Email this pageCTSI Collaborator Newsletter Spring 2009 Edition
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Provides Fuel for the Research Fire
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was officially adopted by Congress in February 2009 
and was prompted by the many months of dismal economic growth that the United States experienced in 2008. President Obama quickly endorsed the bill and opened the floodgates of funding to many federal agencies and institutions. The ARRA allocated a large amount of funding to support research and investigators across the country in an effort to spur the economic market and also to open new employment opportunities to the many Americans who are losing their jobs at alarming rates. The Act specifies $10 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health, $700 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, $2.5 billion in funding for the National Science Foundation and $650 million in funding for the Centers for Disease Control.
The funding opportunities available to individual investigators and institutions through the ARRA are plentiful and diverse. Funding is available for facilities construction and improvements, small and large instrumentation grants, faculty recruitment, new innovative research (Challenge and GRAND grants), and many supplemental opportunities through the Clinical and Translational Institute and other pre-existing grants held at the Medical Center.
The CTSI and the senior leadership of the Medical Center have been on a mission to facilitate submissions to these funding opportunities since the announcement of available funds was made public. Dean David Guzick, Dr. Thomas Pearson, and Dr. Steve Dewhurst have led the charge to encourage and support investigators at the Medical Center and also to ensure that the Medical Center is well-represented in all categories to which funding is allocated. The CTSI created an intranet website (https:// www.rochesterctsa.org/recovery-response/ (URMC Username and Password required)) which tracks the opportunities available, provides pertinent information about the Act and the Centers receiving funding, and also offers a repository of short-term research project ideas submitted by URMC investigators.
Over $100 million worth of grant proposals were submitted to ARRA opportunities by URMC investigators during the initial submission period (March 1– May 4, 2009). This effort is in addition to grant proposals that were submitted to non-ARRA programs. Additional ARRA research funding streams are still open for submissions and new requests for applications are being announced regularly. The CTSI encourages all researchers to consider the extraordinary opportunities available through the ARRA as this may be a onetime opportunity offered by the federal government to fuel our research fire.
The CTSI Announces the 2009 Pilot and Collaborative Studies Awardees
The CTSI Pilot and Collaborative Studies Funding Program is pleased to announce the 2009 Awardees. The program received a staggering 96 applications to the RFA released in June, 2008 which targeted research projects that were community-based. The review committee selected four faculty members and three trainees to receive awards and the individuals and projects selected can be viewed below.
Faculty Awards
Susan Fisher, PhD, Professor and Department Chair of Community and Preventive Medicine
Project Title: Development of a Sustainable Community Cohort for Translational Research
Jill Halterman MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Project Title: A Pilot Study to Improve Preventive Asthma Care for Urban Adolescents
Daniel Mruzek, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Project Title: Development of a Wireless Moisture Alarm for Daytime Urinary Continence Training of Persons with Autism and Other Disabilities in Community Settings
Trainee Awards
Natalie Cort, Fellow, Department of Clinical Psychology
Project Title: Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Psychologically Distressed Women with Histories of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV-IPV): A Pilot Study
Adi Eldar-Lissai, PhD Candidate, Department of Community and Preventive Medicine
Project Title: The Effect of Mass Media on Geographic Variations in Cancer Treatment Outcomes
Lisa Kakinami, PhD Candidate, and Ying Xian, PhD Candidate, Department of Community and Preventive Medicine
Project Title: Is the Wii Fit Good Enough? A Comparison of the Energy Expenditure from Interactive Physical Activity
Clinical Research Center Award
Elizabeth LeCuyer PhD, RN, PMHNP, ARNP, CS, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing
Project Title: Diversity in Limit-Setting: African American Mothers with Toddlers
The CTSI Announces the 2009 Novel Methodologies Awardees
The CTSI Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies Funding Program is pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of Novel Methodologies Awards. This funding aims to help overcome specifically identified limitations at either the discovery or implementation step by developing widely applicable methodologies that will significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope, or speed of translational research. The 2009 recipients and project titles are listed below.
