UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) is part of a national Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program (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, Spring 2018
 I am pleased to announce that Tricorder medical device testing will continue at UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI). Through a new initiative – the Tricorder Device Development Project – ACTRI and the Jacobs School of Engineering are creating a sustainable testing center for novel consumer and medical devices that can improve health. Medical devices are essential components in advancing medicine and providing critical patient care. Development and testing of new devices, used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, are integral to ensuring quality of life and patient safety. ACTRI had been the testing site for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition, which concluded last spring. We are excited to lead the new project and test second-generation Star Trek®-inspired medical devices.
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Funding Opportunities
NEW**ACTRI and Pfizer Announce the Call for Pre-Proposals for Biotherapeutic and Small-Molecule Targets
Deadline: April 23, 2018
ACTRI Seeks Proposals for Administrative Supplements
ACTRI Vouchers for ACTRI Research Services (In-kind)
NCATS Open Funding Opportunities
Courtesy Postings
ACTRI News and Features
Intriguing Talks Mark ACTRI Translational Science Symposium Former FDA commissioner Robert Califf, MD, and four researchers supported by UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) delivered inspiring presentations during the 2018 ACTRI Translational Science Symposium on April 5. The theme of the program was “Emerging Issues and Solutions in Infectious Disease.” More than 100 researchers and staff from UC San Diego and partner institutions attended the symposium, which took place at the ACTRI Building. The event opened with a welcome by ACTRI director Gary S. Firestein, MD, and the presentation of the 2018 Daniel T. O’Connor Memorial Award to Kevin King, MD, PhD, and concluded with the keynote talk by Dr. Califf, “The Role of ‘Real World Evidence’ and Big Data in Development and Assessment of Therapies.” ACTRI executive committee members Colin Depp, PhD, and Paul Mills, PhD, co-led the symposium. The presenters with the ACTRI leaders are (from left): Jeannie Huang, MD, MPH; Paul Mills, PhD; Colin Depp, PhD; Frank Talke, PhD; Gabriel Wagner, MD; Aaron Carlin, MD, PhD; Robert Califf, MD; and Gary S. Firestein, MD. Dr. Califf’s talk will be available on the UC Wellbeing Channel on May 11.
Bookmark the UCTV page.
Symposium presentation titles.
Daniel T. O’Connor Award Presented to King during ACTRI Symposium Kevin King, MD, PhD, received the 2018 Daniel T. O’Connor Memorial Award during the ACTRI Translational Science Symposium on April 5. Joining hands (from left) are: ACTRI leader Paul Mills, PhD; Kellie Evans-O’Connor; and King. Ms. Evans-O’Connor, the widow of Dr. O’Connor, established the award to provide an additional $5,000 of support each year to the top-ranked ACTRI pilot project. She and Dr. Mills co-presented the award.
Read more about Dr. King and his project, “Clinical Pilot of Single Cell Analysis during Human Cardiac Ischemia and Infarction."
 NCATS Features ACTRI-Supported Researcher Fiza Singh, MD, on Website UC San Diego researcher Fiza Singh, MD, was featured this month on the NCATS Features and Briefs web page. The story, “CTSA Program Support Enables Innovative Study of Brain Function,” is about Dr. Singh’s 2016 ACTRI pilot study on enhancing gamma band response in schizophrenia patients to improve working memory.
Read the NCATS story
Trial Innovation Network
What types of studies should be submitted?
The Trial Innovation Network (TIN) is a platform for multi-center trials and studies that encompass a wide-range of disciplines. Investigators do not need to apply for a specific RFA, but should propose a multi-center trial or study. The Network will prioritize proposals for multi-center clinical trials and studies with patient-oriented endpoints with potential for impact on clinical practice and operational innovation as well as proposals that foster collaborations with other NIH ICs over proposals seeking funding from NCATS. UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) is a TIN Hub Liaison Team.
Find out more about TIN and consulting with ACTRI on your project. |
   
In This Issue
Upcoming Seminars ACTRI Seminar Series
Development and Application of Computational Methods for Analysis of Flow and Mass Cytometry Data: A Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Illustration
Thursday, June 7, 2018
2 p.m.
ACTRI Building, First-floor Auditorium Presented by:
Richard H. Scheuermann, PhD
Director, La Jolla Campus, J. Craig Venter Institute; Adjunct Professor, Department of Pathology, 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 ninth session in the series, “HR Issues,” by Janet Kamerman, Chief, Human Resources, UC San Diego Health, and “Project Management, Part 1,” by Joel Dimsdale, MD, is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1. The session will take place at the ACTRI building. RSVP is required to
ctri-education@ucsd.edu.
Read more
ACTRI Co-Hosts 2018 SoCal Dissemination, Implementation & Improvement Science Symposium
Creating Learning Health and Population Health Systems
Thursday, June 28, 2018
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The California Endowment, downtown Los Angeles
Read more, register and learn about submitting poster abstracts
ACTRI-Supported Ethics Forum
Scientists and Society at a Crossroads: Seabed Mining in the Deep Sea
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Fleet Science Center
Balboa Park, San Diego Presented by:
Lisa A. Levin, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Biological Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
UC San Diego
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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 |