCMR-TL) at Calamityville.

Developed by the WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine, the National Center for Medical Readiness is a Wright State Center of Excellence that provides training and education, research, a product development test-bed and commercialization opportunities that integrate medicine with disaster response. Calamityville will be the site of the NCMR’s new tactical laboratory.

The global building materials company CEMEX donated the facility and surrounding 54-acre property to Fairborn in June to serve as the future site of the NCMR-TL. The Ohio Department of Development announced in May that it will grant Fairborn $2.8 million to clean up the brownfield site in anticipation of this project. Wright State University will provide $900,000 in matching funds.

The project has garnered more than $13 million in state and federal support to fund the Phase I development of the NCMR-TL, a state-of-the-art, collaborative training and research facility that will provide one-of-a-kind training opportunities for the world’s medical, public health, public safety and civilian and military disaster-response decision-makers.

“As a training tool and research test-bed, the tactical laboratory at Calamityville will prepare the civilian and military medical communities to participate and react effectively with traditional disaster responders,” said Glenn Hamilton, M.D., director of NCMR-TL and professor of emergency medicine at the WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine. “This will provide a more complete approach to finding patients, offering initial care and safely evacuating them from disaster sites. The tactical laboratory will be the first site in the United States to fully integrate the civilian and military medical and non-medical responses that occur in a disaster or other complex rescue situation.”

The NCMR-TL will be particularly important as the Base Re-Alignment Commission (BRAC) transfers the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The tactical laboratory offers a unique opportunity for traditional Air Force education and training courses to be translated and transferred to the civilian medical and first responder communities. The National Center for Medical Readiness will become an educational bridge between the civilian and military worlds and offer students a more complete learning experience. Read more.

Artificial Cochlea Study Group Seeks Collaborators

Researchers use the visualization wall at the WSU Joshi Center to explore the possibilities of building a synthetic device that could restore hearing. [Photo by Will Jones/WSU Center for Teaching and Learning; see more workshop photos]

What if a synthetic device could be constructed that could restore hearing lost as a result of sensorineural deafness? Robert A. Goldenberg, M.D., chief of Wright State’s Division of Otolaryngology, has a vision for doing just that. The device would function as an artificial cochlea, or Organ of Corti.

“My vision is to build an artificial Organ of Corti which would be inserted into one (or more) of the three cochlear scala, rest on the basilar membrane and interface with specific afferent fibers (or bundles of fibers) of the auditory nerve,” Dr. Goldenberg explains.

“The ultimate goal of our Artificial Cochlea Study Group is to develop a bio-engineering system which would replace all or part of an Organ of Corti damaged by presbycusis. This system would utilize advances in nanotechnology, cellular regeneration, genetic engineering, biochemistry and/or synthetic materials. This system would be constructed at the cellular level and most likely reside in the existing cochlea.” Read more.

Dr. Goldenberg invited a prestigious panel of researchers to Wright State University in 2008 to explore his idea. The result was the Artificial Cochlea Study Group, which will hold a second workshop this fall to refine its initial concepts. The group seeks clinicians, scientists, and engineers who are interested in collaborating in the project. For more information, please send an email to artificialcochlea@wright.edu.