2009 Awardees
David Hermann, MD, Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Pathology
Project Title: In-vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy as a Biomarker for Peripheral Neuropathy Clinical Trials
Mark Sullivan, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Center for Oral Biology
Iñaki Sanz, MD, Professor, Departments of Medicine and Microbiology
Project Title: Novel Platform for Biomarker Discovery in Autoimmune Disease
Lianping Xing, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
Ronald Wood, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Neurobiology and Anatomy
Project Title: Development of in vivo Near Infrared Imaging Technology for Longitudinal Assessment of Lymphatic Draining Function
New KL2 Scholars Appointed by the CTSI
The CTSI’s KL2 Mentored Career Development program offers generous support for new investigators interested in a career in clinical or translational research. The goal is for the trainee to emerge as an independently funded investigator at
the completion of the award. The CTSI Education Directorate has selected two scholars for appointment in 2009. Both scholars reapplied to the KL2 program this year after submitting unsuccessful applications during prior rounds and used the advice given to greatly improve their research proposals. The candidates should be applauded for their determination and perseverance and congratulated for their success.
2009 CTSI KL2 Scholars
Mireya G. B. Felhazy, DDS, PhD, Research Assistant Professor , Department of Dentistry, Center for Oral Biology
Project Title: "Identification of salivary and salivary gland-cell-surface biomarkers in patients with early-stage primary Sjogren's syndrome".
Marc T. Swogger, Departmental Fellow, Department of Psychiatry
Project Title: "Develop interventions that increase the probability that offenders can change their criminal and personal trajectories."
David H. Adler, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Community and Preventive Medicine.
Project Title: Post-Vaccination HPV Genotype Distribution Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Young Women in South Africa
Latest Round of CTSI Laboratory Support Center Awardees
By Mark Plessinger, PhD
The Laboratory Support Center is pleased to announce the fifth round of awardees. The Laboratory Support Center offers funding for laboratory cost support for clinical and translational research projects. The program offers funds up to $50,000 for laboratory costs to collect pilot data, supporting data or data to complete an initial study. For more information on this program, please contact Mark Plessinger at mark_plessinger@urmc.rochester.edu.
Awardees
Di Chen, MD, PhD, Professor of Orthopedics
Project Title: “β-catenin-BMP-2 signaling pathway in fracture healing.”
This project develops two conditional β-catenin and BMP-2 transgenic mouse models using the Gene Targeting and Transgenic Core Laboratory.
Steve Dewhurst, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Project Title: “Mimotope-based vaccine for HIV-1” This project seeks to use a novel technology to produce discontinuous antigenic mimics (or "mimotopes") of the virus-neutralizing epitope within the CD4 binding site of HIV-1 Env, with the goal of using these mimics as part of a future HIV-1 vaccine.
Baek Kim, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Project Title: “Identification of novel anti-influenza drugs with potential activity against pandemic strains.”
This project utilizes the High Throughput Screening Core to screen chemical libraries for novel molecules that are capable of disrupting this influenza complex.
Xia Jin, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division
Project Title: “Identification of unique factors causing dengue hemorrhagic fever.”
This project identifies the factors released by dengue-infected PBMCs that produce morphologic and structural changes in human endothelial cells, using the Proteomics Core Laboratory.
Michael Fong, M.D. , Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cardiology Division
Project Title: “Cardiac MRI for the characterization of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.”
This project uses cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to identify changes in myocardial tissue characterization in patients undergoing anthracycline chemotherapy.
George A. Porter, Jr., MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Project Title: “High magnification imaging of embryonic cardiac mitochondrial biogenesis.”
This study will provide insights into the role of calcium signaling and mitochondrial biogenesis in regulating normal cardiac morphogenesis, in causing congenital heart defects, and in the etiology of cardiac diseases.
Jun-ichi Abe, MD, PhD, FAHA, Associate Professor of Medicine
Project Title: “Generation of ERK5 activator.”
This project utilizes the URMC High Throughput Screening Core to identify small molecules that could activate ERK5, and prevent cardiac damage after MI and the development of atherosclerosis formation.
Gloria S Pryhuber, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine
Project Title: “Arrayed analysis of human neonatal lung disease.”
To advance the field, this project utilizes the Functional Genomics Core Laboratory in determining expression profiles of lung samples from BPD infants and controls.
