MORNING. THIS IS THE CONVENING OF THE 137th MEETING OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY EYE COUNCIL. GREETINGS TO EVERYONE WHO IS HERE AND THIS IS THE LIVE VIDEO FOR OUTSIDE VIEWERS. YOU HAVE THE DRAFT AGENDA, ACTUALLY THE AGENDA, IN FRONT OF YOU. WE WILL HAVE -- I WILL PROVIDE SOME OPENING REMARKS AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE CURRENT BUDGET STATUS. WE HAVE A REPORT FROM DR. GYAN PRAKASH ON INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM S. I WILL HAVE SOME WORDS ON THE STATE OF AUDACIOUS GOALS INITIATIVE, THEN WE WILL OPEN THE MIC TO ALL OF YOU FOR GENERAL COUNCIL DISCUSSION BEFORE WE BREAK FOR LUNCH. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME TWO NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, MONICA VETTER AND STEVE MCCLEOD. DR. BETTER IS AT UNIVERSITY OF UTAH WHERE SHE CHAIRS THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY AND ANATOMY. SHE HAS A BACKGROUND IN NEUROSCIENCE AT UCSF WITH DR. MIKE BISHOP, GOOD PEDIGREE TO HAVE. THEN LILY BEFORE MOVING TO UNIVERSITY OF UTAH AND ULTIMATELY ASSUMING POSITION PROFESSOR AND CHAIR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY. WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING ON THE COUNCIL. DR. STEVE MCCLEOD IS CHAIR OF OPTHALMOLOGY AT UCSF. MEDICAL DEGREE FROM JOHNS HOPKINS, WHERE I UNDERSTAND ANOTHER COUNCIL MEMBER SHEILA WEST HELPEDDED TO EDUCATE HIM IN THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW. DID INTERNSHIP AT BETH ISRAEL OPTHALMOLOGY RESIDENCE SAY AT ILLINOIS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY. GOOD PLACE TO COME FROM, MY ALMA MATER. FELLOWSHIP TRAINING IN CORNEA AND THEN ULTIMATELY MOVED TO UCSF WHERE HE IS CHAIR. WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU. THE ONLY COST OF THE TICKET TO BE ON COUNCIL IS TO SAY SOMETHING. IMPORTANT TO PARTICIPATE THERE ARE NO WRONG STATEMENTS TO MAKE. THERE ARE ONLY COMMENTS THAT WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY MYSELF, BY ANY EYE STAFF AND BY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO WELCOME. WE HAVE A LIST, LONG LIST ACTUALLY, OF STAFF CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING AND ABOUT TO HAPPEN. THE FIRST AS YOU CAN SEE IS DR. DEBRA HARPER SNOT SITTING HERE AT THE HEAD TABLE. DR.CARPER SERVED FOR FOUR AND SOME YEARS AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE. SHE THOUGHT THAT AFTER 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO NIH MOST OF WHICH WAS AT THE NEI, THAT IT WAS TIME FOR HER TO RETIRE. I'M PLEASED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER CONSIDERABLE HELP OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS IN A NUMBER OF ISSUES FOR THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE. HER REPLACEMENT AFTER A NATIONAL SEARCH THAT TRANSPIRED OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST YEAR IS DR. BELINDA SETO, THE NEW NEI DEPUTY DIRECTOR, Ph.D. IN BIOCHEMISTRY FROM PURDUE, WITH A LONG HISTORY OF ACTIVITIES AT NIH AND OTHER SCIENCE AND MEDICAL PARTS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INCLUDING FDA. SHE FIRST CAME TO NIH IN 1974 AS POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW AND ULTIMATELY ABOUT 20 YEARS LATER MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL NIH OFFICE OF EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH SERVING THERE AS DIRECTOR OF REPORTS AND ANALYSIS. THEN FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS SINCE 2003 SHE WAS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NIBIB. BIOIMAGING INSTITUTE. I AM PLEASEDDED THAT SHE WAS INTERESTED IN AND BECAME THE NEW NEI DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SOMEONE WITH CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE AROUND THE NIH. TO MY GREAT CHAGRIN SITTING NEXT TO ME, DR. LORE' ANN MCNICOL WILL ALSO BE RETIRING AFTER MANY YEARS AT NIH. I'M TOLD YEARS MORE THAN TEN BUT NOT ALL THAT MANY I'M SURE. SHE CAME TO NIH IN 1985 IN THE NIAID IN PARASITIC DISEASE AND SOON AFTER IN 1989 JOINED THE NEKI AND BECAME DIRECTOR OF THE CORNEA DISEASES PROGRAM. LORE' ANNE HAS HELD MANY POSITIONS WITHIN NEI INCLUDING ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND CURRENTLY DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH. SHE WILL BE RETIRING, NEVER GONE BUT OFFICIALLY RETIRING THE END OF SEPTEMBER WHICH WILL BE JUST BEFORE THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING IN OCTOBER. THANK YOU, LORE' ANNE FOR MANY YEARS OF SUPERB SERVICE. [APPLAUSE] DR. RICHARD FISHER WILL BE RETIRING AT THE END OF THE MONTH. HE SERVED FOR THREE AND A HALF TO FOUR YEARS AS DIRECTOR OF THE NEI OFFICE OF PROGRAM PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS OPPA. HE CAME TO THE EYE INSTITUTE IN 1999 AND BECAME DIRECTOR OF CORNEA DISEASE PROGRAM. RICK AND I THEN HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER SINCE 2003, 2004. WHEN NEI TOOK THE LEAD IN THE NANOMEDICINE INITIATIVE WHICH WAS A COMPONENT OF THE ZERHOUNI NIH ROADMAP. RICK WAS VERY CREATIVE, VERY INNOVATIVE AND VERY DEDICATED IN ORGANIZING AND SHEPHERDING AND RUNNING THE NANOMEDICINE INITIATIVE. THAT INITIATIVE HAD A TEN YEAR COURSE KNOWN TO BE A TERMINAL TEN YEAR COURSE, AND THE LAST OF THAT INITIATIVE WILL PLAY OUT OVER THE NEXT YEAR. SO AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS AT PROGRAM PLANNING RICK WILL BE RE TIRING A SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FOR THE EYE INSTITUTE, ALSO BECAUSE RICK ORGANIZED AND LED THE AUDACIOUS GOALS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS I WILL PERSONALLY MISS HIS EXPERT ADVICE AND CREATIVITY IN ORGANIZING EVENTS FOR THE ADO SHUTS GOALS. RICK, I HOPE YOU ARE HERE. [APPLAUSE] NOT TO LET THE LIST GET SHORT, DR. DAVID WHITMER, EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE EYE INSTITUTE, LEFT A FEW WEEKS AGO TO MOVE TO HOME HIS FAMILY HAS BEEN LIVING IN FLORIDA FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. DAVID HAS BEEN COMMUTING. THAT GOT A LITTLE THIN AND HE'S BEEN LOOKING FOR A PHYSICIAN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. HE LEFT FROM I THINK THE $700 MILLION NEI BUDGET, TAKE CHARGE OF A $4 BILLION BUDGET AS PART OF THE VA ADMINISTRATION. I EXPECT HE ARRIVED TOO LATE TO CATCH A PLANE FOR THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS. NEVER TOO LATE. BUT HE WILL SERVE AS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR VETERANS ADMINISTRATION SUNSHINE HEALTHCARE NETWORK WHICH EN. COME PASSES STATES SURROUNDING OR A LITTLE KNOT OF I GUESS FLORIDA. LITTLE NORTH OF FLORIDA. I WILL MISHIS EXPERT ADVICE OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AT NEI, HIS POSITION BEING FILLED BY VICKIE BUCKLEY AS ACTING EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NEI. VICKIE, WELCOME. AND DAVE, THANKS FOR THE HELP, HE IS NOT HERE TODAY. FINALLY GENERALNY WANGER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, SHE WILL BE RETIRING ALONG WITH -- PARDON ME, JENNIE. AT NSF. VICKIE HAS SERVEDDED VERY WELL IN THE REORGANIZED COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE, REORGANIZED AS OF ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO SHE HAS HIRED A NUMBER OF CRITICAL PEOPLE AND HAS OFFERED GOOD ADVICE TO THE INSTITUTE OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF. ANYONE CAN FIND A JOB FOR HER HUSBAND I'M SURE SHE WOULD STAY HERE AT NEI, IS THAT RIGHT, JENNIE? [APPLAUSE] >> I'M STILL -- SO DAN SIMPSON WILL BE SERVING AS THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NEI COMMUNICATION, DAN HAS A VERY INTERESTING BACK GROUND, Ph.D. IN NEUROSCIENCE A LAW DEGREE AND NOW A SUPERB WRITER WHO PLOWED HIS WAY THROUGH INTRICACIES OF THE KIND OF WORK (INDISCERNIBLE) THAT IS THE LIST OF CHANGES THAT PEOPLE CURRENTLY AND INTO THE NEXT HALF YEAR. I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE MANY MORE SO I THINK THE LIST WILL BE SHORT IN THE FUTURE. BUT NOT TO BE OUTDOWN, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE SUPER HERO CYCLEIST, 2014 NIH AWARD SHERRY WIGGS. CYCLIST SHERRY, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HELMET UNDER THE SEAT THERE? OKAY. LET'S MOVE ON TO OTHER THINGS. THE WORD ABOUT THE BUDGETS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BUDGET REPORT LATER BUT JUST TO ANTICIPATE THAT, YOU WILL RECALL THAT THE SEQUESTER TWO YEARS AGO THAT DROPPED US FROM THE EQUIVALENT OF APPROXIMATELY $700 MILLION THAT DROPPED US BY 6%. 6 TIMES 700 IS $42 MILLION, ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT. BUT WE WHEN FROM NO, MA'AMLY 700 MILLION TO 660 MILLION. LAST YEAR WE HAD AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 3% NOMINALLY, SO HALF THE SIX PERCENT WE LOST WE GOT BACK. THAT TOOK US TO THE CURRENT OPERATING BUDGET, 2014 CURRENT BUDGET OF 673 MILLION DOLLARS. IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, NEI WENT UP BY $2 MILLION TO 675. THAT WAS A FLAT DISTRIBUTION OF THE INCREASE THAT ALL OF NIH WAS LOOKING AT IN THE 2015 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET. ON TUESDAY THE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE LABOR HHS DID A MARK UP OF THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET AND GAVE AN INCREASE TO NIH NOMINALLY IF I UNDERSTAND IT OF ABOUT 1% AND MORE TO THE NEI PUTTING US UP IN THEIR MARK UP 10 MILLION ABOVE THE CURRENT OPERATING BUDGET. THAT WOULD TAKE US TO $683 MILLION. ABOUT A ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE. NA IS NOT THE LAST WORD ON THIS, IT NEEDS TO GO TO FULL COMMITTEE FOR SCHEDULED MARK UP TODAY BUT AS OF YESTERDAY POSTPONED INDEFINITELY, THERE'S A LITTLE TURMOIL THAT CAME OUT OF VIRGINIA, I'M SURE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE POSTPONEMENT. BUT AS IT STANDS AT THE MOMENT, WE, NEI AND NIH AS A WHOLE ARE LOOKING AT A SMALL INCREASE AND EYE COUNCIL AND STAFF WILL NEED TO CONSIDER HOW BEST TO DO $10 MILLION IN MONEYS SHOULD THAT SURVIVE THE FULL MARK UP. LET ME TURN TO SOME ISSUES OF SCIENCE. LAST WEEK THE BRAIN INITIATIVE REPORTED OUT TO THE ADVISORY COUNCIL TO DIRECTOR, THE EQUIVALENT OF THE NATIONAL ADVISORY EYE COUNCIL NEI, THAT'S THE ADVISORY COUNCIL TO THE NIH DIRECTOR, THE LEADS ON BRAIN INITIATIVE CO-CHAIRS BILL NEW SOME, CORRY BARKMAN, YOU WILL RECALL IN JANUARY BILL WAS ON THE PHONE AND GAVE US THE STATUS AT THAT TIME OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. WHAT YOU HEARD IN JANUARY IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT WAS PRESENTEDDED TO THE ACD THIS PAST WEEK. WITH A FEW FURTHER DETAILS. THE ADVISORY COUNCIL WAS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THAT PRESENTATION. APPROVED IT TO GO FORWARD. FRANCIS COLLINS ACCEPTED THAT APPROVAL AND THE NIH IS NOW COMMITTED TO THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IN THE BROAD STROKE STROKESES YOU CAN FIND DETAILS OF NIH ON THE BRAIN. FLAVOR OF WHAT THAT S. CURRENT YEAR, $40 MILLION IS BEING COMMITTED OR IS COMMITTED AND WILL BE EXPENDED FISCAL YEAR 2014. THAT MONEY CAME OUT OF FOUR INSTITUTES CONTRIBUTED BY I SHOULD SAY FOUR INSTITUTES, NINDS, MENTAL HEALTH, NIDA DRUG ABUSE AND NIBIB WHICH DOES IMAGING AND A LOT OF BRAIN NICHE THETIVES RELY ON NOVEL KINDS OF IMAGING. THOSE INSTITUTES PUT UP A SOME SUM OF MONEY AND AFTER NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN BUILDING ONE AND ABOVE BUILDING ONE ULTIMATELY $40 MILLION WAS COMMITTED. OF THAT MONEY, CONGRESS SPECIFICALLY AND NEWLY COMMITTED THREE QUARTERS OF $40 MILLION WE WENT INTO THE FACE OF THE FOUR INSTITUTES. I I MENTIONED. THE TRAJECTORY FOR THIS INITIATIVE IS TO THE START AT $40 MILLION CURRENT YEAR, NEXT YEAR THERE IS A REQUEST FROM THE WHITE HOUSE FOR $100 MILLION AS THE NIH COMPONENT. AND THAT IS ON A TRAJECTORY UP TO $500 MILLION PER YEAR. THE INITIATIVE WILL BE GOING TO 2020 AND BEYOND. SO WE ARE TALKING A SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT IN BRAIN OVER $5 BILLION FOR THE NEXT ONE AND A HALF DECADES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY TEN INSTITUTES THAT HAVE RAISED THEIR HANDS. INCLUDING THE EYE INSTITUTE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. MIKE STEINMETZ WILL HAVE WORDS LATER THIS MORNING WHAT THE BRAIN MEANS TO THE VISION COMMUNITY. WHEN I PRESENTED OVERVIEW OF NEI STATUS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES AND DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND RESEARCH CARES, I PUT UP AF> I PERSONALLY LIKED IT WHEN I READ THE REPORT, I THINK IT'S VERY BRAVE THING WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. AND I HIT WILL BE A GAME CHANGER FOR THE INSTITUTE. (INDISCERNIBLE) HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY T RETINA P COMPONENT AND CENTRAL VISUAL PROCESSING COMPONENT OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AND NOW IT BEHOOVES US TO THINK AHEAD AND TRY TO BE SMART ABOUT WHAT'S THE BEST WAY OF ENGAGING THE INITIATIVE. THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES I CAN IMAGINE, LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING WITH ALL OF YOU IN THE FUTURE. >> THANK YOU. AS I SAID, MIKE STEINMETZ PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR VISUAL PROCESSING WILL HAVE SOME WORDS ON BRAIN. ANOTHER BIG INITIATIVE THAT WAS LAUNCHED BY FRANCIS COLLINS IS ON BIG DATA. OTHERWISE KNOWN AS BD 2K INITIATIVE THAT WAS STARTED IN 2012. ANTICIPATED FUNDING FOR THIS IS $24 MILLION ANNUALLY. THAT WILL BE CENTRAL NIH MONEY BUT THERE WILL BE -- NEED TO BE SOME SUPPORT FROM NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL ICs. A LEAD FOR THAT WAS HIRED BY FRANCIS, PHILLIP BORNE IS THE NEW NIH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR DATA SCIENCE, DECEMBER 2013. IT CAME FROM UCSD WHICH I THINK ALL OF US RECOGNIZE AS A INSTITUTIONAL HOME FOR DATA AND ANALYTICS. HE WAS THERE THE ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR INNOVATION, SCIENCE ALLIANCE IN THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AFFAIRS AND PROFESSOR IN PHARMACOLOGY. TRAINED AS A PHYSICAL CHEMIST. BELINDA CETO NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR SERVES ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF BD 2K. BELINDA HAS DEEP, I WOULD SAY DEEP EXPERTISE IN BIG DATA. SO THE EYE INSTITUTE WILL BE WELL REPRESENTED. ERIC AS I REMEMBER YOU EXPRESSEDDED AN INTEREST AND A NEED FROM PERSPECTIVE OF COUNCIL OVER THE PAST TWO AND EVEN THREE COUNCIL SESSIONS SO WE'RE THERE. BELINDA AND I AND NEI WOULD LIKE FURTHER IDEAS FROM YOU ON HOW WE CAN SHAPE OUR PARTICIPATION, RECOGNIZING OF COURSE THAT THIS IS BEING DRIVEN AS A COLLECTIVE ACTION BY MANY NIH INSTITUTES. AUDACIOUS GOALS, I WILL HAVE TIME LATER THIS MORNING ON THAT. THEN THERE IS SOMETHING I'M SURE YOU HEARD ABOUT WHICH IS THE REVIEW OF THE NIH INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM. NOT QUITE SURE WHAT WORD TO USE THERE, WHETHER IT'S A REVIEW OR WHETHER IT'S STRATEGIC PLANNING OR IT'S -- EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS. TECHNICALLY IT'S CALLED LONG TERM PLANNING FOR NIH INTRAMURAL RESEARCH. IT IS ENGENDERED BY REQUEST FROM BUILDING ONE FRANCIS COLLINS. TO HAVE EACH OF THE INSTITUTE COMPONENTS, NEI, TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITHIN THE NEI INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM AND TO DO BLUE SKY THINKING AS TO WHAT WOULD BE GOOD TO DO IN THAT PROGRAM. THAT OBVIOUSLY IS OF INTEREST TO THE EYE INSTITUTE. BEYOND THAT, HOWEVER, THE MOTIVATOR FOR THIS IS TO TAKE THE ANALYSES OF ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL INSTITUTES HAND TO COMPILE THEM INTO SOME INTEGRATED HARMONIZED DOCUMENT AND THAT WORK IS GOING ON NOW. IT WILL BE PRESENTED IN MID NOVEMBER ADVISORY COUNCIL TO THE NIH DIRECTOR IN DECEMBER. A FEW WORDS ON THE -- THERE WAS A PROFILE SPECIFIED BY BUILDING ONE AS TO HOW THESE REVIEWS SHOULD HAPPEN. SO FAR THE NEI HAS CONVENED A RETREAT OF THE -- FOR THE ENTIRE NEI INTRAMURAL INVESTIGATORS. DID THAT IN APRIL BEFORE (INAUDIBLE) WE HAVE ALSO CONVENED EXTERNAL INTERNAL ADVISORY PLANNING GROUP. THE CHAIRS ON THAT CO-CHAIRS TRY CHAIRS I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL IT, THE CHAIRS OF THE BSC DON ZACK AND VICTOR PEREZ AND I AM THE SECOND OR THIRD CO-CHAIR OF THAT. MEMBERS INCLUDED JOHN DOWLING, ERIC PEIRCE, THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING. PAMELA RAYMOND. MARTHA SHARMAM BRIAN BROOKS WHO ARE SENIOR INVESTIGATORS WITHIN NEI. BOB BALABAN SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR OF HEART LUNG AND BLOOD AND BILL GAL, CLINICAL DIRECTOR OF HUMAN GENOME INSTITUTE. THE STATUS OF THIS IS IDEAS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED THE DRAFT REPORT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED, IT WILL THEN GO TO THE CO-CHAIRS AND THE COMMITTEE FURTHER INPUT AND WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE NIH AS THE NEI COMPONENT OF THIS GLOBAL PLAN. I WISH THAT I COULD GIVE YOU A CONCISE STATEMENT OF THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS. 1 THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO DO BECAUSE I'M SURE THIS CONCEPT OF NIH ACTIVITY WILL BE USED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. INCLUDING, ONE CAN IMAGINE, HAVING SOME CONCERTED EFFORT IN THE AREA OF NEUROSCIENCE WHICH WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE OF INTEREST TO NEI GIVEN OUR BIG CAPACITY FOR VISUAL NEUROSCIENCE. LET ME CONCLUDE WITH A COUPLE OF INTERESTING TIDBITS ON IDEAS THAT CAME TO FRUITION AND PUBLISHED OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. I DOA)3– THIS WITH TREPIDATION KNOWING THAT WE HAVE A VERY VIBRANT BIG RESEARCH COMMUNITY SO ANY SELECTION HERE IS NOT INTENDED TO HIGHLIGHT PARTICULAR AREAS OTHER THAN TO JUST TAKE NOTE OF INTERESTING THINGS. PHOTO SWITCHES FOR RESTORING VISION OPTOGENETICS. THIS IS WORK IN PART ORGANIZED THROUGH THE NANOMEDICINE INITIATIVE THAT THE NEI LED. IT STARTED WITH THE DIASOBON MOLECULES THAT BOND IS SENSITIVE TO CONFIGURATION OF THAT BOND IS SENSITIVE TO UV LIGHT AND IT WAS A WAY OF ESSENTIALLY MAKING A BALL AND