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.
ACTRI Special Announcements
 ACTRI-Affiliated Flow Cytometry Core Facility Opens The Flow Cytometry Core facility is now open at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI). This facility provides a high-end flow cytometer to identify, analyze and quantify cells in several sample types. It is equipped with a ZE5 Cell Analyzer from Bio-Rad, which is a benchtop system used for analysis (not sorting). The ZE5 offers great flexibility in sample handling with the ability to use several sample formats, such as single tubes, tube racks (up to 40 tubes/rack), 96-well plates (U- and V-bottom) and 384-well plates. The facility is on lower level 2 of the ACTRI building and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Read more and to schedule an appointment.
Funding Opportunities
NEW** ACTRI Invites Proposals for 2018 Academic-Community Partnership Pilot Project Grants Deadline: November 6, 2017 by 5 p.m. PT
ACTRI and IEM Invite Applications for 2018 Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine (GEM) Awards Phase I (Open to Clinically Active UC San Diego Faculty) Deadline: November 20, 2017 by 5 p.m. PT
ACTRI Invites Proposals for TL1 Postdoctoral Fellowships Deadline: November 1, 2017 by 12 p.m. PT
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
ACTRI News and Features
Is Muscle Always Muscle?
Research in Spinal Muscle Lands ACTRI Fellow Shahidi Two NIH Grants Before embarking on a career in research, Bahar Shahidi, PhD, DPT, was a physical therapist working with patients who had chronic spine issues. The more time she spent in the clinic, the more questions she had that could only be addressed through research. After spending seven years with patients—with a glimpse into research while also working in a neurophysiology research lab on an after-hours project—Dr. Shahidi changed her career focus to research and received a PhD in neurophysiology. As a postdoctoral researcher in 2015, she joined the Radiology and Orthopedic Surgery Departments at UC San Diego, and shortly thereafter was named one of the first TL1 postdoctoral fellows at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI). Her two-year TL1 project, “Muscle Structural, Metabolic, and Adaptive Features in Acute and Chronic Disc Herniation,” led to being awarded two NIH grants, an R03 as Principal Investigator and an R01 as Co-Investigator.
Read more
UC BRAID Weaves Network of Successful Strategies with Goal of Improving Health To coincide with its annual retreat this month, the
University of California Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration and Development (UC BRAID) reported its accomplishments over the past year. A consortium of five UC medical campuses with Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), UC BRAID streamlines administrative processes to accelerate research to improve health. “UC BRAID continues to build on our successful collaboration, which is critical to creating networks and developing resources for enhancing clinical and translational research,” said Gary S. Firestein, MD, UC BRAID leader and director of UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI).
Read more
ACTRI Clinic Director Wallace Among 2017 “Top Docs” Mark S. Wallace, MD, is one of the 2017 Top Doctors in San Diego featured in the annual
San Diego Magazine “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” survey. Dr. Wallace, Chair of the Division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology of UC San Diego, directs the ACTRI Division of Clinical Research.
Register Now! ACTRI Cognitive Resilience in Aging Symposium on November 1 The Center for Life Course Research at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) will present a symposium, “Cognitive Resilience in Aging,” on
Wednesday, November 1 from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the ACTRI Building. This symposium, which features an international group of speakers, will explore the factors that contribute to cognitive and brain health in aging, and the methodologies for studying brain health in aging from a life course perspective.
Read more and register |

In This Issue
Upcoming Seminars ACTRI SEMINAR SERIES
The Role of Immunodominant Peptides in Stimulating Natural Regulatory T Cells
SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, December 15 3:00 p.m.
ACTRI Auditorium (first floor)
Presented by: Alessandra Franco, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Pediatrics UC San Diego
Read more
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 third session in the series is scheduled for
Tuesday, November 7. The presentation will be “Effective Writing, Part II.” The session will take place at the ACTRI building. RSVP is required to
ctri-education@ucsd.edu.
Read more
IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE SEMINAR
Partnering to Develop and Pilot a Novel Method for Selecting and Tailoring Implementation Strategies
Wednesday, November 15 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) Rady Children’s Plaza, San Diego
Presented by: Byron J. Powell, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Health Policy and Management University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ACTRI-Supported Ethics Forum:
Are We Ready to Edit Our Children’s Genes?
Wednesday, November 1 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Fleet Science Center Balboa Park, San Diego
Presented by: Evan Y. Snyder, MD, PhD Professor Human Genetics Program Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery 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 |