Lois B Travis, MD, Sc.D, Professor of Radiation Oncology
Project “Measurement of long-term platinum levels in men treated with platinum based chemotherapy for testicular cancer.”
This project correlates known adverse effects associated with platinum-based chemotherapy to long-term Pt exposure, with a focus on cardiovascular risk.
Su Wang, MD, PhD , Assistant Professor of Neurology
Project Title: “A human genomics-based strategy for identifying new therapeutic targets in Huntington Disease.”
This project utilizes the Functional Genomics Core Laboratory to identify signaling pathways that are involved in the neurotoxicity of mutant mHtt on human MSN.
Faculty Development Colloquium to be Held on June 3rd
The Annual Faculty Development Colloquium is scheduled for June 3, 2009 from 7:30 am -4:00 pm. Faculty involved in teaching medical students and residents have a need to improve their teaching techniques and to understand new concepts in learning. A better understanding of academic career development and the issues facing women in academic medical centers will also help all faculty. This Faculty Development Colloquium is intended to meet these needs
by providing both lectures and interactive workshops covering a variety of topics. Interactive sessions with posters by Colloquium participants will foster the interchange of ideas.
Plenary Speakers:
Hilliard Jason, MD, EdD (Clinical Professor, Family Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and Former Editor, Education for Health: Change in Learning and Practice)
Plenary Topic: New Insights Into How the Human Brain Learns: Implications for overdue reforms of medical education
Workshop Topic: Being an Optimally Helpful Teacher: Some steps toward getting into top form
Susan R. Johnson, M.D., M.S. (Associate Provost for Faculty, University of Iowa)
Plenary Topic: Time sickness: Is there a cure?
Workshop Topic: Getting Things Done in the Midst of Chaos
The Colloquium will take place at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. For additional information, please contact Andria Mutrie in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty Development at 276-3782 or via email at
andria_mutrie@urmc.rochester.edu. For a complete list of workshops and to access the informational brochure and registration form please visit: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/education/faculty-development The Faculty Development Colloquium is sponsored by The Office of Associate Deans for Faculty Development – Medical Education, Faculty Development – Women & Diversity and The University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Laboratory Support Center Success Stories: Part 2
By Mark Plessinger, PhD
The CTSI Laboratory Support Center (Dr. Mark Plessinger, Director) of the CTSI Translational Technology Key Function 
(Dr. Stephen Welle, Director) announce that Dr. Michael O'Reilly received funding for an NIH R01 grant using data that was generated with a CTSI Laboratory Support Center Award. Dr. O’Reilly’s NIH project entitled "Effect of Neonatal Hyperoxia onAlveolar Development and Infection" is a five-year NHLBI grant determining how high oxygen levels permanently damages alveolar cells in the lungs and makes them susceptible to infection, in particular, to influenza.
Infants that are born premature most often require oxygen assistance in the NICU. Up to 70% of infants that are extremely low in birth weight and premature - often less than 1,000 grams and less than 28 weeks gestational age - develop bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease characterized by a protracted need for supplemental oxygen. These infants continue to have pulmonary problems, including infections, wheezing and simplified lungs as they mature into adulthood. Recent epidemiologic studies indicate children who had been exposed to elevated oxygen at birth are also more likely to have viral infections, asthma, increased sensitivity to second hand cigarette smoke, and more out-of-school sick days than children who were not exposed to oxygen. However, mechanisms by which neonatal oxygen increases susceptibility of children to airway pathogens are unknown.
To address this, Dr. O’Reilly’s lab exposed neonatal mice to hyperoxia (100% oxygen) and recovered them in room air until they were adults. Mice were then infected with influenza A virus. These studies revealed that adult mice exposed to neonatal hyperoxia had depletion of their Type II cells alveolar epithelial lung cells. When compared with Type II cells isolated from control mice not exposed to hyperoxia, it was evident that different populations of Type II cells exist. With further work, a small subpopulation of Type II cells (10%) was found to be relatively resistant to virus-induced death during infection. As such, this subpopulation of Type II cells may be crucial for lung repair following infection since all Type II cells are trophic for influenza and other RNA viruses. In addition, adult mice exposed to hyperoxia as neonates have fewer Type II
cells and are more susceptible to inflammation, fibrosis, and mortality when exposed to influenza A.