CHAIN CHANNEL PUT INTO A MEMBRANE AND WITH LIGHT. THERE ARE MANY SUCH MANY POSSIBLE USES OF THAT BUT ONE WOULD BELIEVE TO MAKE CELLS IN THE RETINA LIGHT SENSITIVE THAT ORDINARILY WOULD NOT BE, THERE BY POTENTIALLY RESTORE VISION TO ANIMALS OR EVEN PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE HAVE LOST THE ABILITY OF PHOTO RECEPTORS TO RESPOND. OREGON STUDY ON AFAKIA. INFANTS BORN WITH CATARACT, QUESTION LONG STANDING HAS BEEN HOW EARLY YOU TAKE OUT THE CATARACT BEFORE THE EYE SUFFERS FROM AMBLIOPIA, WITH BILATERAL CATARACTS, YOU CAN HAVE BILATERAL AMBLIOPIA, DAMAGED VISUAL FUNCTION AND ACUITY, IF THE CATARACTS ARE NOT DEALT WITH. STUDY WAS CONDUCTEDDED ON WHETHER TO IMPLANT INTRAOCULAR LENSES OR TO CORRECT WITH CONTACT LENSES. ANYONE HAS HAD A SQUIRMING 12 MONTH OLD KID CAN IMAGINE THE DIFFICULTY IN WRESTLING WITH CONTACT LENSES IN A 12 MONTH OLD. THE BOTTOM LINE WAS THAT THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN VISUAL ACUITY OUTCOME BY AGE 5. BUT THAT OBVIOUSLY WHILE CONTACT ARE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE, THE SURGICAL PROBLEMS OF INTRAOCULAR LENSES ARE LITTLE MORE SEVERE. SO BOTTOM LINE PREFERENCE IS TO TREAT WITH CONTACT LENSES. HOW UV LIGHT CONTRIBUTES TO CATARACT, PAPER IN JBC OF INTEREST TO LOOK AT PATHWAYS OF THE MOLECULAR EVENTS THAT UV LIGHT TRIGGERS. AND PRACTICAL BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU'RE OUT IN INTENSE UV LIGHT SUN GLARING OFF THE WATER, SUNGLASSES (INAUDIBLE) A LONG TIME AGO. FINALLY THERE IS INTENSE INTEREST IN ARTIFICIAL VISION WITH THE BUY I DON'T KNOWIC EYE, THE RETINAL CHIP IMPLANT APPROACH THAT IS NOW BEEN DONE NUMBER OF CENTERS AROUND THE GLOBE. AND THE INTERESTING OUTPUT OF THAT IS THAT IT HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON THE ORGANIZATION OF VISION AT THE SURFACE OF THE RETINA. ORDINARILY PHOTO RECEPTORS FEED THROUGH INTRICACIES OF THE CIRCUITS AND NETWORKS THAT MONICA WILL TELL YOU ABOUT. AND BY THE TIME IT GETS TO THE GANGLION CELLS IT'S NICELY ORGANIZED BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU TAP INTO THAT HOW DO YOU STRUCTURE THE STIMULUS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESIDUAL CAPACITY THAT MAY EXIST AT LEVEL OF GANGLIA CELLS. THERE'S A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORKING IN THAT, ONE IS (INDISCERNIBLE) WHO IS AT STANFORD PUBLISHING NEURON. SO VERY INTERESTING THINGS THAT THE VISION COMMUNITY IS DOING ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF THE ELEMENTS OF VISION. WITH THAT, LET ME STOP AND ASK FOR ANY COMMENTS OF ANY SORT AROUND THE TABLE.ok MARK. NO. ANYONE ELSE? IF NOT, THEN LET'S MOVE ON TO THE AGENDA WHICH IS CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES. >> THANK YOU. A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS. THE CONFERENCE ROOM FOLKS HAVE CRACKED OPEN THE DOOR IN THE BACK WHICH WILL BE AN EASIER WAY FOR PEOPLE TO GET UPSTAIRS OR TO GO TO THE RESTROOM FACILITIES WITHOUT DEALING WITH THE LOUD AND VERY HEAVY DOOR UP FRONT. DR. JONATHAN HAYNES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND TODAY. HE HAD TWO SUCCESSIVE FLIGHTS CANCEL BECAUSE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND JUST WAS NOT ABLE TO GET HERE TODAY. MS. PETRILLO IS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND WITH A LONG STANDING COMMITMENT. IN FRONT OF ME ON THE TABLE YOU EACH HAVE A MANILA FOLDER WITH TWO DOCUMENTS THAT YOU NEED TO SIGN AND DATE AND AT THE END OF THE MEETING RETURN TO MS. GAIL SAUNDERS. GAIL, RAISE YOUR HAND. ON ONE YOU INDICATE THAT YOU WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY ACTION UNDER WHICH YOU HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND ON THE OTHER YOU INDICATE YOU DID NOT SO WE NEED BOTH OF THESE SIGNED BY THE END OF THE DAY. ALSO THERE'S A SIGN IN SHEET AT THE FRONT. I HOPE EVERYONE IN THE ROOM WILL SIGN IN SO WE CAN DOCUMENT WHO WAS HERE AT THE MEETING. I WILL REMIND YOU IN THE ELECTRONIC BOOKS WERE THE MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MOTION FORCEPPING THE MINUTES. THANK YOU,O. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE SAY -- RAISE YOUR HANDS. OPPOSED. THANK YOU. IF IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS ANYONE DISCOVERS A TYPO OR SOMETHING IMPORTANT LEFT OUT, LET ME KNOW, NO MATTER HOW OFTEN YOU READ THESE. SO NEXT I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A BUDGET UPDATE. AND SO IT'S UP ON THE SCREEN, A HISTORY FROM 2012 THROUGH THIS FISCAL YEAR. JUST ON THE GROWTH NEI BUDGET AND PERCENT CHANGE. THESE NUMBERS ARE SCRUBBED OF SEQUESTRATIONS, RESCISSIONS, SECRETARIES TRANSFERS AND AIDS TRANSFERS. THEY DO NOT INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTS OR AMERICAN REINVESTMENT AND RECOVERY ACT. ARRA WHICH WERE SORT OF ADDITIONAL BUDGET NUMBERS. WHAT YOU CAN SEE JUST FROM THE RAW NUMBERS IS THAT THE APPROPRIATION HAS BEEN GOING DOWN ABSOLUTELY. THIS LAST YEAR WAS THE REALLY HARD HIT WITH THE 2013 BUDGET, THIS YEAR WE HAD A TWO AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE WHICH WAS VERY WELCOME. THIS BAR GRAPH SHOWS BOTH THE ABSOLUTE APPROPRIATION WHICH IS -- ARE THE BLUE BARS AND THEN THE BUYING POWER. BUYING POWER FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH IS SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT TO CALCULATE. WHAT THE NIH USES IS A BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PRICE INDEX OR BIRD PIE. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE SOMEWHAT MORE WELL KNOWN CONSUMER PRICE INDEX WHICH THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SETS NUMBERS OUT MONTHLY. IT LOOKS AT -- THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, THE CPI, LOOKING -- LOOKS AT A MARKET BASKET INPUT OF THE ARCH AMERICAN, THINGS LIKE RENT AND FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION AND CLOTHING. THE BIRD PIE SIMILARLY LOOKS AT INPUTS INTO RESEARCH. THIS MARKET BASKET WAS P PUT TOGETHER IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NIH AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. AND IT INCLUDES PERSONNEL WHICH IS THE LARGEST DRIVER FOR THE COSTS OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND SUPPLY, EQUIPMENT, ANIMALS. SO USINGING THAT INFLATER GIVES YOU THE RED BARS WHICH SHOW BUYING POWER HAS DROPPED OFF FAR MORE THAN THE ABSOLUTE APPROPRIATION. THE BIRD PIE WAS PUT TOGETHER IN THE MID 70s. AND OBVIOUSLY IS NOT TERRIBLY UP TO DATE IN TERMS OF TECHNICALLY THE TYPE OF RESEARCH THAT'S DONE NIH FUNDED LABORATORIES. THEN THE LAST MONTH DR. COLLINS PUT TOGETHER A COMMITTEE THAT IS GOING TO REEXAMINE THAT MARKET BASKET TO TRY TO BRING IT MORE UP TO DATE. BUT I THINK HOWEVER YOU MASSAGE THE NUMBERS, IT'S HARD TO GET AWAY WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT BUYING POWER HAS DROPPED. SO THIS IS THE SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST FISCAL YEAR, FY 2013. WE HAD A SEQUESTER THAT TOOK 5.68% OFF THE BUDGET OF ALL THE NIH INSTITUTES. THIS AFFECTED ALL AREAS OF THE NEI EQUALLY, EXTRAMURAL PROGRAM, INTRAMURAL PROGRAM, RESEARCH MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS R&D CONTRACTS WERE ALL CUT AT AN EQUAL PERCENTAGE WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT CUT. I HAVE ALWAYS FELT ANYTHING OVER A 5% CUT IS GETTING TO BE VERY SERIOUS BECAUSE IT GETS INTO THAT PERSONNEL LINE WHICH CERTAINLY ON AN NIH GRANT IS USUALLY ABOUT 80% OF THE TOTAL COST. SO YOU MAKE SIGNIFICANT CUTS IN SUPPLIES IN ANIMALS WHEN YOU GET OVER 5%. IN EXTRAMURAL WE FUNDED 31 FEWER RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS IN 2013, THAT'S ON A BASE OF ABOUT 1410. WE ACTIVELY PROTECTED TRAINING POSITIONS AND TRAINEES, THAT'S A PHILOSOPHICAL DECISION BASED ON THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SEED CORN FOR THE FUTURE. IF WE DON'T KEEP THOSE NUMBERS ADEQUATE, WE WILL HAVE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS DOWN THE ROAD. NORMALLY THIS SET US BACK TO ABOUT THE 2004 FUNDING LEVEL. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE AFICIONADOS OF THE NEI ONE REDUCTION WAS 8 MILLION SPECIAL AIDS MONEY WHICH WAS ACTUALLY NEVER IN OUR BASE BUT WOULD SHOW UP, A LITTLE BIT OF BUDGETING WITH SMOKE AND MIRRORS. THE MAJOR PROJECT THAT WE SUPPORTED WITH THAT MONEY WAS EL SOKA, THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF OCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF AGE, THAT WAS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL STUDY BUT IT HAS ENDED -- WRAPPING UP IN PUBLISHING THE LAST PAPERS. FOR 2014, LOOKING FORWARD WE GOT THIS TWO AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE, 6.73 1/2 MILLION ABOVE LAST YEAR'S POST SEQUESTRATION LEVEL. THE INCREASE WAS SPREAD OUT FAIRLY EVENLY ACROSS, AGAIN ACROSS ALL THE AREAS OF THE INSTITUTE. FOR NON-COMPETING AWARDS THIS YEAR, THEY'RE GOING TO BE FUNDED AT 98% OF THE COMMITTED LEVEL. LAST FISCAL YEAR 2013, THAT WAS 95%. LAST YEAR CENTRAL NIH TOLD ALL THE INSTITUTES THEY HAD TO REDUCE CONTINUING GRANTS BY 5%. THAT WAS ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS YEAR THEY ALLOWED FLEXIBILITY. WE ARE ON THE LOW END, SOME INSTITUTES REDUCE 10%, WE FELT WITH A 2% REDUCTION WE COULD MANAGE OUR COMPETITIVE BUDGET PROPERLY WHILE GIVING PEOPLE ON COMMITTED GRANTS MORE FUNDS. THE AVERAGE COST OF THE NEW RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS WILL REMAIN FLAT AT $404,000 A YEAR TOTAL COST. BECAUSE OF THAT THE NUMBER OF AWARDS WILL DECREASE SLIGHTLY. THIS SHOWS YOU THE MECHANISM TABLE OF WHERE THE MONEY GOES FOR ALL OF EXTRAMURAL FUNDING. ALL FEDERAL BUDGETS GET TO AGENCIES WITH A MECHANISM TABLE THAT THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PREPARES. EACH OF THESE LINES THINK OF IT BEING A BANK VAULT, SPENDING IS NOT WRITING CHECKS O OUT OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, YOU GET MONTHLY OR BIMONTHLY AND YOU PUT ANYTIME THE BANK AND WRITE CHECKS AGAINST IT, YOU HOPEFULLY SAVE SOME IN THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN'T PUT MONEY IN A SAVING ACCOUNT. AND THE MONEY FOR RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS WE CAN ONLY SPEND ON RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS. SO IT'S AS IF IN THE GOVERNMENT YOU GET A YEAR'S INCOME ON OCTOBER FIRST THEN IT GOES INTO THESE DIFFERENT VAULTS AND YOU SPEND OUT OF EACH SEPARATELY. IN THE SUMMER WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PETITION ONB FOR REBUDGETTING REQUEST. BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR NUMBERS OF RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS $415 MILLION, SMALL BUSINESS IS A MANDATORY SET ASIDE, A PERCENTAGE OF ALL RESEARCH GRANT MONEY GOES INTO THIS PROGRAM. WE HAVE HELD OUR CENTERS FAIRLY CONSTANT AT 40. THEN OTHER RESEARCH WHICH INCLUDES COOPERATIVE CLINICAL RE SEARCH, R-24 TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM ANOTHER 64 MILLION. SO PHILOSOPHICALLY WE ARE MAINTAINING THE INSTITUTES EMPHASIS ON INVESTIGATOR INITIATED RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE MONEY GOES. THESE MECHANISM TABLES GET PUBLISHED IN REPORTER FOR ALL THE NIH INSTITUTES. FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS ON AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SO I WENT VERY FINELY THROUGH THE BUDGET AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THEY HAVE BUDGET OVERALL THAT IS 3 1/2 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE NEI YET WE SPEND MORE ABSOLUTE MONEY ON RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS. SO THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN THAT THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR US. LOOK WHERE WE SPEND THE MONEY AND SEE THAT WE MEAN THAT. TRAINING AND CONTRACTS AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF THE BUDGET, THE INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM, THEIR OVERHEAD AND RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT WHICH PAYS OUR SALARIES AND TRAVEL. SO THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY GOES. THIS SHOWS YOU HISTORICALLY HOW WE'RE DOING WITH RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS. THE GREEN BAR IS TOTAL NUMBERS OF GRANTS, YOU CAN SEE IT'S FALLING OFF SLIGHTLY, WE OBVIOUSLY TRIED AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO KEEP THE NUMBERS CONSTANT. THE RED BAR IS NON-COMPETING OUR COMMITMENTS. AND THE BLUE IS COMPETING GRANTS. I SHOULD HAVE SAID IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS THEY SHOULD JUST RAISE THEIR HAND AS I'M GOING. HERE IS OUR SUCCESS RATE. WE HAVE MAINTAINED OUR POSITION AS HAVING THE HIGHEST SUCCESS RATE IN -- OF ALL THE NIH INSTITUTES. IT BOUNCES AROUND YOU CAN SEE IT'S MUCH HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE NIH SUCCESS RATE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ABSOLUTE NUMBERS IT'S DENOMINATOR DRIVEN THE SUCCESS RATE. YOU SEE THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS HAS RISEN OVER THIS PERIOD. YOU CAN GO BACK TO 2004 AND WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE FROM YEAR-TO-YEAR WE HAVE SEEN RISING NUMBERS OF APPLICATIONS WHICH CAUSES AN ABSOLUTE DROP IN SUCCESS RATE. WE FEEL WE HAVE BEEN DOING AS WELL AS WE CAN IN THIS BUDGET CLIMATE. >> MY UNDERSTANDING SO THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS IS (INAUDIBLE). BUT THE OTHER ONE IS AMOUNT OF MONEYS THAT WE4U#„ COMMITTED TO INSTITUTE FUNDING (INAUDIBLE) INVESTIGATOR GRANTS VERSUS THE LARGE PROJECT GRANTS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT (INAUDIBLE) >> DEFINITELY, FAR, FAR MORE. IF YOU LOOK AT CENTER LINES OR CONTRACT RESEARCH AND OTHER INSTITUTES, IT CAN BE HUGE. >> I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE MISUNDERSTAND WHAT THE DIFFERENCES IN FUNDING RATE ACTUALLY (INAUDIBLE) THEY INTERPRET IT TO MEAN SOMEHOW PEOPLE GET MONEY (INAUDIBLE) >> THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT TRUE. SO I'LL ASK IF ANYONE ELSE HAS QUESTIONS -- I SHOULD JUST SAY 2015 IS ON THE HORIZON, NOT MUCH IS HAPPENING. THE LATEST THAT I HAVE SEEN ON WHERE HHS IS GOING IS THEY'RE DOWN FOR 2.9% INCREASE, AS PAUL JUST TOLD YOU YESTERDAY OR TWO DAYS AGO, THE SENATE TABLED ANY FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF OUR APPROPRIATION BILLS. STILL VERY UP IN THE AIR WHERE WE WILL BE THIS FISCAL YEAR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> QUESTIONS, FURTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO TALKING ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND NEI. DR. PRAKASH. >> GOOD MORNING. I'M GYAN PRAKASH, DIRECTOR FOR OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. IT'S A PLEASURE TO COME BEFORE COUNCIL. I CONNECT TO SEVERAL OF YOU FROM TIME TO TIME AND GET YOUR ADVICE AND SOME OF YOU GO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL. THANK YOU DR. SHEILA WEST AND DR. (INDISCERNIBLE) FOR YOUR AD HOC ADVICE WHEN I NEED YOU. IT'S GREAT TO BE PRESENTING BEFORE THE COUNCIL. SO WITH YOUR APPROVAL, WE HAD A MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS AND IT WAS VERY INTERESTING MEETING. ORIGINALLY THINKING WE WILL HAVE EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM PHYSICALLY BUT LOOK THE TRAVEL EXPENDITURE CLOSE TO $60,000, WE HAVE BEEN CONSULTING WITH OUR IT FOLKS ESPECIALLY MICHAEL HERE, WE MADE IT HAPPEN THROUGH WEB EXAND IT WAS A GREAT COST SAVING AND MICHAEL EARNED HIS DIRECTOR'S AWARD FOR THAT. LAST YEAR. SO WE CALLED THIS MEETING INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS AND (INAUDIBLE) THAT WAS FOR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS AND HOW INSTITUTES SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING, WHERE SHOULD WE BE GOING, WHAT OUR PLANS ARE. SO I'M GOING TO PRESENT TO YOU THE OUTCOME AND THEN ALSO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE SINCE THEN. AND WHERE WE ARE HEADING. THEN AT THE END YOU WILL SEEK ADVICE AND GUIDANCE MOVING FORWARD. SO JUST TO START OFF HERE, WHEN NIH DIRECTOR DR. COLLINS JOINED I BELIEVE IN 2009, I WASN'T HERE. EXPANDING THIS DISEASES DEVELOPING THE DEVELOPING -- AFFECTING THE DEVELOPING WORLD AND INTERNATIONAL AGENDA IS ONE OF TOP FIVE PRIORITIES. THIS YEAR IN FEBRUARY WE HELD A PROGRAM, A GLOBAL HEALTH INTEREST GROUP SESSION ON ROLE OF GENOMICS IN GLOBAL HEALTH FROM NEI MAJOR SPONSOR, MAJOR ORGANIZERS. AND HE CAME OVER TO NAWG -- INAUGURATE THE IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL HEALTH IN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS CONTINUES. NIH AND OUR INSTITUTE. P P P NOG RATE SO SEPTEMBER 23RD AS I SAID, NEI CONVENED A MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS AND CONSULTANTS TO DEVELOP AND HELP US DEVELOPING OUR STRATEGIC GOALS. FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AGENDA. AND PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES z IN WHICH WE COULD PLAY AND PARTNER WITH INTERNATIONAL GROUPS TO HELP SUPPORT OUR MISSION IN VISION RESEARCH. HERE IS A LIST OF INTERNATIONAL VISION RESEARCH CONSULTANTS AND LEADERS, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. SO WE CHALLENGE WHEN -- MIDNIGHT IN AUSTRALIA AND (INAUDIBLE) STAYED UP ALL NIGHT TO WORK WITH US. THANK YOU, DR. WEST FOR JOINING US THAT VERY DISTINGUISHED GROUP OF FOLKS HELPED US IN OUR THINKING. IN ADDITION TO INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS WE HAD DR. ROGER GLASS, DIRECTOR FOR -- MOST OF YOU KNOW HE'S PRESENTED HERE DIRECTOR OF FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER NIH. IN ADDITION, WE HAD ALL OUR SENIOR -- MOST SENIOR MANAGEMENT, KEY LEADERS AT NEI JOIN US TO HELP US. SO THE MEETING DISCUSSION ESSENTIALLY HELD AROUND, DR. GLASS PRESENTED NIH GOALS, RESEARCH AND TRAINING, WHAT WERE INHERENT LIMITS OF NIH MISSION, WHAT WE COULD DO AND WHAT CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL FUNDING WHERE WE COULD GO. THERE WAS EMPHASIS IN LIMITED RESOURCES. AND THEN WE LOOKED AT IDENTIFYING UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND RESEARCH AND DR. SIEVING IN HIS OPENING REMARKS EMPHASIZED THESE REASON THE OPPORTUNITIES IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH NOT INTERNATIONAL AID DELIVERY OF VISION AN CARE. DR. GLASS GAVE A NICE DESCRIPTION OF SOME THINGS THAT NIH IN GENERAL IS DOING AND SET GUIDELINES. AND HOW NIH FUNDS COULD BE LEVERAGED TO ASK -- TO ANSWER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. OF HUMAN HEALTH. AND UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY OF HUMAN HEALTH. HE ALSO EMPHASIZED NIH'S COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL TRAINING. HOW DIFFERENT PARALLEL FUNDING WERE OPERATING ASSOCIATION WITH DIFFERENT GOVERNMENTS AND HOW DIFFERENT PARTNERSHIP CREATED, HE TALKED ABOUT GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH WORKING GROUP, THE NEW INITIATORS AND NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE AND TALKED ABOUT OTHER INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS. WITH THAT OVERVIEW OUR INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS HAD A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OUR PARAMETERS WERE, WHAT OUR LIMITS WERE AND WHAT WE OPERATE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO NEI. THEN WE FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION ON SPECIFIC RESEARCH TOPICS. OUR DISTINGUISH PARTICIPANTS THAT PROVIDED THEIR OPINIONS IN THREE SELECTED TOPICS OF VISION RESEARCH. FIRST WAS OCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES, SECOND ENTERTIER YOUR SEGMENT IN INFECTIOUS EYE DISEASES AND THE THIRD ONE UNDERSTANDING AND TALKING ABOUT RESEARCH THAT INVOLVES GENETIC DIVERSITY AND UNIQUE GENE POOLS AVAILABLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. SO THESE WERE SPECIFIC TOPICS WE HELD THESE SESSIONS. NOW, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE MEETING WAS TO DISCUSS GET THE SCIENCE BASE RESEARCH AGENDA WHAT ARE UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR N EI THAT WE COULD PARTICIPATE IN. WE ALSO TALKED PARTNERSHIPS WITH NIH AND OTHER ICs, INSTITUTES AND EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS AND WHERE TO LEVERAGE AND ENHANCE OUR LIMITED RESOURCES. LET ME GO OVER THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EXPERTS. WE TALKED ABOUT UNIQUE GOAL THAT NEI CAN PLAY IN MEETING THE SCIENTIFIC MAN DAY. AS DR. MCNICOL SAID SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE TRAINING ESSENTIALLY REMAINS ONE OF THE HIGH AGENDA ITEMS FOR NIH AS WELL AS NEI AND THAT WAS COVERED THROUGHOUT THE MEETING. BUILD CONSORTIUM FOR RELATED DISEASES AND EFFORT TO BASICALLY ALLOW FOR CONSISTENT DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR COLLABORATIONS. THIS IS WHERE THE NEI COULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPING STANDARDIZED PRACTICES. THERE WAS ALSO DISCUSSION ON GETTING INVOLVED IN E MEDIA AND MOBILE HEALTH PROGRAMS FOR VARIOUS ITEMS INCLUDING DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND APPLYING VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES TO HELP RESEARCH RELATED. THEN THE GROUP THROUGHOUT THE THEME THAT TALKED ABOUT DEVELOPING COMMON RESEARCH MODELS THAT EVERYONE CAN USE AROUND WORK, ALL RELATED TO BUILDING STANDARDIZATION OF PRACTICES. BUT -- AND THEN CREATINGING -- CREATION OF OF LEADERSHIP OF LOCAL COLLABORATIONS WITH VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC GROUPS CLINICIANS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, AND NGOs. SO NOW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE THREE TOPICS DISCUSSED. THE FIRST ONE INVOLVED OCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES. AND GROUP RECOMMENDED BUILDING PARTNERSHIP TO LEVERAGE FUNDING, CREATING STANDARDIZATION AS YOU HEARD BEFORE. BUILDING GLOBAL COALITIONS TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. DEVELOPING COMPARABLE MODELS, DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES. AND CONDUCTING SPECIMENS AND APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY TO ADDRESS EYE DISEASE. SECOND THING THAT CAME OUT IS AGAIN, EDUCATION AND TRAINING. AND THEN NEI IS AN AREA THAT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT SHOWED UP WITH THE UNIQUE DIFFERENCES IN RISK OF DISEASES, DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, JUVENILE ONSET DIABETES, BIOLOGY OF DISEASE INCLUDING AGING AND GENETICS OF DISEASE INCLUDING AMD. BIOLOGICAL NATURE OF ETHNIC DIFFERENCES. SPECIFIC TO EYE DISEASES. DIFFERENT LIST FACTORS, PROTECTIVE FACTORS ACROSS A LARGE POOL AND GENETIC DIVERSITY, UNIQUE GENE POOLS AVAILABLE AROUND THE WORLD. THEN HEALTH SYSTEM RESEARCH THINKING THIS WAS -- ONE COMMENT WAS THINKING THE (INAUDIBLE). SECOND TOPIC IN THE SEGMENT INFLAMMATORY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES. SOME OF THE THINGS MENTIONED HIGHLIGHTED WERE ERADICATION OFFTRACK MA AND (INDISCERNIBLE), EYE DISEASES THAT ARE MORE PREVALENT IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE CORNEAL ULCERS DISCUSSION WORK IN INDIA AND SO ON. UNIQUE POPULATION OF GENE POOLS TO RESEARCH PROTECTED GENES. REQUIREMENT FOR A LARGE NUMBER, LARGE POPULATION, FOR THAT, INTERNATIONAL SCALE IS A REQUIREMENT JUST TO GET TO THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER. THEN SETTING UP ANY INTERNATIONAL CAPTURE SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE CASES. ONE MENTIONED WAS ROLE OF MICROBIOMES. SO ON. AS MENTIONED EARLIER RESEARCHING THE USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN ERADICATION OF VARIOUSIOUS TECHNOLOGIES DISCUSS, FOLKS SPECIFICALLY FROM INIA, AUSTRALIA, THEY MENTION THAT SEVERAL TIMES. THEN BUILDING RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP INCLUDING AFFILIATION ASSOCIATION WITH WHO. OKAY. THE THIRD TOPIC, THIRD TOPIC DISCUSSED WAS GENETIC DIVERSITY AND UNIQUE GENE POOLS. IDENTIFY THE -- THESE FOR DOING RESEARCH ON PROTECTED GENES. SETTING UP INTERNATIONAL CAPTURE SYSTEM, IDENTIFYING UNIQUE CASES, UNIQUE PRESENTATION OF DISEASES ACROSS THE GLOBE SUCH AS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY, BUILDING PARTNERSHIP SO YOU CAN SEE COMMON THEMES IN ALL THREE RESEARCH AREAS THAT WERE BEING DISCUSSED OR PRESENTED AND PROPOSED. SO BASED ON ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE SAT DOWN WITH OUR PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND HAVE COME UP WITH AN IDENTIFIED TWO AREAS WHERE MANY OF THESE THINGS FIT AND COULD LEAD TO PRODUCTIVE NEI PROGRAM. AND I WANT TO THANK SPECIFICALLY DR. DEBBIE CARPER WHO WORKED WITH ME TIRELESSLY ON GETTING THIS TO THE PHASE WHERE WE CAN MAKE THE PRESENTATION. SO FIRST ONE TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE CASES. UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL, FAMILIES WHO HAVE PARTICULAR EYE DISEASES SO WITH THAT THE THOUGHT IS SETTING UP INTERNATIONAL CAPTURE SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE CASES OR INDIVIDUAL, FAMILIES WHO HAVE PARTICULAR EYE DISEASES, INVOLVED IN CASES THAT ARE PROTECTED. AND SECOND ONE, TO SUPPORT UNIQUE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES ALL ACROSS THE WORLD. SUCH AS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, JUVENILE ONSET DIABETES AND SO ON. RESEARCHING THESE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES ESSENTIALLY THAT AND THE RISKS THAT POSE FOR EYE DISEASES WHICH IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD ACROSS DIFFERENT GROUPS, VERY INTERESTING AND USEFUL IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY OF DISEASE IN MANY RESPECTS. SO THERE MAYBE PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST AND WE COULD HELP FURTHER DEVELOP THESE OPPORTUNITIES. SO HERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL ON THE -- THOSE TWO AREAS AND FIRST I WAS CALLING THE PROPOSAL BUT ESSENTIALLY PLAN AREAS. PLAN AREA NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS IDENTIFYING UNIQUE CASES, UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHAT WHO HAVE EYE DISEASE, FOR LACK OF BETTER WORD HAVING COME FROM MICROBIOLOGY, I'M CALLING IT GENE PROSPECTING. WE COULD TERM SOME OTHER WAY BUT THIS WORD, TERMINOLOGY GOES WELL WITH MY EYE DISEASE RESEARCH COLLEAGUES. FIRST THING WOULD BE TO ESTABLISH WORK, ESTABLISH INTERESTED PARTNERS. I SAY INTERESTED PARTNERS BECAUSE IN MANY CASES THEY CHANGE BUSINESS AND AT THE END OF THE DAY NOT A LOT COMES OUT BUT WE DO HAVE CONTACT AND WORK WITH COLLEAGUES WHO ARE PRODUCTIVE AND TRULY INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US. WE DO OUR WORK WITH THEM. SO WE WORK WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE GENE POOLS. FIRST SUCH EFFORT IS FINDING HUMAN GENETICIST WITH KNOWLEDGE OF POPULAR DISEASES AND THEY'RE NOT THAT COMMONLY FOUND SO THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT THAT HAS GONE INTO AND HAVE ALREADY STARTED BRINGING TOGETHER SOME REGIONAL HUMAN GENETICISTS THAT HAVE EYE DISEASES SUCH PLACES AS JAPAN, INDIA, CHINA, REGIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA, BRAZIL, SOME EUROPEAN REGIONS. AND AUSTRALIA. SECOND THING TO WORK WITH THE HELP OF NIH, FOGARTY FOLKS, AND OTHER US GOVERNMENT RESOURCES. WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH OFFICE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS DOWNTOWN OFFICE AND THEY HAVE OFFERED TO SUPPORT AND HELP 500 TACHES THAT CURRENTLY SIT IN POSTS IN CHINA, INDIA, BRAZIL, ONE IN EUROPEAN REGION AND SO ON. WE HAVE INITIATED ESTABLISHED SOME RELATIONSHIP, THEY WILLING TO SUPPORT IDENTIFYING SOME OF THESE EXPERTS GETTING THEIR RESOURCES FROM THERE. SOME OF THE PILOT WORK I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION IS HERE, HAS BEEN VERY EXCITING. INITIAL CONTACTS HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN ASIA. AND SPECIFICALLY COUNTRIES OF JAPAN CHINA SINGAPORE AND OTHER REGIONS. DR. SIEVING WAS RESEASONLY IN TOKYO AT THE WORLD OPTHALMOLOGY CONGRESS AND HE SIGNED A SPECIAL INTEREST COLLABORATION OF RESEARCH WITH TOKYO MEDICAL CENTER AND NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SENSORY ORGAN AND THAT HAS SET SOME GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND STARTED SOME THE BALL ROLLING ALREADY. I HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING SINCE THE OUTCOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, I HAVE HAD MANY DISCUSSIONS WITH MEETINGS WITH OUR INTERESTED PARTNERS IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD AT VARIOUS MEETINGS AND THEIR LOCATIONS AND OUR LOCATIONS. AND AS A RESULT WE LAUNCHED A CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN GENETICISTS. UNTIL LAST NIGHT THE NAME APPEARED AS THE CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN MENDELIAN EYE DISEASE BUT THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION THE LAST FEW DAYS AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THIS MORNING THEY'RE GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL NAME THAT I HAD PROPOSED AND AT OUR MEETING CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN EYE GENETICISTS. AND MY COLLEAGUE DR. FIELDING WHO IS ALSO HERE, HE HAS PLACED VERY INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN LAUNCHING AND ESTABLISHING THIS GROUP SO MORE WORK WILL BE COMING AND WORKING WITH THEM. WE HAVE PLANNED SEVERAL MEETINGINGS THESE EYE GENETICISTS IN AHAWAII SOME PLANS WITH THEM AS -- IN ASIA. PRESENTATIONS MEETING AT THE ASIA (INAUDIBLE) 2015 SESSION AND THE NEXT IN DENVER. WE HAVE ALREADY BEGIN TO CIRCULATE PUBLISHED PAPERS THAT WILL BE -- THAT COULD SERVE AS BASIS FOR THE FUTURE WORK. WE HAVE SET FUTURE -- WE'LL BE LOOKING TO SET FUTURE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THESE FOLKS AND WE ARE GOING TO BE SUPPORTING AND BUILDING THESE PARTNERSHIPS. THIS WILL BE A GOOD TIME TO INVITE MY COLLEAGUE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MENTION ANYTHING. YOU HAVE TO TURN IT ON. >> ANY LUCK? OKAY. I THINK PROBABLY I SHOULD CONFINE MY ROLE HERE TO JUST ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. I WAS PART OF THE INITIAL FORMATION OF THE GROUP IN INDIA JUST BECAUSE PRIMARILY BECAUSE JOHN HAS SOME PROBLEM WITH PERMISSION FROM THE US GOVERNMENT GOING TO SOME OF THE MORE -- THE PRIVATELY FUNDEDDED GROUPS. THE INDIA GROUP IS PREEXISTINGbY– TO SOME THE EXTENT. INVESTIGATORS MA REPRESENT THE MAJOR EYE INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA, (INDISCERNIBLE) THE OREGON EYE HOSPITAL, IN NEW DELI AND IN MUMBAI (INDISCERNIBLE) THEY ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED. WELL TRAINED. MOST HAVE TRAINED IN THE U.S. OR GREAT BRITAIN THAT I RECOLLECT EAR HIGHLY ENTHUSIASTIC. THE OTHER MAIN GROUP THAT ARE INVOLVED IS CHINA, WE DECIDED TO HOLD A LITTLE BIT ON THAT, CALVIN (INAUDIBLE) IS HELPING WITH THAT. THE INITIAL EMPHASIS WE DECIDED ON WITH THE INDIAN GROUP WAS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY. NOT SURE IF JOHN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT OR IF IT WAS JUST FORTUITOUS IT WAS ONE OF THE OTHER AIMS FROM THE NIH GROUP. WITH EM FA SESSION ON POOLING CLINICAL DATA -- EMPHASIS ON POOLING CLINICAL DATA AND MOVING TO FORMAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY AND GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY FOR GENETIC RISK FACTORS FOR DIABETIC RETINOPATHY. SO MAYBE I'LL STOP THERE. >> YOU MENTIONED THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPANESE -- >> (INDISCERNIBLE) IS REALLY HANDLING PUSHING THE ORGANIZATION OF THE GROUP FROM JAPAN. >> THE INCOMING PRESIDENT AND HE'S SETTING UP A GROUP OF INTERESTING JAPANESE SCIENTISTS WHO WILL BE INTERESTING IN WORKING WITH US. THIS WILL BE NEXT MOVANT IN SAN FRANCISCO BUT MORE LIKELY OUR GROUP, NEXT YEAR. >> TAKESHI CAME OUT OF DEBBIE CARTMAN'S LAB SO HE'S WELL AWARE OF THE NIH. YES. >> I WANT TO P COMMENT ON THE STRATEGY BECAUSE MANY WHO HAVE BEEN STUDYING GENETIC RISK FACTORS IN BRAIN DEVELOPMENT HAVE SPECIFICALLY SOUGHT OUT FAMILIES IN SEVERAL ARRA COUNTRIES WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF -- THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUITFUL I NOTICE THESE COUNTRIES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE LIST. >> EXCELLENT POINT. IN FACT (INAUDIBLE) WORK CONTINUINGING THE KIND OF WORK WITH CHINA. BUT LET ME COMMENT ON MIDDLE EAST AND THEN BACK TO FIELDING. I GAVE A PRESENTATION AT THE WORLD OPTHALMOLOGY CONGRESS IN TOKYO NOT TOO LONG AGO AND THERE WAS COMMENTS, UNFORTUNATELY THE GROUP IN MIDDLE EAST NOT THAT ACTIVE IN OPTHALMOLOGY RESEARCH, THEY ARE NOT FORTHCOMING. WE HAVE DIFFICULTY REACHING OUT, SEEKING A CONNECTION IN THAT PART OF THE WORK. GOVERNMENT VERSUS NOT COME TO US. SO INITIAL CONNECTS WERE MADE RECENTLY IN (INDISCERNIBLE) AS WELL AS DUBAI, WE ARE NOT SHOWING THAT RELATIONSHIP. I WOULD LIKE TO GET THEM INVOLVED. I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THAT WORK. >> THERE IS ALSO A GUY IN QATAR TRAINED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA AND HE HAS A LOT OF RELATIONSHIPS. I THINK HE'S FROM (INAUDIBLE). AND THE (INAUDIBLE) AND HE HAS THE SUPPORT OF ONE OF THE (INAUDIBLE) >> WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS SO YOUR -- SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL COME OUT OF WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING IS A WAY OF IDENTIFYING AND HOPEFULLY TREATING POPULATIONS OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC RETINOPATHY WHO MAY NOT HAVE READY ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE. IS THAT POSSIBLE? >> AGAIN, WE WANT TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CLINICAL DELIVERY OR ANY >> SO THE THINGS IN INDIA WITH THE MOBILEkO PHONES THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU'RE GOING TO GET. >> NOT AT THIS POINT. BUT IT'S ACTUALLY GROUP, YOU MET THEM, THE FOUNDATION FOLKS FROM MUMBAI. THEY HAVE BEEN HERE WORKING WITH US AND FIELDING, THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE LARGEST SERVICE PROVIDER IN THAT AREA. WORKING WITH A LOT OF SLUMS IN ASIA AND MUMBAI. DR. (INDISCERNIBLE) HAS BEEN HERE SEVERAL TIME THIS IS LAST YEAR AND HIS RESEARCH DIRECTOR DR. KUMAR TRAINED BY FIELDING. FIELDING WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE ANY COMMENT ON THE QUESTIONS? >> I CAN SAY WE'RE ACTIVELY PURSUING (INDISCERNIBLE) WHICH ARE HIGHLY PRESENT ALSO IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN. IN MY LAB WE COLLABORATE WITH DR. (INDISCERNIBLE) HIS HIS SON NOW AT HOPKINS. HE HAS EXTENSIVE CONTACTS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST. SO WE HOPE TO BRING THOSE GUYS IN AT LEAST PARTIALLY. AND THE COMMENT I WOULD MAKE ABOUT THE SERVICE PROVISION IS THAT THE NIH MISSION GOING ABOVE MY PAY GRADE HERE, IS PRIMARILY RESEARCH, NOT SERVICE. BUT I WOULD VIEW THESE AS I SIMILAR BIOTIC. BOTH THE (INAUDIBLE) HOSPITAL, HAS ESTABLISHED BOTH REGIONAL CLINICS AND TELEMETRY CAPABILITIES, WE CAN FURTHER THAT WITH OUR EFFORTS AS WELL. >> HERE IS WHAT I WOULD -- WHERE I WAS GOING WITH IT. YOU'RE ALREADY ESTABLISHING THESE RELATIONSHIPS WITH COUNTRIES THAT HAVE THIS LARGE INDIGENT POPULATION WITH INADEQUATE ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE. AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE PARADIGM S THAT EVOLVE OUT OF THAT, MAYBE NOT DIRECTLY FROM HERE BUT I'M THINKING ABOUT THE U.S. MEXICAN BORDER, WHAT I'M WONDERING IS IF THE SOLUTIONS DEVELOPED FOR IDENTIFYING AND TREATING POPULATIONS IN THOSE OTHER COUNTRIES COULD BE ADAPTED TO THE OTHER -- TO OTHER CULTURES. BECAUSE WHAT HAS HIT ME IS HEALTHCARE PROBLEMS OF ADJACENT COUNTRIES ARE OUR HEALTHCARE PROBLEMS. IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT WAY TO TRANSFER THAT EXPERTISE INTO THOSE OTHER COUNTRIES, IT'S GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY. >> SHEILA. >> I THINK FROM WHAT I'M REMEMBERING FROM THAT MEETING, THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY ENCOURAGING DUAL TRACKS THAT ONE WOULD FOCUS ON MAYBE THE BIOLOGY OF UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, JUVENILE ONSET TYPE 2 TYPE ISSUES BUT ALSO THAT THERE WOULD BE AN EFFORT TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN APPROACH DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT IN A TIMELY FASHION OF DIABETES IN POPULATIONS THAT ARE ILL SERVED. SO WHAT I WAS HOPING WOULD COME OUT OF THIS IS TWO TRACKS. EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID, ONE WOULD GO INTO THE BASIC QUESTIONS BUT OTHER IS HOW CAN WE EXPAND HEALTH SYSTEMS OR LOOK AT NOVEL WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THE KIND OF COVERAGE AND CARE. >> IN A NUTSHELL, IT'S A VERY TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN PROJECT. SO I VIEW IT AS A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT. BECAUSE WHAT I PREDICT IS GOING TO HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY IS THAT OUR CLINICS ARE GOING TO BE FILLED WITH PATIENTS BEYOND OUR CAPACITY TO MANAGE IT. THAT SO KAYs ESPECIALLY IF ALL -- THAT'S OKAY ESPECIALLY IF ALL THE PATIENT'S THAT'S SORT OF ACTUALLY TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PROJECT, IT'S NOT A GENE PROJECT BUT IT IS A RESEARCH PROJECT. >> WE CAN CERTAINLY LEARN FROM A LOT OF THINGS THAT FIELDING MENTIONED, (INDISCERNIBLE) YOU HAVE BEEN THERE AND HAVE SEEN THEIR PRACTICES, HOW THEY'RE PRACTICING TELEMEDICINE IN THEIR RURAL POPULATION. AND THEY SET UP SAT LIKE CENTERS SEVERAL PRESENTERS PRESENTED IN ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT I&œ$ STARTED GLOBAL HEALTH VISION LECTURE SERIES, THAT'S BEEN QUITE INTERESTING TO NIH WIDE POPULATION. TO EVERYONE NOT JUST OUR INSTITUTE. >> MY LAST POINT. SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE LIST OF COUNTRIES I DON'T SEE MEXICO PRESENTED. I WONDER IF WE CAN DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH AN APPROPRIATE PERSON OR AUTHORITY IN THAT COUNTRY SO THERE COULD BEGIN THIS INFORMATION TRANSFER. >> I SEEK YOUR GUIDANCE HERE, THE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONNECT US TO THE FOLK WHOSE ARE REALLY -- MANY, AGAIN, THERE ARE -- THERE'S ONE PERSON IN THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE, THAT'S ME AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN HUNDRED COUNTRIES. BUT THESE ARE THE COUNTRIES THAT I MENTIONED, THEY HAVE 80% OF THE BUSINESS SO YOU FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON LARGE PARTS SO YOU CAN GET SOMETHING DONE AND THEN THE OTHER PART, EITHER THE GOVERNMENT OR THE FOLKS WHO HAVE REALLY MADE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO COME AND WORK WITH US. CHASING THE BUSINESS, THAT SOUNDS VERY GOOD BUT IF YOU HAVE A VERY STRONG CONNECTION, SOMEBODY WHO CAN CHAMPION THE WORK IN THAT COUNTRY THAT'S WHO WE NEED. FIELDING JUST MENTIONED (INDISCERNIBLE) CHAMPION IN JAPAN HE'S MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. HE RECENTLY GOT US TO SIGN A RESEARCH EXPRESSION OF INTEREST SO WE WELCOME. ANOTHER COMMENT. >> NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEING PLANNED HERE AND TRYING TO SORT OUT -- >> I HAVE MORE SLIDES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO WAIT? >> NO. >> OKAY. >> IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, THERE'S INTEREST IN STUDYING GENETIC POPULATION, MAYBE CONNECT THE WHEELS TO MODIFY (INAUDIBLE) SO THE KEY QUESTION THERE IS WHAT TYPES AND SCALES OF STUDIES ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT FOR DIABETIC NEUROPATHY? REASON I'M ASKING, THIS IS DONE BEFORE FOR OTHER COMPLICATIONS WITH DIABETIC DISEASE, WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED ACROSS MANY COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD AND THOSE STUDIES FAIL PLAIN AND SIMPLE. HOW WOULD YOU PROPOSE, TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE INHERENT IN IDENTIFYING ALLELES THAT (INAUDIBLE) DIABETIC RETINOPATHY >> THANKS, JOHN. FIRST I WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK. IF YOU DEAL WITH MENDELIAN DISEASE ANOTHER AREA WE'RE INTERESTED IN, IF YOU HAVE A SUFFICIENT FAMILY, ODDS ARE YOU'LL FIND THE GENE THAT CAUSES IT. THE DISEASE IN THAT FAMILY. WITH COMPLEX DISEASE WITH MULTI-FACTORIAL DISEASE. IT IS ALMOST LIKE A CASINO, LIKE A GAMBLE. THE SECOND COMMENT THAT I WOULD MAKE IS THAT WE DO HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES HERE. ONE, WE'RE DEALING IN SOUTH INDIA AT LEAST AND IN HAHN CHINESE WITH RELATIVELY HOMOGENOUS POPULATIONS. AND DIFFERENT POPULATIONS. AND DIFFERENT POPULATIONS FROM EUROPEANS WE HAVE MOST ACCESS TO AT THIS TIME. I WISH JONATHAN HAYNES WERE HERE TO COMMENT. HE COULD CORRECT ME IF I NEED CORRECTING. IN OUR OWN STUDIES WE HAVE SEEN THAT THEY ARE COMPATIBLE ACROSS SOUTH -- GENETICS SEEM TO BE COMPATIBLE ACROSS SOUTH INDIA ESPECIALLY AND AMONG CHINESE AT LEAST IN THE MAJOR METROPOLITAN CENTERS. THAT BEING -- AND THE THIRD COMMENT I WOULD MAKE IS WE HAVE HAD SOME LIMITED SUCCESS WITH SMALL STUDIES ALREADY. IDENTIFIED KUMAR (INDISCERNIBLE) THE HEAD REALLY HEADING UP THE INDIA PART OF THIS COLLABORATION IDENTIFIED VARIANTS IN THE GENE THATTANTS THE PROBABILITY -- AFFECTS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY OCCURRING AND WE MANAGED FROM THAT COLLABORATIVE STUDIES SO IT'S POSSIBLE YOU CAN ONLY TRY. MIGHT COME UP WITH NOTHING. A LOT OF GROUPS BIGGER THAN US HAVE. BUT THE WAY THAT THIS PROJECT IS BEING PUT TOGETHER FROM THE GROUND UP INITIALLY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND MOVING TOWARDS THE GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENOTYPING WOULD AT LEAST PREVENT US FROM COLOSSAL FAILURE IMPOSEED FROM THE TOP. SO THOSE ARE THE ANSWERS I WOULD MAKE TO THAT. THERE IS NO PERFECT ANSWER YOU CAN'T GUARANTEE POSITIVE RESULTS IN THIS ONE STUDY. >> SO IF I HAVE PERMISSION FOR A COUPLE MORE SLIDES. CONTINUING TO THE THEME THAT HAS GOT DISCUSSED WHAT WILL BE EXPECTED OUTCOMES SO BASICALLY HAVING A SYSTEMATIC DOCUMENTED KNOWLEDGE OF REGIONAL LOCAL UNIQUE GENE POOLS AND FACTORS TO STUDY BIOLOGY, WE PLAN TO CONVENE SYMPOSIUM OF REGIONAL EXPERTS WE TALKED ABOUT. POSSIBLE SUMMARY PUBLICATIONS CAPTURING REGIONAL GENETIC ARCHITECTURE AND INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS WHICH ARE ALSO REGIONAL IN NATURE BUT THIS WILL GIVE US SOME WHAT IS UNIQUE WITH EACH POPULATION. AND PROVIDE GLOBAL VIEW, SOME INFORMATION WE CAN USE IN OUR CONTEXT OR NEIGHBORING CONTEXT. PHASE 2 OF THIS MOVING ON, THE IF THINGS GO WELL, LEADING TO BIOLOGY IN SELECTED UNIQUELY IDENTIFIED POPULATIONS. AGAIN, SOME OF THE THINGS COULD BE PAIRING OF LEADING OPHTHALMOLOGISTS AND GENETICISTS IN OUR COUNTRY AND THEN HAVING THEM WORK WITH INTERESTED COUNTER PARTS IN SELECTED REGENERALS WHO SHOW PROMISE OR WHO HAVE UNIQUELY SET UP LABORATORY FACILITIES, WE COULD WORK WITH THEM. AND AGAIN, FOR ALL THESE DISEASES WE TALK ABOUT. THE USE OF RESEARCHERS WILL SUBMIT REGULAR RO-1 GRANTS IF THEIRED AS SELECTED FOREIGN COLLABORATORS AND THIS MODEL IS WORK IN PILOT -- WE HAVE A COLLABORATION WITH OF INDIA, INDIAN SCIENTISTS PAIR WITH U.S. SCIENTIST, WITH RO-1 GRANTING AND THEY GET FUNDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN INDIA SUCCESSFULLY PRODUCE A DOZEN PROJECTS PROGRAMS AND THE LAST CLOSE TO 8 YEARS SO THERE'S ALWAYS KINKS AND BUMPS IN ANY WHEN TWO GOVERNMENTS ARE COLLABORATING, OPERATING. VARIOUS WAYS BUT THE PROGRAM HAS RESULTED INTO VERY NOVEL AND VERY NICE PROJECTS. CONTINUING ON TO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL HERE, THAT THE JOINT FUNDING WILL BE EXPLORED WITH PARTNERS, GOVERNMENTS AND I MENTIONED JAPAN. INDIA. ALREADY MECHANICSED. CURRENTLY, DISCUSSION GOING ON WITH BRAZIL. OUR NIH DIRECTOR IS SIMPLY WAS IN BRAZIL, DR. COLLINS. AND SO IT'S HOT IN THE NIH WIDE AGENDA. I EXPECT COLLABORATION WITH BRAZIL WILL DEVELOP. WE HAVE KEY OPENING LEADERS, EYE DISEASE LEADERS IN BRAZIL SOME WERE TRAINED HERE. THEY'RE LEADING BRAZILIAN PACK AND VERY WELL CONNECTED WITH THEM AND THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH US. SOUTH AFRICA, LOOKING AT VARIOUS WAYS HOW WE CAN WORK WITH THE HEALTH ATACHE THERE. SPAIN IS VERY INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING LONG TERM COLLABORATION, WE HAVE ALREADY AN INTRAMURAL RESEARCH MODEL THAT OUR SCIENTISTS WORK WITH THE UK AND CHINA AND SPAIN IS VERY INTERESTED IN ESPECIALLY MACULAR FOUNDATION IN BARCELONA, THEIR DIRECTOR IS A CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE FOR COLLABORATION. RECENTLY WE HAVE COME TO WORK WITH LOOKING TO EXPLORE ADDITIONAL WORK WITH WHO, THEY SIMILAR RECENTLY HAVE GONE THROUGH A REORGANIZATION SO THE NEW PERSON WAS WITH US RECENTLY, I HAVE HIM INVOLVED IN SOME OF MY SESSIONS THAT ARE IN THESE MEETINGS. THAT'S ALSO WHO RESOURCES WHICH ARE NOT MANY. NOT MUCH. BUT THEY ARE ON WITH US IN TERMS OF COLLABORATION. THE LAST POINT HERE FUNDING COLLABORATION WITH OTHER NIH INSTITUTE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IS MENTIONEDDED. NIDDK IS QUITE ACTIVE IN THAT. THEY HAVE SIGNED COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA SO WE WORK WITH THEM TO SEE ANYTHING THAT INTEREST BY DISEASE THAT COULD BE RUN THROUGH US. THE SECOND PLAN AREA IS SUPPORTING THE UNIQUE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND JUVENILE ONSET TYPE 2 DIABETES. SOME PLACES IN INDIA JUST GOT MENTIONED CHINA JUST GOT MENTIONED. OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES IN THOSE PLACES AND LEARN ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE NOT REALLY UNDERSTOOD. AND THEN TO UPDATE SEVERAL CONTACTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH SELECTED GROUPS AND DISEASE REGIONS. WE ARE ENCOURAGING RESEARCHERS THROUGH INTRAMURAL COLLABORATIONS. YOU HEARD FROM FIELDING, HE'S VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH THEM. PAIRING OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATORS WITH LEADING U.S. INVESTIGATORS. PARALLEL FUNDING AS I AGAIN, LEADING THE PACK WITH U.S. PROGRAM, SPANISH PROGRAM, BRAZILIAN PROGRAM, SO ON. TRAINING OF YOUNG INVESTIGATORS, STAYS TOP ON OUR AGENDA, FOLKS INTERESTED IN SHORT TERM WORK RELATIONSHIP BOTH WAYS. U.S. FOLKS GOING TO THESE PLACES. SUPPORTING VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, WORKSHOPS, WE CONTINUEED THAT THEME, SEVERAL PROGRAMS WE HAVE DONE AT NIH LAST TWO YEARS SINCE I HAVE COME I STARTED GLOBAL HEALTH VISION LECTURE SERIES AN GLOBAL HEALTH INTEREST GROUP AT NIH. THAT RECENTLY HELD A PROGRAM ON GENOMIC RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL SCIENTISTS COLLABORATED. AND THEN I MENTION ABOUT N IDDK COLLABORATION. FINALLY I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS WHO HAVE HELPED US, CONTINUE TO HELP US MAKE A SOLID COMMITMENT AND CONNECTED WITH BOTH MOST OF THEM, ALL PRETTY MUCH. ONE ON ONE OR THE GROUP. SO THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM. AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS AND NEI COLLEAGUES. (INDISCERNIBLE) IN JAPAN, (INDISCERNIBLE) PROFESSOR SHARMA AND (INDISCERNIBLE) KUM AR IN INDIA. (INDISCERNIBLE) COKIER AT WHO, CALVIN FONG GOT MENTIONED FROM HONG KONG, CHINA. (INDISCERNIBLE) SPAIN, (INDISCERNIBLE) BRAZIL AND WE ALSO HAD HELP FROM PHIL LEE CONSULTING THAT HELPED US ORGANIZE THIS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. I PUT THIS MODEL FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL OFFICE AND DR. FIELDING GAVE ME THAT SO I'LL CONTINUE WITH THAT THEME. SO I'M LOOKING FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS, DISCUSSION. AND THEN YOUR APPROVAL OF THE PLAN. QUESTIONS. >> I KNOW YOU HAD TOM IN THE ROOM SO YOU PROBABLY HEARD A FEW OF THESE BUT I'M ALLUDING TO THE POINTS YOU BROUGHT UP. ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT GLOBAL HEALTH WHETHER VISION OR OTHERWISE, IS YOU SORT OF START TO RUN INTO THIS CONFLICT BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SERVICE WHICH I THINK WAS RAISED TO WHAT EXTENT PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ROUTE. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE OBVIOUSLY THAT POPULATION HEALTH REALLY IS LEGITIMATE SCIENCE IN AND OF ITSELF AND SOMETIMES I THINK WE IN TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THE SCIENCE PIECE WE PROBABLY END UP WANDERING TO THE TERRITORY THAT ERIC HAS DISCOMFORT WITH, REVISITING SOMETHING IN ANOTHER CONTEXT THAT REALLY HAS HAD QUITE A BIT OF INVESTMENT BEFORE, REALLY WANT TO TRY TO MAKE STATEMENT THERE IS A STRONG SCIENCE COMPONENT TO IT. I THINK IF WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH POPULATION SCIENCE, POPULATION HEALTH AS A SCIENCE, WE CAN PROBABLY RECALIBRATE. WE DISCUSSED A GREAT DEAL AT THE FOUNDATION AS A GROUP THAT IS COMMITTED TO RESEARCH AND GLOBAL HEALTH. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE THEMES THAT ARE UNIQUE ABOUT GLOBAL HEALTH, WE RAISE IT IN TERMS OF YES IT'S CERTAINLY TRUE FOR EXAMPLE GENETICS YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE WITH THINGS BASICALLY THAT HAVE REPRESENTATION OF THE POPULATION, AND THAT'S LEGITIMATE WHERE IT'S WELL STUDIED. ADDRESSING DISEASES UNIQUE TO THE POPULATION YOU MENTION (INDISCERNIBLE) THERE OBVIOUSLY. BUT I THINK THAT AN APPROACH THAT CONSIDERS THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MASS SCREENING MASS TREATMENT NOT ONLY TAKES ABOUT UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES IN GLOBAL HEALTH BUT ALSO IS TRANSLATED INTO PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES IN THE U.S. AS I THINK BETH WAS ALLUDING TO. ONE FINAL POINT. SHEILA CAN HELP WITH THE NUMBERS BUT I THINK THAT THE CURRENT NUMBERS ARE CATARACTS IS NUMBER ONE REVERSIBLE (INAUDIBLE) WE HAVE GOT CORNEAL ULCERS NUMBER ONE IRREVERSIBLE BUT WE STILL HAVE GLAUCOMA AS NUMBER ONE BINOCULAR IRREVERSIBLE BLINDNESS, IT DOESN'T SEEM AS IF DATA IS WEIGHED FOR DISCUSSION STRATEGY. SO ANY COMMENTS ON THAT? ZkO >> LET ME MAKE SOME COMMENTS, FIRST TO FOLLOW WHATEVER YOU SAID ABOUT GLOBAL HEALTH AND POPULATION GENETICS. THOSE ARE ALL TRUE, AGREE 100%, COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. IN TERMS OF OUR OWN EFFORT, AS YOU KNOW, NIH GUIDELINES OR NEI GUIDELINES, WE MAKE OUR INVESTMENT TRAINING AND RESEARCH. SO ANYTHING -- EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE (INAUDIBLE). AS MAC SAID A LOT OF THOSE THINGS WE CAN DO RESEARCH IN MULTIPLE TECH HOW THAT'S USED. THAT'S EXCITING AT LEAST PARTNERS THAT ACTUALLY CULTIVATE THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE CONTINUED CULTIVATED WITH THEM ARE REALLY P EXCELLENT (INAUDIBLE) TO GET SOME INFORMATION. BUT IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC DISEASE, I THINK WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. THE REASON WE SELECT THESE TOPICS, WE WANTED TO START SOMEWHERE WHICH ALIGNS WITH 80% OF WHERE OUR INTERESTS ARE. SO EVEN THINGS THAT ARE RELATED TO AUDACIOUS GOALS, AMD BIOLOGY OF DISEASE, AGING AND SO ON. SO I THINK THAT'S THE KEY PART THAT WENT INTO THAT. IN TERMS OF GLAUCOMA, YES, I AGREE 100%. BUT IN -- WHEN WE TALKING ABOUT CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN EYE GENETICISTS WE HAVE CONCLUDED AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT AND WE HAVE PROGRAMS PLANS TO ADDRESS GLAUCOMA. WE HAVEN'T EXCLUDED IT AND -- >> JUST TO MENTION WE HAVE CARRIED OUT STUDIES WITH THE ARVINE EYE HOSPITAL. WE LIKE GLAUCOMA TOO. >> EXCELLENT COMMENT. THANK YOU. MORE COMMENT, DISCUSSION? I KNOW I BOTHERED SEVERAL OF YOU FROM TIME TO TIME AND SEEK YOUR GUIDANCE, SOMETIME IT GETS LONELY IN THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE SO I SEEK OUT TO YOU. IS THAT -- SHEILA. PLEASE. >> THERE IS SOMEWHAT A CERTAIN LEVEL OF UNCOMFORTIBILITY WHEN WE THINK THAT ONE OF THE PIECES OF THE PLAN IS VERY MUCH DRIVEN BY SCIENCE UNIQUE CASES LOOKING AT GENETICS BUT I FEEL THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS PLAN WAS SUPPOSED TO ADDRESS MORE OF THE POPULATION SCIENCE GETTING A LITTLE OF WHAT MARKO WAS SAYING WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT DIABETES AND DIABETIC EYE DISEASE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK HOW WE LOOK AT IT WITHIN A POPULATION THAT INCLUDES A SERVICE POTENTIAL RESEARCH SERVICE DELIVERY COMPONENT, WHETHER IT'S TELEMEDICINE APPROACH OR M HEALTH APPROACHES O OTHER WAYS TO LOOK AT THIS. I WOULD URGE THAT ELEMENT TO BE MORE FEATURE TO THAT PART OF THE PROGRAM. I THINK THE PAY OFF THERE WILL BE MORE ENORMOUS NOW THAT I HEAR WHAT ERIC IS SAYING, PERHAPS A FOCUS JUST ON THE GENETIC PART OR LOOKING AT THE BIOLOGY WITHIN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY YET AGAIN. PART OF THIS DRIVEN BY WHAT PEOPLE WHO HE'S COLLABORATING WITH. SO IN OTHER WORDS THEY'RE COMING TO YOU. SO YOU CAN >> (INAUDIBLE) REACH OUT TO THEM. IN TERMS OF POPULATION RELATED STUDIES, YES, WE HAVE THOSE PARTNERS WHO ARE EQUALLY VERY ACTIVE. SAME PARTNERS. >> YES, EXACTLY. >> THEY WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH US IF THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL -- >> IN TERMS OF WHEN I THINK ABOUT SPENDING U.S. DOLLARS, I SEE A PAY OFF FOR THE U.S. POPULATION. I DON'T THINK TELEMEDICINE MADE ITS WAY INTO UK HEALTHCARE TO THE DEGREE IT HAS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. AND I CAN SEE HOW THAT COULD BE A VERY USEFUL PIECE OF INFORMATION. >> MARKO YOU AND I HAD THAT DISCUSSION A COUPLE OF TIMES. >> RIGHT. I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR THE POINT. >> ABSOLUTELY. IF WE CAN CERTAINLY ADD THAT AS A PROMINENT FEATURE, IF THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED THINGS ARE IN MOTION, SLOWLY WE CAN BUILD BUT WE ARE TALKING A FIVE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THOSE ARE GOOD COMPONENTS THAT WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS NEI'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE EYE DISEASE RESEARCH AND RESULTING INTO GLOBAL HEALTH. SO WITH THAT, SHOULD WE CONSIDER THAT ADDITION OF LOOKING INTO POPULATION BIOLOGY AND MOBILE HEALTH ADDING TO THAT AND THAT'S HOW WE GET COUNCIL APPROVAL? ADD THAT AS A KEY COMPONENT. OKAY? >> I WOULD ASK ONE QUESTION. MUCH OF THIS COMES DOWN TO FINANCES AND THE ULTIMATE PRIORITY OF THE GOALS. WHAT ARE THE ULTIMATE -- WHAT'S THE TOP GOAL IN TERMS OF DECIDEING WHAT'S ADDED OR TAKEN AWAY AND THE FOCUS OF PROJECT BECAUSE MY ASSUMPTION IS THE FINANCES AS IN ALL THINGS ARE UNLIMITED. >> FINANCES AND PEOPLE, AS I SAID, I'M THE ONLY ONE AT THIS POINT ADDRESSING AND HANDLING. THOSE ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE MOBILE HEALTH AND APPLICATION HEALTH SYSTEM RESEARCH, THAT DID COME OUT OF THE -- AS A STRONG THEME WITH THE MEETING. WE WANT TO START WITH UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY AND THEN ADD THAT AS A THIRD COMPONENT. >> I DON'T WANT TO ADD THINGS ON THAT ARE JUST GOING TO LEAD TO NOTHING GETTING DONE, YOU SEE WHAT I'M GETTING A AT. SO I WOULDN'T PRESUME TO TRY TO ESTABLISH -- THIS IS THE THING THAT'S HAPPENING ALREADY. I'M JUST MAKING AN OBSERVATION. IF YOU THOUGHT REALISTICALLY THIS ASPECT OF IT COULD ALSO BE DEVELOPED IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT'S ALREADY MOVING FORWARD, IT WOULD BE A VALUABLE ADDITION, AND IT WOULD REFLECT VERY, VERY WELL ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE EVENETH THOUGH CENTRIC WITH EASILY UNDERSTAND HOW THIS KIND OF WORK REALLY COULD BE USEFUL INSIDE THE UNITED STATES. IT'S ACTUALLY MORE ADVANCED IN DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE US. >> THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD DISCUSSION. THANK YOU. THIS IS A MATTER FOR DISCUSSION. THIS IS NOT A PLAN THAT IS -- THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT APPROVAL TODAY, IT NEEDS FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT TO THIS. IF THERE ARE FURTHER QUESTIONS, DISCUSSIONS, PLEASE TALK TO JOHN OR TO ME. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> I UNDERSTAND SOME PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF A CUP OF COFFEE SO LET'S CALL A PAUSE FOR THIS, TAKE 15 MINUTES AND RETURN AT 10:45. >> WE ARE FULL SERVICE,INCLUDING DR. MICHAEL STEINMETZ WILL GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. AS THE SLIDE SHOW IT IS BRAIN INITIATIVE WAS RECENTLY REBRANDED AS BRAIN 2025. I THOUGHT I WOULD START YOU HEARD A LOT ALREADY BUT GIVE YOU A QUICK VIEW STARTING HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW AT NIH AND WHAT WE SEE HAPPENING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ANYWAY. THIS TIME LINE SHOWS A 20 MONTH REGRESSION THAT STARTS IN EARLY 2013. AND TAKES US TO THE END OF FISCAL YEAR IN SEPTEMBER OF 2014. THE STORY ACTUALLY STARTS A FEW MONTHS BEFORE WHEN A GROUP OF LEADING SCIENTISTS CAME TO TALK TO BLUEPRINT INSTITUTE DIRECTORS WITH THIS CRAZY IDEA THAT WE WOULD MAP ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN THAT WOULD INCLUDE ACTIVITY OF EVERY NEURON IN THE BRAIN. HE GAVE HIS PRESENTATION, I WAS AT THE MEETING AND AFTERWARDS THERE WAS INCREDIBLE DISCUSSION ABOUT BOLDNESS AND ENTHUSIASM FOR THE IDEA. FAST FORWARD A FEW MONTHS TO FEBRUARY 12, 2013 WHEN BARACK OBAMA IN THE STATE OF UNION ADDRESS ANNOUNCED THAT MUCH TO EVERYONE'S DOSIMETRY SURPRISE, BRAIN RESEARCH WAS AN IDEA THAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD RECEIVE INVEST IN, ONE OF THE REALLY GOOD IDEAS. THIS DEVELOPED THE UNTIL A FEW MONTHS LATER ON APRIL 2ND, THERE WAS UNVEILING OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE WITH SOME BROAD GOALS. AND SOME BUDGET MIND IT INCLUDING $40 MILLION FOR THE NIH. NIH RESPONDED, DR. COLLINS FORMED AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE DIRECTOR. THESE ARE MEMBERS OF THAT COMMITTEE, IT WAS CO-CHAIRED BY COR,I BARGMAN AND P BILL KNEWSOME, YOU HEARD FROM BILL AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, THIS IS A VIRTUAL WHO'S WHO'S LIST OF NEUROSCIENTISTS IN THE COUNTRY. SO THE CHARGE GIVING THE COMMITTEE WAS REVIEW RECENT ADVANCES, ARTICULATE CLEAR SCIENTIFIC GOALS FOR THIS PROGRAM, TO DEVELOP SCIENTIFIC PLAN, RECOMMEND PRINCIPLES AND APPROPRIATE STRUCTURES FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS, IDENTIFY AREAS OF COLLABORATION WITH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERS AND MAKE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TIME LINES MILESTONES AND PROVIDE COST ESTIMATES. THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WENT ON THE ROAD, THEY HELD PUBLIC MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THAT SUMMER IN 2013. HAD SPEAKERS COME IN, GOT INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC AND OTHER SCIENTISTS THAT WHAT THIS REALLY OUGHT TO BE. THAT CULMINATED IN AN INTERIM REPORT, I WAS PRESENTED HERE AT NIH, ON SEPTEMBER 16th OF LAST YEAR. IN WHICH THEY IDENTIFIED SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES THE BRAIN INITIATIVE OUGHT TO BE AND SHORT TERM GOALS, THINGS SO IMPORTANT THEY SHOULD START RIGHT AWAY IN FISCAL YEAR 2014. THAT REPORT WAS RELEASEDDED TO THE PUBLIC, IT WAS RELEASED TO PUBLIC INPUT, THERE WAS MEETINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND CULMINATED IN NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER 13th AT THE SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETINGS WHERE THERE WERE SEVERAL SESSIONS QUESTION DE VOTED TO THE BRAIN INITIATIVE WHERE PEOPLE COULD HAVE INPUT INTO THE PROJECT. IN THE MEANTIME THE NIH GOT TO WORK ON THE INTERIM REPORT THERE WERE FOUR WORK GROUPS THAT WERE SET UP. THESE WORK GROUPS CONSISTED OF PROGRAM -- FIRST IT WAS DECIDED TO BE MANAGED AT LEAST INITIALLY BY THE NIH BLUEPRINT PROGRAM. IF THE WORK GROUPS CONSISTED OF PROGRAM OFFICERS=b FROM INSTITUTES REPRESENTED THERE HAT THE BLUEPRINT, NEI WAS WELL REPRESENTED ON THESE WORK GROUPS BESIDES MYSELF BUT DR. (INDISCERNIBLE) AND TOM GREENWELL AND SHERRY WIGGS ALSO SERVED HONEST THESE COMMITTEES. WE WERE TASKED WITH TRYING TO TAKE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS OUT OF INTERIM REPORT AND TURN THEM INTO FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR FUNDING IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. SO WORK GROUPS WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS PROGRAM, SO HARD THE CONGRESS DEEMED WE NEEDED A REST AND SHUT DOWN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS SO WE COULD RELAX A BIT. WE GOT BACK TO WORK AND ONE MONTH AFTER THE NEUROSCIENCE MEETING ON DECEMBER 17th LAST YEAR SIX FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WERE PUBLISHED. SO THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, THE FIRST ONE WAS TO THESE WERE MOSTLY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, TO FIND TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES FOR CELL TYPE CLASSIFICATIONS IN THE BRAIN, GENETIC AND ANATOMICAL METHODS. TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE NEW TOOLS FOR LOOKING AT CELL SPECIFIC AND CIRCUIT SPECIFIC PROCESSES IN THE BRAIN. TO DEVELOP BRAND NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND NOVEL APPROACHES FOR LARGE SCALE REPORTING AND MODULATING ACTIVITY WITHIN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. AND SEPARATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NOT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES BUT OPTIMIZE EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES, FOR LARGE SCALE RECORDING AND MODULATION. AND TO PUT TOGETHER TEAMS TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED APPROACHES FOR UNDERSTANDING CIRCUIT FUNCTIONS. S THAT DEMONSTRATION PROJECT, ASK PEOPLE TO PICK A PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE IN THE BRAIN AND SHOW HOW GENETICS AN ANATOMICAL AND FIZZ YOU LOGICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS CAN BE BROUGHT TO BARE ON SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF THAT CIRCUIT. A 6TH ONE, PLANNING GRAND ARE RATHER THAN RESEARCH GRANT TO PUT TOGETHER TEAMS TO DESIGN THE NEXT GENERATION OF HUMAN BRAIN IMAGING. SO THESE FOAs WERE PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 15th THEY CONSISTED OF LETTERS OF INTENT. ): ASKED PEOPLE TO WRITE HEART SAYING WHAT YOU INTENDED TO DO. THE WORK GROUP LESS VIEW THESE LETTERS FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO FOAs THEY WERE INTENDING TO APPLY TO. IN THE CASES WHERE IT WAS DEEMED THE WORK WAS NOT RESPONSIVE, THE PIs WERE CONTACTED SO THEY WOULD KNOW NOT TO WASTE THE TIME TO WRITE A FULL APPLICATION. OR TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO REFORMULATE THEIR IDEAS IN A WAY RESPONSIVE TO FOA. THE FINAL RECEIPT DATE WAS PAST MARCH 28th. TO THE SIX FOA WE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 353 APPLICATIONS THAT WE FELT WERE RESPONSIVE TO THE FOAs. VERY FEW WERE CALLED AT THAT STAGE AS NOT RESPONSIVE. SOME HAD NOT SENT LETTERS OF INTENT AND DIDN'T MEET CRITERIA BUT VERY FEW. THERE WAS SOME DIFFERENCE IN RESPONSE BUT ALL CLOSE TO 60 APPLICATIONS FOR EACH OF THE FOAs. ONE HAD ONLY 40 AND ONE HAD 70 BUT MOST OF THEM WERE IN THE HIGH 50s TO 60s. WHICH OUR GROUP WAS PLEASED AND THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD NUMBER TO HANDLE GIVEN THE $40 MILLION BUDGET. HAVE TO BE DONE IN PEER REVIEW. WHERE WE STAND HERE IN JUNE IS CURRENTLY UNDER PEER REVIEW. STUDY SECTIONS NOT IN CV BUT TWO INSTITUTES, AT THE NEUROLOGY INSTITUTE AND MENTAL HEALTH. TO REVIEW THESE APPLICATIONS THEY CONTACTED US TO PROVIDE EXPERTISE FOR GRANTS THAT HAD VISION RESEARCH INVOLVED IN THEM. WE SHOULD SEE SUMMARY STATEMENTS FROM THEM SOMETIME NEAR THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST. THE PLAN AT THAT POINT WILL BE THE WORK GROUPS WILL GET TOGETHER AGAIN AND TRY TO PUT TOGETHER A FUNDING PLAN THAT WILL GO TO THE BLUEPRINT IC DIRECTORS. AND THEN THEY WILL MAKE A FINAL RECOMMENDATION THAT WILL BE REVIEWED BY COUNCIL OF COUNCILS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER AND WITH FUNDING TO START BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30th OF THIS YEAR. MEANTIME ONE WEEK AGO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE DIRECTOR CAME HERE WITH THEIR FINAL REPORT THAT THEY PRESENTED ON JUNE 5TH AND 6TH. HERE WERE SOME OF THE KEY ASPECTS OF THEIR REPORT, IT'S AVAILABLE IF YOU GO TO THE NIH WEB PAGE THERE'S A LINK THAT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THEIR REPORT THAT YOU CAN READ. IT'S BASICALLY A TEN YEAR PLAN STARTING IN 2016 AND GOING TO 2025. THEY PROPOSE $4.5 BILLION BUDGET OVER THAT TEN YEAR PERIOD. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY BUT IF WE PUT THIS IN SOME KIND OF PERSPECTIVE, THIS AMOUNTS TO ABOUT ONE AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE NIH BUDGET AND ONLY A FRACTION OF WHAT WAS CUT FROM THE NIH BUDGET BY THE SEQUESTRATION. THE REPORT IDENTIFIES SOME CORE PRINCIPLES AND ALSO A VERY DETAILED PLAN FOR ACTION. THE CORE PRINCIPLES THAT THEY IDENTIFIED WAS THAT THE BRAIN PROGRAM SHOULD PURSUE HUMAN STUDIES AN NON-HUMAN MODELS IN PARALLEL. THAT THE RESEARCH ACROSS BOUNDARIES AND VICE PRESIDENT INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIONS. THAT THE WORK NEEDED TO INTEGRATE ON SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES THAT. THE PROGRAM SHOULD ESTABLISH CLEAR PLATFORMS PER PRIAER PRESERVING AN SHARING ALL DATA COLLECTED UNDER THE PROGRAM. AND ALL THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE VALIDATE VALIDATED AND DISSEMINATED SO ANYONE CAN APPLY IT TO THEIR OWN RESEARCH. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ALL THE RESEARCH ENDEAVORS SHOULD CONSIDER ANY ETHICAL IMPLICATION S THAT COME OUT OF DOING NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. THE PLAN FOR ACTION AS I SAID WAS VERY DETAILED AND VERY SPECIFIC AND I'LL SHOW YOU A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS HERE THE FIRST AREA OF ACTION DISCOVERING DIVERSITY. CATALOGING AND IDENTIFYING EVERY TYPE OF NERVE CELL THAT EXISTS IN THE BRAIN AND HOW IT CONNECTS AND HOW IT ACTS, KNOWING ITS STRUCTURE, HOUR ITS STRUCTURE RELATES TO ITS FUNCTION, HOW IT COULD BE IDENTIFIED GENETICALLY AN TARGETED FOR INSERTING CHANNELS, ACTIVATING OR DEACTIVATING. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE RESEARCH PLAN BECAUSE AT THE END OF THIS SECTION THEY IDENTIFY SOME IDEAS WE'RE UP IN FRONT THEY HAVE A PAIR GRAPH THAT I BELIEVE THE RETINA IS THE NUMBER ONE TARGET AND IT WILL LEAD THE WAY, THAT KNOWING COMPLETELY THE CIRCUITRY OF THE RETINA IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS WAS AN ACHIEVABLE PROJECT. AND SUGGESTING THAT IT SHOULD BE THE FLAGSHIP FOR THE BRAIN INITIATIVE WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY VERY EXCITING. THE SECOND PLAN WAS TO DEVELOP A MASS ACTIVITY MAPS AN CONNECTION MAPS AT MULTIPLE SCALES HOW THINGS ENTERACT AT THE LEVEL OF THE BRAIN, HOW THINGS INTERACT WITHIN CIRCUITS AND HOW THINGS INTERACT BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL NEURONS. ALSO INCLUDED THE BRAIN SHOULD BE LOOKED AT IN ACTION, UNDERSTANDING HOW SAY ACTIVITY GENERATED BY SENSORY STIMULI IS ULTIMATELY PROCESSED AND TRANSFORMED INTO ACTIVITY THAT DRIVES MOTOR RESPONSES. ALSO THAT THE PROGRAM SHOULD DEMONSTRATE CAUSALITY. REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW THE ACTIVITY AND POPULATIONS OF CELLS INTERACTING TOGETHER RESULTS IN PERCEPTION OR COGNITION. ALSO TO TRY TO IDENTIFY FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES, ELEMENTS THAT OPERATE IN ONE AREA OF THE BRAIN THAT ARE CONSERVED AND OPERATE IN OTHER AREAS OF THE BRAIN AS WELL. ALSO PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ADVANCING HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE AND IN THIS RESPECT THEY TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING SAY SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS IN THE BRAIN, FOR EXAMPLE HUMAN LANGUAGE OR HOW THE BRAIN, HOW THE HUMAN BRAIN CAN UNDERGO THE OPERATIONS OF DOING MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS. OTHER AREAS THAT ARE DEEPLY HUMAN. ABOVE ALL, A PLAN TO ADVANCE FROM JUST THIS BRAIN INITIATIVE TO REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN. THAT IS, UNDERSTANDING HOW CONNECTIONS AND ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN LEAD TO HUMAN EMOTION. OR DECISION MAKING OR THOUGHT PROCESS OR METRICS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE STAND TODAY. I WILL TALK YOUR QUESTIONS BUT BEFORE I DO I WANTED TO SHOW A LITTLE SHORT CLIP BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKE TO SHOW SOME SCIENCE WHEN I STANDS UP IN FRONT OF GROUP. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE. THIS IS WORK THAT CAME OUT OF GENALIA FARMS WITH PHILLIP KELLER AND MISHA AARONS, THE INVESTIGATORS ON THIS. WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS A ZEBRAFISH BRAIN, WHOLE BRAIN OF A TAG ZEBRAFISH, LOOKING DOWN FROM THE TOP AND THIS IS LOOKING FROM THE FRONT, THIS IS A LATERAL VIEW HERE. EACH LITTLE SPECK THAT YOU SEE IN THIS DIAGRAM IS AN INDIVIDUAL NEURON, A S BRAIN THAT IS ACTIVE T. DURING THIS FILM. AND THE TEMPORAL RESOLUTION OF THIS IS ABOUT ON THE ORDER OF A SECOND. SO THE ACTIVITY OF EACH CELL OF EVERY CELL IN THE BRAIN THIS ZEBRAFISH IS BEING LOOKED AT WITH A TEMPORAL RESOLUTION OF ABOUT 1 HERTZ. THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THIS, WE'RE COMPLETELY ASTOUNDED BY IT. I KNOW DR. Y,STE WAS ASKED TO COMMENT, I SAW ONE OF HIS COMMENTS AND AGREE WITH HIM TOTALLY, WHICH IS MAYBE THIS IDEA OF VIEWING EVERY CELL BEING ACTIVE IN THE BRAIN AT THE SAME TIME IS NOT SO CRAZY AFTER ALL. SO HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> THIS IS PROBABLY DISCUSSED AT LENGTH, THOSE MEETINGS THROWN OUT AGAIN, WHERE DO WE SEE THE OVERLAP OR SYNERGY BETWEEN THE BRAIN 2025 INITIATIVE AND AUDACIOUS GOALS, THOSE BE TWO OF OUR CENTRAL INITIATIVES? >> I THINK AT THIS POINT THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IS NOT LOOKING AT ISSUES OF DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION OF CELLS. THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AT THIS POINT IS LOOKING AT ALREADY DEVELOPED BRAINS AN CIRCUIT ACTIVITY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE CONNECTIONS AND THE ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN RESULTS IN PERCEPTIONS AND MOTIONS, MOTOR RESPONSES, ET CETERA. SO I THINK THE OVERLAP IS THAT MUCH THAT IS LEARNED FROM THIS IN TERMS OF THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT WILL APPLY TO THE AUDACIOUS GOALS PROGRAM. BUT I DON'T SEE DIRECT OVERLAP IN SCIENCE. >> I HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THAT. FOR INSTANCE, LET'S TAKE THE RETINA AND CONNECTIONS FROM RETINA, IF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE SAY IDENTIFY AND RESOLVES THOSE PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS AND LOOK AT THE ACTIVITIES OF CONNECTIONS, BUT SOME OF THE GOALS -- SOME OF THE ASPIRATIONS OF AUDACIOUS GOALS WOULD BE TO LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE (INAUDIBLE) DAMAGE TO RETINA. IT WILL EXACTLY VERY CONFIDENTLY RIDE ON TOP OF THE (INAUDIBLE). I SEE THEM COMPLETELY COMPLIMENTARY. >> I AGREE. >> I ALSO SAY THE AUDACIOUS GOAL IS EMBEDDED IN DISEASE AND ULTIMATE TREATMENT. >> MICHAEL, LET ME ASK A QUESTION, HOW DO YOU SEE NEI PAYING BEST ATTENTION TO BRAIN INITIATIVE? >> I cw THINK IT'S WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT INVESTIGATORS WORKING ON RETINA, AND CERTAINLY INVESTIGATORS WORKING IN VISUAL CORTEX AND IN HIGHER AREAS OF THE VISUAL SYSTEM, HAVE A LEG UP ON VIRTUALLY ALL OTHER CIRCUITS THAT ARE BEING ANALYZED IN THE BRAIN. SO I EXPECT TO SEE HUGE RESPONSE FROM VISION RESEARCHERS IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT GOES ON TOWARD ANALYZING THESE KINDS OF CIRCUIT S. SO I THINK AT LEAST THE NEI RESEARCHERS WILL BE PLAYING A ROLE HERE REGARDLESS OF NEI INVESTMENT AND WILL BENEFIT FROM THE WORK THAT'S BEING FUNDED BY THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. I CERTAINLY THINK THAT GIVEN THE EMPHASIS PLACED ON VISION RESEARCH NEI SHOULD BE AT THIS TABLE. >> ONE AREA PROMINENTLY HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REPORT, THEY REALLY DO EMPHASIZE THE RETINA AND THE VISUAL CORTEX FLAGSHIP AREAS WHERE THERE'S REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR IMMEDIATE TRACTION SINCE THEY'RE SUCH WELL UNDERSTOOD ISSUES BUT THEY HIGHLIGHT NEURAL PROSTHETICS AND AS AN AREA, THE VISUAL SYSTEM IS