UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) is part of a national
Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium, led by the
National Institutes of HealthNational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Established in 2010, ACTRI 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. ACTRI carries out its activities in collaboration with institutional and corporate partners and currently has more than 1,400 members. The ACTRI News and Funding Opportunities is a monthly newsletter.
Director’s Message, Winter 2017
 We established the Center for Life Course Research at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) in 2015, creating a home for ACTRI researchers studying health issues that span multiple life stages. Dr. Christina Chambers, a renowned pediatrics researcher, directs the Center, with Drs. Andrea LaCroix, Dilip Jeste and Linda McEvoy serving as associate directors. These four leaders represent research expertise from prenatal through childhood, adulthood through midlife and older adults. Since its founding, the Center has flourished, hosting life course symposia and seminars, creating funding and educational opportunities for life course research, and developing an online research resource.
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ACTRI Special Announcements
SAVE THE DATE!
ACTRI Day of Translational Science is Set for April 5
Keynote Speaker: Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) invites researchers and staff to the Day of Translational Science on Thursday, April 5, 2018, at the ACTRI Building. Dr. Robert Califf, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, is scheduled to deliver the keynote talk at 4 p.m. in the ACTRI Auditorium. Dr. Califf is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in cardiovascular medicine and former vice chancellor of clinical and translational research at Duke University. He served as FDA Commissioner from February 2016-January 2017. The annual ACTRI Day of Translational Science features presentations by ACTRI-supported researchers and a distinguished keynote speaker, as well as information about ACTRI resources. Registration and more details will be posted on the ACTRI website in early 2018.
Funding Opportunities
ACTRI Seeks Proposals for Administrative Supplements
ACTRI Vouchers for ACTRI Research Services (In-kind) - Allowance for Vouchers to Supplement Two Types of NIH-Funded Studies for ACTRI Clinical Services Only
- Recent Addition of CCBB Vouchers
Eligible: Unfunded Projects Designed to Gather Preliminary Data for Grant Submissions or ACTRI Pilot Projects, Career Development Awards (K-series only; UC San Diego only) and ACTRI KL2 Awardees. In addition, Vouchers can potentially be used to supplement two types of NIH-funded studies for ACTRI clinical services only.
NCATS Open Funding Opportunities
Courtesy Postings
NEW – OptumLabs-UC Health Call for Proposals
ACTRI News and Features
 UC BRAID Executive Committee members (from left): Dan M. Cooper (UCI), Theodor Wun (UCD), Lisa Jackson (Stanford), Lars Berglund (UCD), Rachael Sak (BRAID Director), Gary S. Firestein (UCSD), Harry B. Greenberg (Stanford), Jennifer Grandis (UCSF), Steven M. Dubinett (UCLA, BRAID Chair), Mark R. Cullen (Stanford). UC BRAID Fall Retreat: Building a Learning Health Ecosystem and Expanding Impact Having developed a powerful health research collaboration across five University of California medical campuses, the leaders of UC BRAID have a new strategic focus: the integration of research and clinical care to create a learning health ecosystem where patient information and data are continuously analyzed to provide individualized care. At their annual meeting in October, UC BRAID leaders encouraged participants to identify structures needed to foster the transformation of health care in California. Imagine unleashing the power of patient data—15+ million electronic health records with genetic information and social determinants—and creating a system that supports the ability to move fluidly across research and clinical care delivery. “Our researchers’ priorities are likely already closely aligned with the health systems’ priorities. We want to create ways to identify their innovative ideas and enable them to test and share what they have learned at their local settings,” said Rachael Sak, UC BRAID Executive Director.
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ACTRI-Supported Researcher Franco Receives UC Drug Discovery Grant
Hear Her Related Talk Dec. 15th Alessandra Franco, MD, PhD, one of the first CTRI pilot project recipients, has been awarded a University of California Drug Discovery Consortium (UCDDC) Seed Grant. The one-year grant will support Dr. Franco in the clinical development of a new approach to induce immune regulation via stimulation of natural regulatory T cells. This research was initiated with a CTRI pilot grant. Dr. Franco, an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, is presenting her research at the ACTRI Seminar on Friday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. in the ACTRI Auditorium. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend her talk, “The Role of Immunodominant Fc Peptides in Stimulating Natural Regulatory T Cells.”
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 Photo by Paul Turang© |
   
In This Issue
Upcoming Seminars ACTRI SEMINAR SERIES
The Role of Immunodominant Fc Peptides in Stimulating Natural Regulatory T Cells
Friday, December 15
3:00 p.m.
ACTRI Auditorium (first floor)
Presented byAlessandra Franco, MD, PhD,
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UC San Diego
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ACTRI Communications Seminar for Early Career “K” and Equivalent Awardees UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) is hosting a year-long career development seminar series,
“Communicating: Your Academic Life Depends on It,” for early career “K” and equivalent Career Development awardees from UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and ACTRI partner institutions. The fifth session in the series, “Reviewing for Journals and Mock Study Section,” is scheduled for
Tuesday, January 9. The session will take place at the ACTRI building. RSVP is required to
ctri-education@ucsd.edu.
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ACTRI-Supported Ethics Forum Should We Use Genetically Engineered Plants to Help Mitigate Climate Change?
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Fleet Science Center
Balboa Park, San Diego Presented by
Wolfgang Busch, PhD, Associate Professor
Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute
Cite the Grant
 Don’t forget to cite the grant! To help ensure resources are available for future research,
please cite the UCSD ACTRI CTSA grant. Projects and Publications using UCSD ACTRI resources must cite the UCSD ACTRI grant and follow the NIH Public Access Policy.
ACTRI News and Funding Opportunities
Gary S. Firestein, MD
Director of ACTRI
Eric Mah
Chief Administrative Officer
Patricia Wieser
Communications Director
Tracy Dezenzo
Graphic Designer |