Dr. O’Reilly wished to know what genes were expressed by this subpopulation of Type II alveolar epithelial cells in order to identify the phenotypic differences of the subpopulations of Type II cells. The Laboratory Support Center Funds were utilized to support the Vivarium to cover the animal costs and care, the Flow Cytometry Core to identify and isolate Type II cells, and the Functional Genomics Core to isolate Type II cell RNA and to validate genes via qRT-PCR. Validation of these genes allowed for definitive identification of this unique subpopulation of Type II cells that are sensitive to high oxygen tensions. These studies revealed that this small subpopulation of Type II cells selectively expresses genes that inhibit infection of RNA viruses and bacteria, and control proliferation of asymmetric proliferation of progenitor stem cells. These data provided the basis for identifying these cells and were paramount in the supporting data section for Dr. O’Reilly’s R01 grant proposal. By defining how high oxygen disrupts alveolar epithelial cell differentiation in neonatal mice, Dr. O’Reilly and his colleagues hope to clarify how high oxygen levels disrupt lung development and why infants born prematurely continue to suffer from respiratory infections throughout life.
In addition to this funded R01 grant, Dr. O’Reilly’s Laboratory Support Center Award was utilized in five invited presentations to major national and international meetings and another NIH R01 proposal jointly written with Dr. Paige Lawrence in the Department of Environmental Medicine, which received a 196 priority score.
The CTSI Office of Regulatory Support Unveils New Tools and Services for Investigators
By Eric P. Rubinstein, JD, MPH
The Office of Regulatory Support (ORS) has been organized to provide for a range of investigator needs. Structured to provide a central warehousing of information and to serve as a hub of service referral for the clinical and translational research enterprise, ORS has emerged from its formative year with the following new tool and services.
Customized Action Plan
All clinical and translational research investigators are encouraged to create a Customized Action Plan (CAP), to develop a checklist of required approvals and available services, in support of each planned research project. The CAP application leads users through a short series of questions, providing sufficient information to support an informed answer. After providing answers that describe a research project, users are presented with a report that lists the processes that are implicated by their responses. Descriptions of each service, including timelines, links to required forms and policies as
well as opportunities to request assistance are included on each CAP report. Final CAP reports are stored within the users’ profiles, and also can be exported in an electronic form that retains live links. The CAP can be found on the Research Support page of the CTSI website, or accessed directly at: https://gcrc.urmc.rochester.edu/cap/.
FDA Regulatory Processes
ORS offers services to support clinical and translational research investigators with the navigation of and compliance with specific FDA-regulated process, including pre-clinical laboratory studies and research involving experimental drugs and devices.
Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
Governed by 21 CFR part 58, researchers conducting pre-clinical laboratory studies that are designed to lay the foundation for translation to FDA-regulated human-subject research are encouraged to request assistance from ORS in establishing compliant practices.
Investigational New Drugs (IND)
Governed by 21 CFR part 312, studies which involve investigational new drugs or off-label use of FDA-approved drugs are required to submit an application to FDA before the study commences. ORS provides a variety of services to support
development of application submission, and provides guidance and assistance throughout the lifecycle of IND-regulated studies.
Investigational Device Exemptions (IDE)
Navigation of the FDA-regulated device processes involves a series of decisions including assessment of the potential risk posed by the device. Use of investigational devices in clinical research is outlined in 21 CFR part 812, and ORS provides guidance through the various application processes.
In addition to these new tools and services, ORS is available to support investigators in the navigation of required approval processes, including assistance in the development of solutions to encountered challenges. To contact The Office of Regulatory Support, please email: reg_support@urmc.rochester.edu.
CTSI Calendar of Events
May 2009
May 5th– RCTRC Seminar Series, 12:15-1:15, Whipple Auditorium. Speaker: Various CTSI Trainees Presentation: Research Project Presentations
May 6th– Leadership Seminar Series, 5:30-7:30, Natapow Room. Speaker: Dean David Guzick Presentation: Deaning at SMD: Welcome to My World!
