We are pleased to introduce the first issue of
CTRI News and Funding Opportunities, a monthly newsletter. The CTRI is part of a national Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium, led by the
National Institutes of Health
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Established in 2010, CTRI provides infrastructure and support for basic, translational and clinical research throughout the San Diego region to bring discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside, and facilitates training and education of the next generation of researchers. CTRI carries out its activities in collaboration with institutional and corporate partners and currently has more than 1,000 members.
Director’s Message, Winter 2015-2016
 I am pleased to announce expanded programs in our
Education unit at the UC San Diego CTRI. Our new NIH grant, awarded in August, enables us to develop additional education and training opportunities for a growing workforce. I’m especially pleased about the growth of our successful
KL2 program, the addition of the TL1 postdoctoral program, and our launch of new courses and seminars.
The KL2 program provides a tailored mentored research experience to promising faculty clinical and translational researchers. This year we expanded the program from three to eight slots. We received the highest number of applications to date, along with an increase in their academic diversity, and are very excited to announce the new award recipients. We also instituted a “mini-sabbatical” program for our second- and third-year KL2 scholars, and have awarded two this year. This program is aimed at broadening KL2 scholars’ skills through targeting experiential learning projects.
Read more from CTRI Director Gary S. Firestein, MD.
CTRI Special Announcements
UC Launches New $4 M Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative
The CTRI Manages Initiative and Applications Tapping its extraordinary depth and breadth of expertise, the University of California (UC) has launched a new Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative to support novel clinical studies. This initiative, UC Cures for Alzheimer’s Disease, was created to accelerate the most promising Alzheimer’s disease research. Projects could be proof-of-concept clinical trials or studies to validate a novel biomarker or imaging modality.
UC Cures for Alzheimer’s Disease RFA
“Alzheimer’s disease is a growing and unprecedented public health threat,” said UC president Janet Napolitano. “Many of the world’s best scientists and physicians dedicated to understanding and ultimately conquering Alzheimer’s work at UC. This initiative is intended to more speedily translate some of their best ideas into new treatments and, hopefully, an eventual cure.”
Sponsored by the UC Office of the President with a foundational grant of $4 million, the UC Cures initiative invites hundreds of laboratories throughout the 10-campus system to find new answers to Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The new initiative leverages the strength and experience of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) at UC San Diego and of
UC Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration and Development (UC BRAID), a consortium of the five UC health campuses in which they share data and resources to improve health through ambitious research and clinical initiatives. As a BRAID partner, the CTRI manages the initiative. The initiative will fund two projects selected by an independent review committee comprised of experts both within and outside UC, providing $1 million annually for two years from the Office of the President.
Read More
Funding Opportunities
Applications Invited for UC Cures for Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative
CTRI and Pfizer Announce the Call for Proposals: Biotherapeutic and Small-Molecule Targets
CTRI News and Features
 NIH Awards ≈$52M to CTRI
Federal Funding Will Help Further On-going Efforts to Translate Discoveries to Clinic The CTRI has received a five-year
Clinical and Translational Science Award for approximately $52 million from the
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of NIH. The CTRI is part of the national CTSA consortium of 62 medical research institutions created to energize efforts to translate basic science discoveries into new treatments for patients. The Institute was awarded a five-year $37.2 million grant when it was established to create innovative programs that advance research into the causes and cures of human disease. The new award recognizes the CTRI’s success during its initial funding under the CTSA program. “The first five years transformed our research environment and the way discoveries move from the lab to the clinic,” said Gary S. Firestein, MD, director of the CTRI and dean and associate vice chancellor of translational medicine at UC San Diego. “The next five will be about accelerating that process, expanding training programs and improving information systems tools for research.” Read More
CTRI Announces New KL2 Award Recipients The CTRI has selected four KL2 awardees for 2015: Savita G. Bhakta, MD; Farhad Imam, MD, PhD; Joanna Jacobus, PhD; and Caroline A. Thompson, PhD, MPH. As part of the CTRI Education program, KL2 awards provide a tailored mentored research experience to promising faculty clinical and translational researchers. “These four new scholars are studying a variety of research topics, including substance abuse prevention, characteristics of neonatal hypoxia, “Big Data” approaches to cancer care, and therapeutic effects of tolcapone on cognitive control in psychosis,” said Colin Depp, PhD, Director of the Education program at CTRI. “We received 32 applications – the highest to date – and the selection committee was impressed by the breadth of research proposed and the quality of applicants.”
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In This Issue
UC ReX DATA Explorer Tool Search 14.1 Million+ Patient Records from UC The University of California Research eXchange (UC ReX) Data Explorer (i2b2 SHRINE) is a secure, web-based system that enables UC investigators to identify potential research study cohorts at the five UC medical centers.
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CTRI News and Funding Opportunities
Gary S. Firestein, MD
Director of CTRI
Patricia Wieser
Communications Director
Tracy Dezenzo
Graphic Designer |