May 12th– Pediatric Biomedical and Translational Research Seminar Series, 12:00-1:00, Room K-207. Speaker: Alison Bertuch, MD, PhD (Baylor College of Medicine) Presentation: Cancer Genetics
May 13th– Faculty Development Workshop, 11:00-1:00, LeChase Room. Speaker: Paul Haidet, MD, MPH (Baylor College of Medicine) Presentation: Team-Based Learning
May 19th– Faculty Development Workshop, 2:00-4:00, Louise Slaughter Room
Speaker: Steve Lurie, MD (Family Medicine) Presentation: Course and Teaching Evaluations: How to Use Data to Improve
May 21st– University of Rochester Graduate Women in Science Seminar Series,
3:00-4:00 pm, Stotz Room (3-7423). Speaker: Peter Sarnow, PhD (Stanford University
School of Medicine) Presentation: On being a Scientist and Supportive Spouse to a Scientist
May 26th– Faculty Development Workshop, 10:00-12:00, Louise Slaughter Room
Speaker: Glenn Regehr, PhD Presentation: Cognitive Perspectives on Learning, Implications for Clinical Teaching
June 2009
June 3rd– Faculty Development Colloquium, 7:30 am—4:30 pm, Various Locations
Plenary Speakers: Hilliard Jason, MD, EdD (University of Colorado) and Susan R. Johnson, M.D., M.S. (Associate Provost for Faculty, University of Iowa)
June 5th– Pediatric Biomedical and Translational Research Seminar Series, 12:00-
1:00, Room K-207. Speaker: William Pu, MD (Harvard Medical School)
Presentation: Cardiac Development
June 9th– Faculty Development Workshop, 2:00-4:00, LeChase Room
Speaker: John Hansen, PhD (Neurobiology and Anatomy) Presentation: Medical
Textbook Writing and Editing
June 10th– Leadership Seminar Series, 5:30-7:30, Natapow Room
Speaker: Denham Ward, MD, PhD (Associate Dean of Faculty Development in Medical
Education) Presentation : Year-end Summary and Wrap-up
June 16th– RCTRC Seminar Series (Special Presentation), 12:15-1:15, Class of 62
Auditorium. Speaker: Dr. Ken Kaitin (Tufts University)
June 23rd– Faculty Development Workshop, 2:00-4:00, Louise Slaughter Room
Speaker: Ralph Jozefowicz, MD (Associate Chair of Education) Presentation: Giving a Great Lecture
In Recognition of Excellence
Congratulations to Dean David Guzick for his induction in to the Institute of Medicine. The Institute of Medicine is highly
selective organization with only 1600 members total and no more than 65 members inducted annually. The Institute is both an honorific membership organization and a policy research organization, and is considered a national resource for independent scientific analysis and recommendations on human health issues.
CTSI Program Director Thomas Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., has been tapped by two national organizations to lead efforts to decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Pearson has recently been named chair-elect of the National Forum, an organization formed in 2003 by the American Heart Association and the CDC to chart a course for the prevention of both diseases. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services also turned to him for expert advice in helping to shape the nation’s dietary guidelines and also reduce the burden of disease and death related to public health problems.
Peter Vitiello, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in Michael O’Reilly’s lab, was awarded best poster presentation at
the 7th European Respiratory Society Lung Science Conference. Dr. Vitiello’s work is based on findings from a CTSI
funded project entitled “Genome Profiling of Innate-Immune Privileged Lung Epithelial Cells” awarded to Dr. O’Reilly in
2008. This study describes that eosinophil-associated RNase (EAR) genes possess anti-viral activity towards influenza A
virus. Reduced expression of EAR genes in a model of chronic lung disease resulted in increased susceptibility during
influenza infection. EAR gene delivery reduced lung injury following infection and may have therapeutic potential in
patients with chronic lung disease who suffer from recurring respiratory infections.
Mark Plessinger, PhD, Director of the Laboratory Support Center, presented a poster entitled: “Research, Science, and
Technology: Core Facilities at the University of Rochester” at the Third Annual meeting of the Northeast Regional Life
Sciences Core Directors (NERLSCD) in Burlington, Vermont, October 22-24, 2008. This poster highlighted four novel
technologies available in University Core Lab Facilities, three of which were directly supported by CTSI funds via equipment
purchases, as well as brief descriptions of all core laboratories at the University of Rochester.