ALSO WHERE THERE'S BEEN THE MOST PROGRESS. THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE LEADERSHIP GOAL. >> SO I WANT TO SUGGEST AN IDEA TO POSITION THE NEI WITH RESPECT TO THE FUTURE OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. AND THIS GOES BACK TO ONE PROBLEM THAT SOME OF US HAVE HIGHLIGHTED WITH THE WAY THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IS EVOLVING IS THAT IT LACKS CENTRAL LEADERSHIP. THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT INSTITUTES AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, PRIOR FOUNDATIONS SEPARATENING PARALLEL. ONE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WHICH HAPPENED BEFORE WITH THE GENOME PROJECT, WITH THE NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE FOR EXAMPLE WAS TO CREATE NATIONAL CENTERS, NATIONAL LABS WHICH WOULD ANCHOR THE SCIENCE. ALSO CREATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND (INAUDIBLE) OF -- DISSEMINATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY. SO THIS REPORT THAT MICHAEL IS DISCUSSING HAS BEEN VERY SKITTISH ABOUT THAT TOPIC. IN FACT THEY SORT OF POSTPONED THE QUESTION FOR THE FUTURE, PUT IT ON AND SAID WE'LL DEAL WITH THIS (INAUDIBLE) FROM NOW. SO ONE SUGGESTION IS THAT NEI SORT OF PROMPTS TACKLES THIS ISSUE BY SPONSORING A CONSORTIUM OF LABS, CONSORTIA OF LABS, ONE THAT CAN CRYSTALLIZE THE RETINA PART OF THE INITIATIVE AND CENTRAL VISION PART SO LACK IN INITIATIVE, I WOULD SAY THOSE ARE TWO PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE U.S., ARE WORKING IN DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR THIS PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN THE RETINA ON VISUAL CORTEX SHOULD BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE MAYBE THE NEI WITH LITTLE OUTLAY OF MONEY CAN CRYSTALLIZE ALL THIS EFFORT AND PROVIDE THE LITTLE BIT OF THAT LEADERSHIP THAT'S LACKING FOR THE PROGRAM. BY (INAUDIBLE) THE RETINA, AS THEY SAY THE POSTER CHILD OF THE INITIATIVE THEY CAN SHOW HOW IT CAN BE DONE. I THINK VISUAL CORTEX CAN BE ANOTHER GOOD PLACE TO DO IT. A LITTLE BIT GOING BEYOND PROGRAM PROJECT GRANTS, SOME SORT OF FLEXIBLE ARRANGEMENT WILL SERVE AS A WATERING HOLE FOR THE LABS WORKING ON THAT. >> SO ARE YOU THINKING LIKE A GENOME CENTER? TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF THE SCALE. >> VIRTUAL GENOME SENSOR. I'M NOT SAYING THE NEI SHOULD BUILD AND HIRE PEOPLE AND PUT -- THAT WOULD BE THE -- THAT'S THE IDEAL SITUATION. THAT'S HOW THEY DID IN THE GENOME CENTER AN MORE RECENTLY THE NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE WHICH EACH OF THE CENTERS JUST A SCALE IS ABOUT 50 MILLION PER YEAR. SO I REALIZE THE BUDGET IS NOT INFINITE BUT FIRST STEP IN THIS DIRECTION COULD BE TO CREATE A CONSORTIUM. OF LABS.3v= >> AS WE DISCUSS MANY TIMES ONE UNIQUE ELEMENT ABOUT THE EYE INSTITUTE (INAUDIBLE) INITIATED (INAUDIBLE) PROJECT. SO ARE YOU SUGGESTING A MAJOR CHANGE IN HOW THE EYE (INAUDIBLE) OR ARE YOU SUGGEST ING THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD SUBMIT FOR INSTANCE (INAUDIBLE) WOULD THEN BE MATCHED OR PAIRED POST HOCK? >> I THINK BOTH IS THE SECOND IDEA, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE RO-1s THERE ARE ALREADY HUNDREDS COMING AND SOME PEOPLE WHO PROPOSE TO DO WORK IN RETINA (INAUDIBLE) SO THOSE SHOULD BE BROUGHT INTO THIS CONSORTIUM, THE CONSORTIUM (INAUDIBLE) TO BRINGING MORE PEOPLE IN, FROM FIELD -- MAY NOT EVEN BE NEUROSCIENCE, THAT SAY HEY, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE, THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IN THE RETINA, THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IN B-1. SPONSOR MEETINGS, CAN SPONSOR MECHANISMS TO LINK THE WORK OF THESE LABS. COULD SPONSOR CENTRAL DATA RES TO POWERS. -- REPOSITORIES, ISSUES LIKE (INAUDIBLE) NOMENCLATURE, DISSEMINATION OF TECHNOLOGY, ALL THESE THINGS THAT IDEALLY A NATIONAL LAB DOES COULD START TO HAPPEN BEFORE HAVING A NATIONAL LISTEN IN THE -- LAB WITHOUT HAVING TO FUNNEL THE GRANTS IT CAN INCORPORATE THE PEOPLE DOING THE RESEARCH IN THAT DIRECTION WHICH IS -- AGAIN, ANOTHER ANGLE STOW THIS WOULD BE TO OPEN IT UP TO THE WORLD. THE INITIATIVE IS RESTRICTED TO THE U.S., YET IN THE RETINA, MOST OF THE TESTS,Ö A LOT OF THE TEST DESIGNED IN THE RETINA (INAUDIBLE) SO WHY NOT BRING -- PARTICULARLY LIVE THE ONES INTERESTED IN CONNECTOMICS OF THE RETINA. WE SHOULD BE PARTICIPATING IN THESE TYPE OF -- DIRECTLY (INAUDIBLE). >> WHAT ABOUT THE NON-SIGN AT THIS TIMES, WHEN I THINK PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO MANAGE LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION WHICH I PRESUME (INAUDIBLE) I THINK OF COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE AND THAT COULD BE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT READ UPON HOW TO COLLECT DATA, FORGET ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN, JUST COLLECT THE DATA BEING GENERATED AND ORGANIZE IT IN SOME KIND OF INTELLIGENT THERAPEUTIC INTERPRETABLE PIECE OF INFORMATION. IS THAT PART OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE? >> SO ONE OF THE KEY POINTS WAS THAT THIS WILL GENERATE BIG DATA, LOTS OF DATA. AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A PLATFORM FOR POOLING THIS DATA AND SHARING THIS DATA WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FUNDED BY SPECIFIC GRANTS IT'S NOT CLEAR GOING FORWARD HOW THIS WILL BE MANAGED AT NIH. I EXPECT IT WILL BE AN ORGANIZATION SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO THE NIH BLUEPRINT IN THE WAY IT'S DONE. AND IT'S NOT CLEAR YET WHAT FUNDING MECHANISMS WILL BE USED GOING FORWARD. THE CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PLANNING GRANT I EXPECT THEY WILL STAY IN THAT FORMAT AND THAT COLLABORATION AMONG THE VARIOUS LABS THAT HAVE THESE AWARDS AND SHARING OF INFORMATION AMONG THEM WILL BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE GOING FORWARD. TY THINK RAFA'S SUGGESTION THAT ADDITIONAL EFFORT TO SEE THAT VISION RESEARCH IS BONDED TOGETHER WITH SOME KIND OF VIRTUAL FORMAT IS REASONABLE IDEA. ON TOP OF WHATEVER BRAIN INITIATIVE ITSELF REQUIRES. >> THIS SEEMS AN ATTRACTIVE WAY TO CRYSTALLIZE LEADERSHIP IF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AT LEAST (INAUDIBLE). WE LIKE THE IDEA AS COUNCIL, IS THERE A WAY TO INDICATE THAT TO (INAUDIBLE) BEYOND JUST DISCUSSION, (INAUDIBLE)? >> A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC, WHAT PARTICULARLY DO YOU LIKE. >> THE IDEA OF TAKING INVESTIGATORS ALREADY WORKING IN THE FIELD FUNDED BY THE NEI PERHAPS OTHER INSTITUTES, TRYING TO PARAPHRASE WHAT I HEARD FROM YOU. AND ORGANIZING THAT AT HIGHER LEVEL. PERHAPS WITH SOME LARGE SCALE OVERSIGHT THAT (INAUDIBLE) >> EXACTLY. A LITTLE BIT LIKE ORCHESTRA WHERE ALL THE INSTRUMENTS ARE PLAYING INDEPENDENTLY AND WE CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF -- AND THE EFFORT CAN CAN BE SYNERGIST IC. THIS COULD ALSO SERVE TO PROVIDE THAT TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY TO THE PORTFOLIO THAT ARE FUNDED BY THE NEI ALREADY SO CONSIDER BOTH WAYS CRYSTALLIZE PEEP IN THE BRAIN INITIATIVE (INAUDIBLE) AND FOR THE VISION COMMUNITY, SO SPREAD OUT FROM THE BRAIN INITIATIVE IN THE WAY WHICH COULD HAPPEN MUCH FASTER. ORCHESTRATED FASHION THAT IF YOU JUST LET THINGS HAPPEN BY CHANCE. >> RICK, YOU HAVE OOH QUESTION IN >> THIS IS A LAST OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING. MIGHT AS WELL SAY IT. I THINK THIS IS, ONE THING RAFA MENTIONED WAS A WORKSHOP AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY LOW HANGING FRUIT TO BRING THE PEOPLE TOGETHER WHO ARE CURRENTLY DOING THIS AND MAYBE PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. SINCE THE AUDACIOUS GOALS HAS MOVED TO IMPLEMENTATION PHASE, I WOULD SUGGEST TO THE THE INSTITUTE THAT MAYBE WE CAN CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND REALLY FALLS UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THE PLANNING OFFICE. IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WE WOULD ENTERTAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S -- I MEAN, IT'S AN EASY FIRST STEP THAT I THINK WOULD BE VALUABLE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION. MY TWO CENTS. >> I WOULD LIKE TO ENDORSE THAT, I THINK WHAT RAFA IS WORKING TOWARDS IS SORT OF THIS LARGE SCALE VIRTUAL LAB MEETING BETWEEN ALL THESE SCIENTIST WHOSE HAVE COMMON INTERESTS. THESE THING ALSO WORK MUCH BETTER IF THE SCIENTISTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE A WORKSHOP FACE TO FACE AT LEAST ONCE AND ESTABLISH SOME KIND OF IMMEDIATE RAPPORT AND THEN THE FOLLOW-UP WILL BECOME MUCH MORE VALUABLE. PRODUCTIVE. AND I THINK THIS WILL ALSO ALLOW A MORE CONCRETE VIEW WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER >> I WOULD PROPOSE ONE MORE POSSIBLE ROLE WORKING GROUP COULD SERVE, TO KEEP AN EYE ON ALIGNMENT WITH AUDACIOUS GOALS, THERE'S A OPPORTUNITY DOWN THE ROAD FOR SYNERGY, IN THE REPORT THEY HIGHLIGHT CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DIAGNOSIS AN EVALUATION OF EFFICACIES FOR TREATMENT, NEW STRATEGIES FOR PHARMACEUTICALS AND I THINK THE MORE WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON DEVELOPMENT WITH THE BRAIN INITIATIVE TAP INTO THOSE WITH AUDACIOUS GOALS WILL HAVE GREATER POTENTIAL. >> WHAT I HEARD, THERE ARE SIX FOAsj&œ ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE BRAIN INITIATIVE. ONE IS BRAIN IMAGING. NEI AS PART OF AUDACIOUS GOAL COME OUT WITH TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. WHAT I SEE INITIAL ALIGNMENT CAN START WITH THAT, PORTION OF THE AUDACIOUS GOALS SO TECHNOLOGY AND INTERFACE MAKING ISSUES. CONNECTIVITY AND PROCESSING. (INAUDIBLE). >> DONE. >> WE'LL DO IT. >> MICHAEL. >> DO IT. >> >> THESE PROJECTS ARE AT A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL THAN IS THE -- AS SAID, INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATOR INITIATED PROJECTS WHICH ARE A GOLD MINE FOR DISCOVERY RESEARCH. THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY DISCOVERY RESEARCH BUT IT IS ORGANIZED OR IT WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING COORDINATED, NOT ORGANIZED, NOT MANAGED, NOT DIRECTED, NOT MICROMANIPULATED BUT COORDINATED AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL. MICHAEL IS THE PERSON THAT I LOOK TO WITHIN THE PROGRAM AREAS OF NEI TO BE ATTENTIVE TO THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AND INTERFACE NEI. RICK FISHER AS DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM OFFICE, MAKE AS WISE POINT THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE -- IT WOULD ALSO BENEFIT THE NEI FROM ORGANIZATIONAL EXEMPTION. SO WE WILL WORK THIS OUT AND GET IT GOING. WE HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBERS, YOU HAVE SPOKEN WITH CLARITY AND WILL BE ASKING FOR FUTURE ADVICE. >> THANK YOU FOR THAT INPUT. IT WILL BE VERY HELP AS THE NIH GOES FORWARD AND PLANNING THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AS A WHOLE, IN POSITIONING NEI TO TAKE OPTIMAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS INFUSION OF MONEY, RESOURCES, GREAT IDEA. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE NEXT TOPIC. >> WHILE LORE' ANN IS WALKING UP THERE, I WANT TO MENTION ANOTHER THING. WHILE IN THE PLANNING OFFICE I HAD A FANTASTIC GROUP WORKING WITH ME AND ONE OF THEM IS DR. SHEFA GORDON WHO PAUL DETERMINED WOULD BE THE ACTING DIRECTOR WHEN I LEAVE. SO I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD MEET HIM. HE'S SITTING RIGHT HERE. YOU WILL BE SEEING MORE OF HIM ESPECIALLY IF THIS WORKSHOP COMES TO PASS. >> THANK YOU. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LOOK AT WHAT THE NEI HAS BEEN DOING THIS FISCAL YEAR. IN A FISCAL PROGRAMMATIC WAY AND WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE ROAD AT THE NIH SO I WILL SKIP TO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO. I WANT TO STRESS THAT THE AUDACIOUS GOAL IS RIGHT NOW THE CENTER OF OUR SPECIAL PROGRAMMATIC INTEREST, OUTSIDE OF JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL. AS PAUL IS GOING TO TELL YOU IN JUST A MINUTE, WE ISSUED -- WE STARTED ISSUING FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE AUDACIOUS GOAL AND MOVING INTO IMPLEMENTATION. OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS FISCAL YEAR THE NIH CONNED NEW INVESTIGATOR POLICIES SO THAT THE AWARD RATE FOR RO-1s FOR NEW INVESTIGATORRINGS MUST BE EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATORS ABOUT OF THE INVESTIGATORS 60% MUST BE EARLY STAGE INVESTIGATORS. THAT'S A PUBLISHED NIH GOAL FOR ALL INSTITUTES. THINK IT THROUGH, IN AN OPERATIONAL WAY, IT'S QUITE DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT BECAUSE YOU'RE BALANCING CONTINUING GRANTS FROM ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATORS WITH THEIR NEW GRANTS, WITH NEW PEOPLE COMING IN. THE EASE YES, SIR WAY WHEN YOU MODEL HOW TO DO THIS, THE EASIEST WAY TO IMPLEMENT THIS IS TO NOT FUND ANY NEW GRANTS FROM ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATORS. THAT'S A SIMPLE WAY BUT WE HAVE TAKEN A MORE LIBERAL APPROACH TO IT. WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO THAT. THAT IS REASON YOU WILL SEE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT PEOPLE WITH LABORATORIES NEXT DOOR TO ONE ANOTHER WITH PRIORITY SCORES THAT LOOK DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER, ONE GETS FUNDED WHEN THE OTHER DOESN'T BECAUSE TO MAKE THESE GOALS WE OFTEN HAVE TO RAISE TO PAY NEW INVESTIGATORS. SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO THAT. WHAT'S BEEN INTERESTING IS THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER OF NEW INVESTIGATORS WE FUND HAS POSSIBLED AROUND THE HISTORICAL AVERAGE, WE FUNDED 53 RO-1 INVESTIGATORS EACH YEAR AND IT'S KIND OF BEEN LIKE THAT FOR 20 YEARS. WE HAVE PUBLISHED OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS, THESE ARE MORE HOUSEKEEPING IN THE ELECTRONIC WORLD. THE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR YOUR BASIC PROGRAMS HAVE TO BE REISSUEDED EVERY THREE YEARS. THAT ALLOWS THE INCLUSION OF POLICY UPDATES ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO WE HAVE REISSUED THE R-24 TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM, WE REISSUED CORE GRANTS, THIS WAS JUST VERY DIFFICULT, THIS IS THE YEAR THAT ALL OF THE SO-CALLED COMPLEX MECHANISMS FIST MUST MOVE TO ELECTRONIC PHASE. DOING THAT IS NOT SIMPLY DUPLICATING THE PAPER PROCESS ELECTRONICALLY SO THOSE WHO ARE CENTER CORE GRANT DIRECTORS HAVING RENEWALS IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS YOU MAY WANT TO START NOW TAKING A LOOK AT THIS NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR HOW YOU HAVE TO DO IT. WE ARE ABOUT GIVE BIRTH TO NEW INSTITUTIONAL CLINICIAN SCIENTIST TRAINING PROGRAM FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT AND WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY REDONE COOPERATIVE CLINICAL RESEARCH. WE SET UP TWO DIFFERENCE WAYS THAT A STUDY CAN ORGANIZE ITSELF. ONE USES THE MORE TRADITIONAL U- 10 WHICH ONE A SINGLE PROJECT WITH MULTIPLE COMPONENTS SO ONE PI FOR CLINICAL TRIAL AND THEN WITHIN THERE WOULD BE SUBCONTRACTS FOR A COORDINATING CENTER RESOURCE CENTERS AND ENROLLING CENTERS. THE OTHER WAY USING A NEW ELECTRONIC MECHANISM, THE UG-1 OR THE UG HAS A SERIES OF RELATED PROJECTS SO A SEPARATE GRANT, SEPARATE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR FOR THE CHAIR, THE COORDINATING CENTER RESEARCH CENTER. AND I CAN MR. SHEEHAN: LA WRINKLE LING FOREHEAD. CALL YOUR PROGRAM DIRECTOR BEFORE YOU EMBARK ON THESE ADVENTURES. WE HAVE HAD SOME PROGRAMMATIC INITIATIVES, ONE WAS THE CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT SHERRY WIGS LEADER OF OUR GREEN INITIATIVE AND WE PARTICIPATED AT VERY HIGH LEVEL IN THE BIKE TO WORK DAY LED BY SHERRY, BIKES IN ALMOST EVERY DAY. ONE GOING ON THIS SUMMER IS ANOTHER VERSION OF THE WHOLE VISION COURSE WE DO EVERY OTHER YEAR WHILE PARTICIPATING IN A WORKSHOP ON SMALL BLOOD VESSELS WITH NINDS, HEART LUNG AND BLOOD AND WE'RE CONTINUING DESPITE MAJOR EMPHASIS PROGRAM MATICALLY ARE AUDACIOUS GOALS BUT THERE ARE STILL UPCOMING BUSINESS AREAS WHERE WE COLLABORATE WITH OTHER INSTITUTES. DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, EVERYBODY HAS TO BE IN THE OPPORTUNITY NET, BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH, THE BIG DATA TO KNOWLEDGE NEUROSCIENCE BLUE PRINT. BUT YOU CAN SEE I'M LISTING HERE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE HAVE THROWN IN WITH OTHER INSTITUTES RESEARCH RESOURCES FOR ORGAN TISSUES, BRAIN DISORDERS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. US BILATERAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS ON DIABETES RESEARCH, NIDDK. AND A COUPLE WHERE IT'S MORE INSTITUTES ON DEVELOPING CHEMICAL PROBES AND HIGH THROUGH PUT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE FISCALLY A BIG EMPHASIS AUDACIOUS GOALS WITH PARTICIPATING IN NEW SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY DEVELOP. AND DOING OUR REGULAR RECURRING PROGRAMS LIKE THE TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH. IN TERMS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE NIH THERE HAVE BEEN VERY PROLONGED AND VERY HEATEDDED DISCUSSION OF THE BUDGET CAP ON MODULAR GRANTS. AND ITS ATTENTION BETWEEN -- IT'S HELD AT 250,000 FOR OVER A DECADE. VERSUS IF YOU RAISE IT THEN THAT'S A BUDGET BUSTER. NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE WHATSOEVER. THERE IS A NEW BIOSKETCH, A BIG INITIATIVE OF HAROLD VARMUS, WONDERFUL TO BE AT 70 SO HAROLD HAS LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS. SO THIS WILL BE STARTING IN FISCAL YEAR 2015 WHICH IS JUST COMING UP. AND THE BIOSKETCH WILL BE EXPANDED TO FIVE PAGES AND INVESTIGATORS WILL BE ABLE TO WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF FIVE OF THEIR MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE. AND INDICATE WHAT THEIR ROLES HAVE BEEN IN THE PROJECT. >> I READ ON A BLOG THERE IS A LOT OF NEGATIVE REACTION. >> INCREDIBLE NEGATIVE REACTION. WE CAN ONLY -- IT'S HAPPENING. >> THOSE WHO LIKE IT WOULD NOT -- SO HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? HAROLD (INAUDIBLE). BECAUSE IT IS LINKED TO THE PERSON GRANT. BY LAW THE NIH FUNDS PROJECTS. THERE IS A GROWING CONCERN IT WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF BEING EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL AND ALLOW THEM AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME FOR FUNDING. LAUGHING BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN AROUND THIS BARN WITH THE MERIT AWARDS, >> I HAVE BEEN IN STUDY SECTION WHEN NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATES HAVE THEIR GRANTS NOT EVEN DISCUSSED. >> I KNOW. YOU IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM. >> I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE PROBLEM. I'M TRYING TO SAY THAT -- >> I KNOW. SO THEY'RE UNDER DISCUSSION T NIH LAWYERS ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY FOR THE LANGUAGE L'S ON THE TABLE IS FIVE YEAR GRANT WITH THREE YEAR ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL. THE NIH DID THIS WITH OLD MERIT AWARDS, FIVE PLUS FIVE AND THE NEI LIKE MANY OTHER INSTITUTES ABANDONED THOSE BECAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES WE HAD BRINGING THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE RENEWALS TO COUNCIL WHERE YOU SAW SO MANY PEOPLE (INAUDIBLE) WITHOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF HAVING TO COME BACK TO THE STUDY SECTION. ANYWAY, THERE WILL BE CHANGE. WE SHALL SEE WHAT IT DOES. MUCH MORE POPULAR INITIATIVE CHANGE IN RESUBMISSION PROCESS. THE COMMITTEE THAT WOULD POOL OVER A ONEs TO SEE WHETHER THEY WERE DIFFERENT ENOUGH JUST FELL APART UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT SO NOW YOU'RE FREE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. IF YOU PUT IN CALL A-0 AND IT'S NOT FUNDED YOU MAY EITHER SUBMIT ONE REVISION THAT INCLUDES A RESPONSE TO SUMMARY STATEMENT OR SUBMIT IT ALL OVER AGAIN AS NEW GRANT. THAT HAS BEEN VERY POPULAR. ANOTHER CHANGE THAT'S COMING IS ROLE OF SEX AND GENDER AS CAUSE FOR IRREPRODUCIBILITY OF SOME NIH PRE-CLINICAL WORK, DR. MCKEY TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT THIS IN JANUARY. AND RECENTLY MAY 15th DR. COLLINS AND DR. JENNIE -- JANINE CLAYTON WHO IS A CORNEA SPECIALIST WHO WORKED MANY YEARS DOING RESEARCH FOR THE N EI CLINICAL PROGRAM AND NOW HEAD OF NIH OFFICE FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH. PROPOSING ONE MAJOR CAUSE OF THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS BIG PHARMA LOST MONEY TRYING TO BRING PROMISING DRUGS TO MARKET AND NOT ABLE TO REPRODUCE ORIGINAL FINDINGS. ONE THOUGHT IS WHAT'S ON THE TABLE IS THAT THE FAILURE TO HAVE EQUAL NUMBERS OF MALE AND FEMALE ANIMALS, OR MALE AND FEMALE CELLS IS A PROBLEM. THEY ARE WRITING POLL CITY REQUIRE MORE ATTENTION TO THE SEX, THERE'S A WHOLE MIX OF SEX AND GENDER WHICH SEX IS THE KARYOTYPE AND GENDER IS AN LEVEL --. IN TERMS OF NIH FISCAL POLICIES GOING FORWARD, TRAINING STIPENDS WERE INCREASED BUT THE NUMBER OF TRAINING NEW GRANTS WHICH SHOULD FUND ARE HELD STEADY WHICH MEANS SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE, THERE HAS TO BE MORE MONEY TRANSFERRED THERE AND THE LIMIT FOR INVESTIGATORS RAISED BY 1%. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF FISCAL PRESSURE ON OUR TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. TRAINING FOR Ph.D. RESEARCHERS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT IS CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS. ONE OF THE ISSUES IS K-99 R OF 00 PROGRAM. WHICH IF YOU REMEMBER I SAID THAT FISCALLY MONEY COMES IN LINES SO WHEN THE K-99 PROGRAM PUT INTO THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT POT IT COMPETES WITH OUR TRADITIONAL SUPPORT OF INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CLINICIAN SCIENCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SO THE K-99 IS IN COMPETITION WITH THE KO-8, K-23 AND THE K-12. THERE WAS A CHANGE IN ELIGIBILITY THAT A K-99 APPLICANT CAN BE NO MORE THAN FIVE YEARS FROM THERE, WITHIN FIVE YEARS OF POST-DOCTORAL TRAINING BUT NOW THE SUCCESS RATE MUST BE 30%. VERY HIGH SUCCESS RATE COMPARED TO OTHER PROGRAMS TODAY AT THAT TIME NIH. IN THE PAST THE DIFFERENT INSTITUTES WERE GIVEN QUOTAS FOR HOW MANY KICKS-99s TO FUND -- K-99s TO FUND RATHER THAN A SUCCESS RATES. HERE IS -- IN THE IMPACT THIS WOULD HAVE ON THE NE I. OUR QUOTA WAS FOUR. SO OUR SUCCESS RATES WERE KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. 30% REQUIREMENT THAT FOUR WOULD DOUBLE. SO THAT'S MORE COMPETITION AGAINST OUR CLINICIAN SCIENTIST TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE ARE A CLINICAL INSTITUTE, WE STRESS TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH THAT LEADS TO CURES. WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS. THIS MOVING FORWARD IS ANOTHER NATURAL STRESSOR ON THE TRAINING QUESTIONS? >> I HIT THE MUTE BY ACCIDENT THAT WAS WRONG BUTTON. >> I PRESS WRONG BUTTONS ALL THE TIME THAT LEADS TO VERY EXCITING OUTCOMES. >> BACK TO THE GENDER ROLE, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND HOW THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED. >> IT'S GOING TO BE A POLICY REQUIREMENT JUST AS YOU MUST INCLUDE APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER RACE IN PHASE 3 CLINICAL TRIALS NOW YOU WIL1Ž HAVE TO HAVE APPROPRIATE INCLUSION IN BASIC SCIENCE. THEY'LL HAVE TO START KARYOTYPING YOUR CELL LINES. >> SO NO WHAT STUDY YOU PROPOSE TO DO -- >> I HOPE THERE WILL BE SOME SENSIBLE IDENTIFICATION OF THE MARKET YOU'RE AFTER HERE. >> THAT WOULD BE MY CONCERN, YOU COULD DOUBLE THE BUDGET WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR REALLY NO BENEFIT. >> YEAH. >> IT'S COMING, IT'S SOMETHING DR. COLLINS TAKING VERY SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU. >> OKAY WE HEARD ABOUT THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AND NOW LET'S HEAR WHERE WE STAND WITH THE AUDACIOUS GOALS. RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS TURN-OVER OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE ROOM ON COUNCIL, I'M GOING TO START BACK NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THIS WITH THE CONCEPT THAT WE HAVE LIVED OVER THE PAST 10, 15 YEARS THROUGH REALLY REMARKABLE PERIOD FOR DISCOVERY BIOLOGY. THAT DISCOVERY HAS NETTED US AMONG OTHER THINGS, TOOLS THAT ARE UTTERLY REMARKABLE. AT LEAST THAT'S MY EDITORIAL COMMENT, UTTERLY REMARKABLE. THIS IS A SLIDE SET THAT I PRESENTED, A TRUNCATED SLIDE SET THAT I PRESENTED THIS YEAR AT ARVO. AND IT IS TO GIVE YOU AND OTHER MEMBERS A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE, STATUS REPORT WHERE WE ARE ON THE AUDACIOUS GOALS INITIATIVE. ON BASES OF THINKING ABOUT WHERE BIOLOGY IS, TWO YEARS AGO EYE COUNCIL SPOKE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE BUILT ON WHAT'S DISCOVERED AND AVAILABLE FOR US TO WORK WITH. SOME OF THESE ARE QUITE OBVIOUS. GENE THERAPY. THE FIRST VISION SUCCESS IN GENE THERAPY, DATES 2008, 2009, NOW SIX YEARS LATER AND THERE IS WORK GOING ON BUT WE ARE MANY NCI MANY WAYS WAITING FOR THE SECOND DEFINITIVE EXAMPLE THAT GENE THERAPY IS VIABLE. STEM CELL BIOLOGY, TEN AND P SOME YEARS AGO WE HAD ES CELLS AND 2006 WE HAD IPS CELLS. THERE IS VIBRANT APPLICATION TO BIOLOGY. YOU CAN GO DOWN THE LIST HERE AND SEE THAT THERE ARE TOOLS. THE QUESTION IS, COUNCIL ASKED THE QUESTION HOW CAN THESE BE PUT TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT WILL MOVE BEYOND WHERE WE ARE. THAT THEN OVER THE COURSE OF TIME WAS FRAMED AN AUDACIOUS GOAL LAST YEAR IN FEBRUARY 200 SCIENTISTS MOSTLY FROM VISION BUT BEYOND VISION ALONE CONVENED, DISCUSSED IDEAS THAT HAD BEEN PUT FORWARD AND ULTIMATELY CAME UP WITH THIS AS THE AUDACIOUS GOAL. THIS IS A REGENERATIVE MEDICINE THEME, REGENERATE NEURONS. NEURONS ALONE ARE INEFFECTUAL FOR VISION, WE NIECE THE NEURONS AND WE'RE ATENNING TO THE EYE AND VISUAL SYSTEM. A LOT OF NEURONS WE CAN SPEAK ABOUT. ULTIMATELY A GROUP OF PEOPLE THOUGHTFULLY SAID LET'S WORK ON BOTH PHOTOYVs RECEPTOR CELLS AND GANGLION CELLS. TO GET TO PHOTO RECEPTOR GANGLION CELLS THERE'S A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT WE'LL NEED ATTENTION, THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE EXHAUSTTIVE LIST BUT PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD OBVIOUS LIST. HOW DO YOU STIMULATE AND GUIDE AXONS? HOW DO YOU FORM SYNAPSES IN ADULT NEURAL TISSUE? WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO DO EXOGENOUS REPAIR OR ENDOGENOUS REPAIR? IS THAT A POSSIBILITY? ARE THERE LATENT CELLS THAT ONE CAN INDUCE TO GO DOWN THE CORRECT LINEAGE PATH AND END UP WITH CELLS THAT ARE NEEDED AND HOW DO YOU GET THOSE TO SURVIVE. THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS QUITE ATTENTIVE TO WHAT'S GOING ON, WE'LL NEED A LOT OF WORK IN IMMUNE RESPONSE. SO YOU CAN GET A PIECE OF PAPER AND WITHIN FIVE MINUTES HAVE A LIST OF TEN, 20, 30 DEPENDING HOW QUICK THROUGH YOU WRITE, QUESTIONS AND AREAS THAT WILL NEED ATTENTION. A QUESTION THEN BECOMES HOW IN FACT DO WE GET THAT LIST, HOW DO WE ATTEND TO IT. THE CONCEPT HERE ON IMPLEMENTATION IS TO HAVE A GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL SENIOR NEUROSCIENTISTS ON A ROTATING MEMBERSHIP BASIS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. TO SUPPORT THE SCIENCE TRAJECTORY, TO EVALUATE THINGS PERIODICALLY, TO MAKE ADJUSTMENT S AS SCIENCE PROSPERS IN ONE DIRECTION OR RUNS INTO A PROBLEM IN ANOTHER DIRECTION TO MAKE THOSE COURSE ADJUSTMENTS. AND TO MOVE THIS FORWARD TOWARD A TARGET. THUS FAR THERE ARE -- I HAVE ASKED THREE INDIVIDUALS TO FORM THE FIRST STEERING COMMITTEE, JOHN DOWLING, PAMELA RAYMOND, MARK BLUUMENCRANTS, NUMBER FOUR IS IN FACT PENDING. AND NUMBER FIVE, PERHAPS YOU HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS AT THE TABLE EITHER NOW OR AT LUNCH OR TOMORROW BY EMAIL. THESE THREE INDIVIDUALS BRING THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS. JOHN DOWLING IS BROADLY VERSED IN NEUROSCIENCE, PARTICULARLY RETINAL NEUROSCIENCE, BEYOND THAT NEUROSCIENCE MORE BROADLY. PAMELA RAYMOND HAS PARTICULAR INTEREST AND EXPERTISE IN PROGENITOR CELLS. Q. IN THE RETINA, PARTICULARLY T ELIOST. MARK BLUMENCRNTS IS A CREATIVE CLINICIAN WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL INSTINCT WHO HAS A PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT IS DOABLE, WHAT CONCEPTS ARE CONCEIVABLE AND HE HAS A SURPRISING RANGE OF ABILITY TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE RETINA WHICH IS THE NEURAL SURGICAL TISSUE THAT HE WORKS ON. SO TWO SPOTS PENDING HERE. PROCESS ITSELF IS AT THE NEI WILL CONSULT WITH THE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND OVER THE COURSE OF TIME ISSUE NUMBER OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THIS AUDACIOUS GOAL. AND SOMEWHAT REPETITIVE FASHION TO PREVIOUS SLIDE, THE STEERING COMMITTEE IS GOING TO BE ASKED TO PROVIDE THEIR INPUT ON WHAT KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES WOULD BE DESIRABLE, HOW YOU EVALUATE WHETHER THERE IS SUCCESS ALONG ONE OR ANOTHER OF THESE LINES. AND ALWAYS TO BE ATTENTIVE FOR GETTING TO A GOAL. AS IS THE BRAIN INITIATIVE, THIS IS A DISCOVERY BIOLOGY BUT OF A DIFFERENT FLAVOR. DISCOVERY BIOLOGY IN THE BROADEST SENSE IS ALL CREATED EQUAL. IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER WE'RE INTENDING TO GET TO A SPECIFIC POINT IN THE UNIVERSE OF SCIENCE. THAT IS TO REGENERATE NEURONS AN NEURAL CONNECTIONS. WE IN FACT HAVE A TARGET. THE VISION COMMUNITY HAS AGREED ON A TARGET OVER THE COURSE OF TIME AND IT WILL BE INCUMBENT ON NEI AN STEERING COMMITTEE TO MOVE TOWARD THAT TARGET RECOGNIZING THROUGHOUT SCIENCE MOVES BEST WHEN UNFETTERED. IT'S A PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE KEPT FLEXIBLE BUT ONE WOULD HOPE I THINK THOSE ARE TWO WORDS THAT NEED TO BE COUPLED INTO THE PROCESS. LET'S THINK ABOUT HOW THIS IS SET UP. WE HAVE NEI HERE AND THE EYE COUNCIL AS I HAVE SAID, FROM EARLY ON THAT THIS AUDACIOUS GOALS INITIATIVE IS SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO HAVE INPUT THROUGH THE EYE COUNCIL INTO NEI. AT THE SAME TIME IT IS NOT REASONABLE TO EXPECT FIVE VOLUNTEER INDIVIDUALS TO BE SPENDING FULL TIME 100% OF THEIR TIME ON ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES FOR AUDACIOUS GOALS INITIATIVE, AGI. THERE WILL NEED TO BE SOME DOCK ING STATION, INTO THE NEI AND A MEANS OF GETTING SUPPORT TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE SO A MUTUALLY INTERDEPENDENT STEERING COMMITTEE ALONG WITH NEI. I HAVE LABELED THAT HERE ADS AN OFFICE. PLEASE TAKE THAT AS A FIGURATIVE USE OF THE WE HAVE NOT DETERMINEDDED WHETHER THIS IS AN OFFICE OR PART OF DER. WHERE IT SITS IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL SCHEME BUT THIS WILL NEED TO BE COUPLED CLOSELY INTO SEVERAL ASPECTS OF PROCESS ANY NIH INSTITUTE HAS. THAT IS HANDLING OF FUNDSISHING OF FOA, WRITING OF LANGUAGE, THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FORM THAT IS USED FOR AN FOA AT THE SAME TIME THERE WILL NEED TO BE BEST HAVE ACCESS TO THE WIDE SET OF SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE, SCIENCE BASE AND SCIENCE SKILLS THAT ALL THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS BRING TO ASPECTS OF EYE AND VISION. SO EXACTLY WHERE THIS AUDACIOUS GOALS OFFICE IS GOING TO SIT WE WILL FIGURE THAT OUT VERY SOON. NOW, THE FIRST OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE AUDACIOUS GOAL WAS RELEASED IT IS IN THE TECHNICAL ARENA OF IMAGING. BUT IN THE SAME WAY THAT FOR THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AS MIKE STEINMETS SHOWED YOU AT THE END, THE WONDERFUL IMAGING TECHNIQUES CAPACITY DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE GOING TO BE CRITICAL FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH THE BRAIN INITIATIVE, ULTIMATELY SIMILAR KINDS OF IMAGING NEEDS ARE GOING TO BE NEEDED FOR THE AUDACIOUS GOAL. FO-8 RFA IS ON THE STREET, WE ARE INTENDING TO COMMIT ORDER OF 5 TO $6 MILLION EACH YEAR AND HOPEFULLY FOUR TO SIX AWARDS THAT CAN BE MADE. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 14 AND YOU WILL SEE THEM FOR REVIEW AT THE JANUARY EYE COUNCIL MEETING, JANUARY 2015. WE HAVE A WEBINAR PAST WEEK, THANK YOU RICK FISHER FOR ORGANIZING THAT. SEVERAL OF THE N EI INTRAMURAL SCIENTISTS AND I WEBINAR FOR AN HOUR DESCRIBING$dw NATURE OF THE BIOLOGY OF THE EYE AND THE RETINA. IN ORDER WE HOPE TO BROACH THE TOPIC OF IMAGING IN THE EYE AND RETINA AND CENTRALLY, TO BROACH THOSE IDEAS TO PERHAPS CREATIVE COMMUTATIONAL IMAGING PEOPLE WORKING OUTSIDE THE VISION FIELD. SHERRY WIGGS, THANK YOU FOR BEING -- TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RFA ITSELF, SHERRY GAVE A VERY NICE DESCRIPTION OF HOW ALL OF THIS IS TO TRANSPIRE. THIS IS AN ARCHIVE WEBINAR PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. MOVE BACK THE SLIDE, JUST TO THINK ABOUT THE RANGE OF TECHNOLOGIES IN IMAGING THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED. WE NEED ULTIMATELY TO GET NEURONS CONNECTED UP. IS IT POSSIBLE? I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO IMAGE FUNCTIONALLY CORRECT SYNAPTOGENESIS. IS IT POSSIBLE TO IMAGE FUNCTIONAL SYNAPSE FROM OUTSIDE THE RETINA, OS THE EYE EVEN. IT WILL TAKE SOMEONE CREATIVE AND THOUGHTFUL TO CONCEIVE OF THAT. CERTAINLY ULTIMATELY WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT METABOLIC STATE OF THE NEURONS THAT WE'RE SPEAKING OF. WE NEED TO DO THAT IN SOME LONGITUDINAL FASHION AND WOULDN'T IT BE NICE TO DO THREE DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF ALL THIS. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS A LEVEL OF IMAGING BEYOND WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND. EYE AND VISION HAS MARVELOUS WONFUL TOOLS OF OCT DOWN TO THE MICRON LEVEL OF RESOLUTION, YET EVEN WITH THAT LEVEL OF RESOLUTION WE CANNOT ACTUALLY MEASURE THE LENGTH OF THE PHOTO RECEPTOR OUTER SEGMENT THAT DETERMINES WHETHER A PHOTON IS INTERSECTS WITH A MOLECULE AND ACTIVATES IS SIGNALING OR NOT. THE OCT HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BUT EVEN A LONG WAY TO GO IN OCT, I THINK THIS IS BEYOND WHAT CURRENT IMAMMING GROUPS ARE THINKING ABOUT. SO THE WEBINAR I WANT TO ROLE BEYOND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE THEME TO OTHER AREAS, TWO AREAS OF EMPHASIS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT FEBRUARY 2013 MEETING. ONE WAS TO LOOK AND EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR MOLECULAR THERAPIES. WE ARE AT A STAGE NOW WHERE WE ARE BEYOND NUTRITIONAL THERAPIES , NUTRITIONAL THERAPIES WERE REALLY ALL THAT WAS CONCEIVABLE 20 AND 30 YEARS AGO. NOW WE CAN PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT COMPLIMENT FACTOR H WAS IDENTIFIED IN 2005 AS CONVEYING MAJOR RISK, THE WRONG ALLELE. THE MAJOR RISK FOR DEVELOPING AGE RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. THEN ALONG THE WAY OTHER GENES IN THE COMPLIMENT CASCADE SHOWED UP. WHAT WE GLEAN FROM THAT IS THERE IS SOMETHING INVOLVING THE COMPLIMENT CASCADE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPING ARCMD. DIRECT COUPLING MAY NOT BE THERE YET. MAYBE A CIRCUITOUS INDIRECT FRAMEWORK SETS UP FOR AMD BUT WE ARE NOW DOWN FOR AMD WE ARE DOWN AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL AND ULTIMATELY AMD WILL BE TREATED ON THE MOLECULAR LEVEL. SAME KINDS OF ARGUMENTS CAN BE SAID OF OTHER EYE DISEASES THAT WE HAVE. EYES THAT ARE NOT LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD. WE ARE NOW DOWN AT THE LEVEL OF THE MUSCLE CELLS, THE INNERVATIONS OR THE SYNAPSES THAT ULTIMATELY DRIVE INNOVATION OF THE EXTRAOCULAR MUSCLES. ONE CAN IMAGINE WOULD MUCH LEAP OF FAITH THAT IN THE FUTURE THERE WILL BE THERAPIES FOR OCULAR MISALIGNMENT%Wr THAT WILL BE HAPPENING AT MOLECULAR LEVEL. SO IT IS TIME AS THOUGHT BY THE GROUP AUDACIOUS GOALS DEVELOPMENT NEEDED A YEAR AGO. IT IS TIME TO PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO MOLECULAR THERAPY APPROACHES. (INAUDIBLE) IS NEI CONTACT ON THIS, A PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT WENT OUT AND THIS AFTERNOON YOU ON THE EYE COUNCIL WILL BE LOOKING AT THE FRUITS OF THAT. SECOND AREA IS TO SIMPLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT MANY OF OUR EYE DISEASES HAVE AN AGING COMPONENT. SO OBVIOUS THAT ONE OF THEM TOOK THE OR AGING RIGHT IN THE TITLE. AGE RELATED EYE DISEASE. AGE RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. SO WAS THOUGHT BY THE GROUP OF 200 SCIENTISTS THAT IT WAS OBVIOUS TO LOOK AT THE INTERSECTION OF AGING AND THE MECHANISMS SET UP, BIOLOGIC MECHANISMS SET UP FOR DISEASE. AN ANNOUNCEMENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY WAS PUT OUT AND THAT WILL COME TO THE EYE COUNCIL IN THE NEXT CYCLE. THE PROCESS ON THESE IS THAT ALL AGI APPLICATIONS THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO AN FOA WILL RECEIVE SCIENTIFIC REVIEW AND STAFF AND EYE COUNCIL WILL EXAMINE APPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAMMATIC FIT. WE WILL IDENTIFY THOSE THAT A PEER TO OFFER THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT. CONTEXT OBVIOUSLY CHANGES AS THE BIOLOGY EVOLVES. THIS AFTERNOON YOU WILL BE LOOKING AT THE RESPONSES TO THE FOA ON MOLECULAR THERAPIES. AND LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR CONSIDERATIONS OF HOW AS AN INSTITUTE WE BEGIN TO PAY PARTICULAR CLOSE ATTENTION TO MOLECULAR APPROACHES TO DEVELOP THERAPIES. THIS IS A SLIDE AT THE END OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH WAS TO ASSURE THE ARVO ATTENDEES THAT THIS IS NOT A TOTAL CHANGE IN THE WAY THE NEI DOES BUSINESS. LOOK AT THE SECOND PARAGRAPH THERE, THE WAY I CONCEIVE OF THIS, THE WAY THE EYE COUNCIL HAS BEEN CONCEIVED OF THIS, AUDACIOUS GOAL REGENERATIVE MEDICINE PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP CONCERTED LINE OF RESEARCH ACROSS MANY LABORATORIES. IT WILL TAKE MONEY AND RESOURCE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME BUILDING OVER FIVE YEARS I CERTAINLY CONCEIVE OF 10% OF OUR AVAILABLE RESEARCH MONEYS COULD GO INTO AN AUDACIOUS GOALS APPROACH. THAT LEAVES 90% OF THE MONEY FOR THE TOP PARAGRAPH THAT REMAINS COMMITTED TO THE RPG WHICH THE RO-1 IS ONE EXAMPLE. NEI AND EYE COUNCIL CONTINUES TO VALUE HIGHLY DISCOVERY RESEARCH SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT. I WOULD LIKE TO PUT IN ONE LAST SLIDE. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SHOW AIRPLANE. BUT AS I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, THIS REALLY IS A REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR SOCIETY. THE IDEA OF FLYING FASCINATED MAN KIND FOR MANY YEARS. MEN WE DEPICTED AS FALLING OFF CLIFFS BUT CAPES SPREAD OUT WERE INEFFECT I'VE. ULTIMATELY THE PRINCIPLES OF AERODYNAMICS OF FLYING WAS MASTERS AND THE WRIGHT BROTHERS TOOK WING. THIS IS ONE HECK OF A LONG WAY FROM THE WRIGHT BROTHERS. AS I SIT ON THESE PLANES AND YOU WILL GOING HOME TONIGHT AN TOMORROW, IT -- THESE ARE TRULY REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS LOOK AT EACH COMPONENT OF THIS PLANE AND RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S A MAJOR AREA OF ACTIVITY, DIDN'T HAPPEN BY CHANCE. ULTIMATELY IT HAS TO BE COORDINATED AND PARTS NEED TO BE PUT TOGETHER. THE AUDACIOUS GOAL WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THE PARTS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THE BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS. BUT IT IS A LONG WAY TO GO. TO PUT TOGETHER REGENERATING. SO WITH THAT, THAT IS WHERE WE STAND. RICK FISHER, THANKS FOR THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE VERY CAPABLY OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS AND SOME THAT TO GET US TO THIS POINT. YOU WILL BE MISSED BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE TREMENDOUS WORK ORGANIZING AND KEEPING THIS ON TRACK. SO WE WILL NEED TO FIND ANOTHER RICK FISHER, PEOPLE ARE IRREPLACEABLE SO NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW WE WILL DO THAT. REFUSES TO BE CLONED. PERHAPS GOOD THING ON HIS SIDE. BUT AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE IDEAS NOW OR LATER AND HOW THIS WOULD BE COORDINATEDDED, I'M RECEPTIVE TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS. LET'S OPEN THIS UP FOR DISCUSSION. I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR THE COMMENTS, YOUR COMMENTS VIS-A-VIS THE BRAIN INITIATIVE THAT YOU SEE THIS AS AUGMENTING AND NOT OVERLAPPING BUT BENEFIT ING FROM AND PERHAPS FEEDING INTO THE BRAIN INITIATIVE AS A DISTINGUISHABLE ACTIVITY OF THE EYES. I'LL STOP. >> I'M SURE YOU KNOW THIS. I THINK IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED BUT I DON'T RECALL. OF THE EXISTING PORTFOLIO HOW MANY OF THE GRANTS THAT THE ARE OUT THERE NOW FALL UNDER THE CATEGORY ALREADY? IT HAS AN IMPLICATION FOR FUNDING AND WHAT THE EFFECT IT'S GOING TO BE. >> THERE HAS BEEN A PORTFOLIO AND IF I CAN ASK RICK OR SHEFFA IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. >> WE LOOKED AT BOTH TWO TARGETS FOR RETINA, THERE'S THINGS THAT REALLY FIT AUDACIOUS GOALS ABOUT $23 MILLION AND FOR THE GLAUCOMA I'M SORRY, FOR OPTIC NERVE ABOUT 18. REALLY, THERE'S A LOT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DEFINE THINGS AND HOW YOU -- WHAT YOU CONSIDER IS REGENERATING VERSUS JUST MORE BASIC RESEARCH SO DEPENDS HOW YOU CUT IT BUT IT'S IN THE BALLPARK. >> THOSE NUMBERS WILL BE ESSENTIALLY FOUR YEAR TOTALS, RIGHT? >> THAT'S PER YEAR. >> PER YEAR. OKAY. SO THERE IS WORK THAT'S GOING ON AND WE ARE TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT IS THERE. THEN WE WILL NEED TO LOOK HOW THAT IS AUGMENTED OR SHAPED IN WAY THAT MAKES SENSE. >> PAUL, CAN I ADD TO WHAT (INAUDIBLE) JUST SAID. THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT QUESTION. IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AT THE NIH AS A WHOLE IN TERMS OF WHAT THE PORTFOLIO IS IN ANY GIVEN AREA, WHAT YOU ATTRIBUTE IT TO, HOW MUCH OF ANY PARTICULAR GRANT IS ACTUALLY WORKING SPECIFICALLY ON SOMETHING THAT WILL DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE GOAL. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THIS INTERNALLY FOR YEARS AND EVEN MORE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE AUDACIOUS GOAL. AND WE'RE TRYING TO ACTUALLY ESTABLISH WHERE WE ARE NOW AND THEN LOOK TEN YEARS LATER AND SEE WHAT'S CHANGED IN TERMS OF THAT ANALYSIS. SO IT'S AN ONGOING QUESTION THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND I'M SURE GLAD PAUL AND SEFFA WILL BE DEALING WITH IT, NOT ME. >> MY QUESTION IS A LITTLE BIT RELATED. THE WORD AUDACIOUS IMPLIES BOLD BUT ALSO RISK. THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO TAKE ON REALLY CHALLENGING PROBLEM. SO MY INTERPRETATION OF THAT IS THERE IS A PREMIUM ON INNOVATION FROM THERE'S AN AIRTIME TEMPT TO STIMULATE RESEARCH THAT WOULDN'T OTHERWISE NECESSARIBLY HAPPENING BUT THERE MAYBE A HIGHER TOLERANCE FOR RISK IF NOT PROCESS. TO TRY TO BRING PEOPLEA INTO MORE CHALLENGING PROBLEMS. WITH THAT I'M NEW TO THIS, I'M ASKING FOR SOME CLARIFICATION, IS THAT HOW THIS IS BEING EVALUATED IN ARE THESE PROPOSALS HAVING THOSE POTENTIALLY HIGHER PREMIUM ON INNOVATION AND TOLERANCE FOR RISK IN THE PROCESS OF THEIR DOCK (INAUDIBLE)? THAT IS SENTRY CASE IN THE WORDING OF FOA ON IMAGE. IT IS SPECIFICALLY SAID THIS IS NOT TO BE AN EXTENSION OF WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY DOING, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THAT EXTENSION MAYBE. WE ARE LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS OF DOING THIS, NEW WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH IT. WE WILL TOLERATE RISK T A LEVEL THAT ORDINARILY WE WOULDN'T. RECOGNIZE THAT THESE WILL COME TO THE EYE COUNCIL SO IN FACT IT IS UP TO YOU ALSO TO TOLERATE RISK THAT MIGHT NOT WANT TO DO FOR THE REST OF THE PORTFOLIO. IN THAT SENSE IT IS USEFUL TO FLAG AUDACIOUS GOALS AS PROCESS SEPARATE FROM THE BUSINESS AS USUAL, GOOD BUSINESS, GOOD USUAL IN THE WAY WE HAND IT WILL REMAINDER OF THE PORTFOLIO. THAT WILL FLAG APPLICANTS TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN DIFFERENT WAYS. ALSO TIES INTO JOHN'S QUESTION OF WHAT IS ALREADY THERE? THERE IS CERTAINLY A LOT THERE. THIS IS NOT TOTALLY NEW TERRITORY. AS YEARS GO BY IT WILL BE LESS AND LESS NEW TERRITORY. SO RICK FISHER IS I WOULD SUPPORT THE WAY HE SAID IT, THAT WE NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT IS IN THE PORTFOLIO BECAUSE THAT SETS THE STAGE FOR THE CURRENT STATE OF SCIENCE AND BUILD SOMETHING INNOVATIVE AND UNIQUE AND CARRIES RICK RISK THAT MIGHT STARTLE SOME OF US ORDINARILY. >> FOLLOWING WHAT MONICA SAID, IS THERE AN ATTEMPT TO BRING TSR TO THIS ARENA SO WHEN THEY LOOK AT THESE THEY HAVE MORE RISK? OR IN THE CASE OF MOLECULAR THERAPIES FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE THEY MAY NOT BE THE CLASSIC RO-# BUT PROOF OF CONCEPT OR MORE DEVELOPMENT WORK SO THAT WE AREN'T PRESENTED WITH A LOT OF NOT EVEN -- BECAUSE THEY'RE OPERATING UNDER THEIR USUAL FRAME WORK SO I GUESS MY QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT INTERACTION OR THINKING IS GOING TON BRING THEM ALONG WITH OUR INITIATIVE? >> THERE WILL BE SEVERAL LEVELS OF DOING THIS BUT FOR THE FOR EXAMPLE,IMAGING FOA THERE IT WILL BE REVIEWED IN HOUSE BY PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWLEDGE EXPERT BUS WHO HAVE THE CREATIVE SPIRIT PIONEER SPIRIT THAT WILL IDENTIFY APPROACHES IRRESPECTIVE OF THE HIGH RISK. AND THEN NEI STAFF AND YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHETHER THAT IS ABSURD RISK OR WHETHER IT IS ASSUMABLE RISK. LORE' ANNE, DO YOU WANT TO HAVE COMMENT HOW THIS INTERSECTS WITH REVIEW PROCESS? >> OKAY. PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT IS AREA -- HAS NO SPECIAL REVIEW CRITERIA. IT GOES TO CSR WHERE APPROXIMATELY HALF APPLICATIONS ARE TRIAGED. THE RFA FOR IMAGING WILL BE REVIEWED IN HOUSE WHERE WE DO NOT TRIAGE APPLICATIONS THAT AN RFA CAN HAVE SPECIFIC REVIEW CRITERIA P AND CAN HAVE RESPONSIVENESS CRITERIA. THE REASON WE MADE THE DISTINCTION IS THE INITIATIVE IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IMPORTANT. IF YOU FEEL THAT THE PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE NOT REALLY THE GOOD WAY TO GO, WE CAN AT ANY TIME PULL THOSE RFAs REQUIRE A SET ASIDE AMOUNT OF MONEY, ANOTHER ISSUE. >> SO LORE' ANN ARE YOU SAYING THOSE WOULD BE REVIEWED OUTSIDE OF CSR? >> THE RFA. RFAs MUST BE REVIEWED OUTSIDE POLICY. >> DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? (OFF MIC) >> SO THE (INAUDIBLE) BEFORE US TODAY, WAS THAT IN RESPONSE TO RFA? >> IT WAS A PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT. >> PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT. >> YES. >> YET IT'S STILL PART OF THE >> SO SOMEHOW SHEILA AND I MUST HAVE COMMON BRAIN CELLS BECAUSE THE EXACT SAME THING WAS GOING THROUGH MY MIND WHICH IS THAT IT'S NOT OUR RISK TOLERANCE OF THE COUNCIL, BECAUSE BY THE TIME IT GETS TO COUNCIL IT'S OVER. RISK TOLERANCE REVIEW PROCESS, I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE -- REALLY , THERE ARE ALL THOSE BRILLIANT SCIENTISTS OUTS THERE BUT POINT OF VIEW OF ADMINISTRATION AND THIS PROGRAM, THE BRILLIANCE IS ACTUALLY FOCUSEDDED ON REVIEW PROCESS. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO DETERMINE WHAT ENDS HAPPENING AND NOT HAPPENING. I THINK THE RFA THING IS VERY REASSURING. THAT'S HOW YOU'RE GOING TO GO IT BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT THROUGH STUDY SECTION, AND I HAVE NO CRITICISMS WHATSOEVER OF HOW THE STUDY SECTION OPERATES BEYOND THE ONES THAT PASSED, I DON'T THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO EXPECT THEM TO REVIEW A BUNCH OF GRANTS BY ONE CRITERIA AND SOME GRANTS BY A DIFFERENCE CRITERIA. >> THEY CAN'T. >> THIS IS PERHAPS FOR THE CLOSED SESSION WHERE THERE'S EXAMPLES. >> IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT THERE ARE TWO THINGS HAPPENING IN AUDACIOUS GOALS INITIATIVE. ONE IS THE GOAL, THE TARGET, THE PROGRAM, THE PROJECT, THE CONCEPT OF REGENERATING NEURONS, THAT IS A -- THAT'S THE PRINCIPLE PIECE. TWO OTHER AREAS EMPHASIS AREAS, FOR THAT, A WAY TO DO BUSINESS IS TO PUT OUT THAT THE EYE INSTITUTE IS GOING TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO MOLECULAR THERAPY APPROACHES. THOSE AS LORE' ANNE SAID, MANY OF THOSE WILL BE AVIEWED BY CSO. THEN IT'S UP TO PROGRAM STAFF TO AATTENTION IT AND UP TO US TO PAY ATTENTION WHEN THEY COME TO US. ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT THE RISK APPROACH IN A STUDY SECTION IS UNIFORM (INAUDIBLE). THE AUDACIOUS GOAL, HOWEVER, BY CONCEPT IS GOING TO BE HANDLE LED DIFFERENTLY. AND THAT IS GOING TO BE DIRECTED VIA STEERING COMMITTEE IN CONCERT WITH NEI STAFF AND PERHAPS HAVE UO-1 COOPERATIVE CLAP RATIVE OVERSIGHT WITH STAFF, THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING MONEY MOVED MORE QUICKLY TO GET PARTICULAR ASPECTS ACCOMPLISHED WHEN THEY BECOME LIMITING STEP TOWARD SOMETHING. THERE WILL BE A PROCESS HERE THAT WILL INVOLVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MECHANISMS AND IN THAT SENSE, THE IDEA IS -- SOME OF THE IDEAS DISCUSSED A FEW MINUTES AGO ON BRAIN, THE SUGGESTION TO GET PEOPLE TOGETHER IN AN INTERACTIVE SPACE, AND PROACTIVE GROUP MEETING PLANNING GROUP WORK SPACE, THAT FITS DIRECT HERE TO HOW (INAUDIBLE) ALL WHICH GETS ME BACK TO THE CONCEPT, MY CONCEPT THAT THIS DOESN'T BELONG CO-MINGLED WITH THE REGULAR WAYS WE DO BUSINESS. WE DO NEED TO MAINTAIN THOSE BECAUSE PART OF BECAUSE CREATIVE ITY CAN BE JEOPARDIZED. IF THERE IS SECURITY IS THREATENED, PREDICTABILITY IS TOTALLY UP TO GRABS CREATIVITY HAS A HARD TIME SURVIVEING. SO WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATIVE APPROACH TO MAJORITY I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS, THIS IS EVOLVING SO IF YOU HAVE IDEAS PLEASE HELP US. >> IT SEEMS A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL WILL BE NEEDED FOR REVIEW OF AUDACIOUS GOALS APPLICATIONS. I DON'T KNOW SOME REVIEWERS I THINK MAYBE MORE RISK AVERSE. >> GUIDANCE GIVEN TO REVIEWERS HOW TO PAY ATTENTION TO IT, SOME PEOPLE CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT AND OTHERS AS YOU SAY (INAUDIBLE). SURE THERE ARE THOUGHTS AROUND THE TABLE. LAURA. YOU'RE LOOKING TENSE. I DONE MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, JUST ASKING. I SENT YOU A COOL PICTURE. BETTER THAN THIS PLANE. >> SO THERE'S LIKE A MILLION FEEDS OF WIRING, IT'S AMAZING. SO BUT THIS -- I THINK THAT THIS PICTURE IS A PICTURE OF THE SPACESHIP THAT GOES FASTER THAN SPEED OF LIGHT. I ACTUALLY THINK THAT WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TAKE THAT AND TURN IT INTO THIS PICTURE THAT I SENT TO YOU SO IF THAT'S THE ONLY SUGGESTION I HAVE. THESE PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE THEY ONE TIME THING ONGOING OR DO YOU EXPECT THE SPECIFIC AREAS TO REMAIN FOCUSED FOR THE NEXT NUMBER OF YEARS? OR ARE THEY GOING TO CHANGE AND EVOLVE? >> THREE RECEIPT DATES A YEAR OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD. >> MONICA -- >> IMAGING ONE, ONE TIME -- >> THE RFAs ARE ONE TIME. >> I SEE. RFAs ARE ONE TIME. GOT IT. >> SO THE PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT IS A WAY TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THE BILLABLE PORTFOLIO MAYBE 10% TO US INCREASED EMPHASIS ON (INAUDIBLE). >> THE RFA IS NOT LIKELY TO REPEAT.. >> IF THERE IS SOME ELEMENT THAT WE TOGETHER, I'M SAYING TOGETHER, COUPLE BEARSOME PROCESS BUT VERY IMPORTANT BUT IF WE TOGETHER THINK IS NEEDED AND THE RFA HAS NOT GOTTEN THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE SATISFYING, WE WILL REFRAME IT AND PUT IT IT OUT, BUT NOT REPEAT, REFRAME IT AND PUT IT OUT. >> I HAVE HAD COMMENTS THIS PROCESS LOOKS VERY CUMBERSOME. I AM SENSITIVE TO THAT. BUT WE'RE ALL SENSITIVE TO THE IDEA OF TELLING PEOPLE HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO SCIENCE. I DON'T BELIEVE ONE GETS CREATIVE RESPONSE TO AN ORDER. YOU GET RESPONSES BUT NOT THE KIND OF RESPONSE YOU WANT. AS MARK IS SAYING WITH THE MILLION FEET OF WIRING AND BOEING, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF ORDERLYNESS TO IT AND YOU CAN ANTICIPATE GENERALLY, WE NEED CELLS THAT ARE PHOTO RECEPTORS. FORTUNATELY PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THOSE. BUT WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHETHER THEY ARE WORKING ON THEM IN THE WAY THAT FITS INTO THIS GLOBAL SCHEME OR NOT. FIT DOESN'T WE NEED ANFA ON PHOTO RECEPTORS. MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT I THINK ONE CAN BREAK OUT AND ORCHESTRATE. >> SO TWO PARTS TO THIS THAT STRIKE ME. THE FIRST IS BIG PART REALLY CRITICAL PART IS REVIEW PROCESS WHICH WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT BUT ANOTHER PART OF IT IS THE PRIORITIZATION PROCESS I'M SURE CAREFUL PROCESS, CAME ONE THE FIRST RFA FOR IMAGING WHICH IS MERITORIOUS. BUT I'M THINKING THAT I DON'T KNOW IF THIS CAN PROCEED EFFICIENTLY BY DOING IT IN A SEQUENTIAL MANNER. YET YEAR-END I DON'T KNOW THERE'S MONEY TO DO EVERYTHING SIMULTANEOUS. I CAN ALSO SEE HOW RESULTS OF ONE RFA CAN INFLUENCE THE WAY THE SECOND RFA GETS CONSTRUCTED. SO HOW ARE YOU IMAGINING THAT THE RFA WILL BE SEQUENCED OUT AND AND ALSO GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY THE INFLUENCE ONE ANOTHER AS ONE BUNCH OF WORK COMES AVAILABLE TO GUIDE THE NEXT BUNCH. ALONG WITH EXTERNAL SCIENTIFIC OVERSIGHT GROUP, TO MEET ONCE A YEAR. IN FACE TO FACE WHERE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD -- IT WILL BE ANNUAL SO YOU CAN TALK TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT THE PROCESS AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER. I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT WAY TO ALLOW INFORMATION ON NEXT DIRECTIONS TO GO. BUT JUST AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, WE WANTED TO GET THIS FIRST RFA OUT. AND WE'LL LEARN A LOT FROM THE FIRST REVIEW PROCESS AND I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THE NEXT SET OF RFAs WILL BE MORE EASY TO IDENTIFY, BE DONE IN A MORE OPTIMUM WAY. >> MAYBE THIS WILL BE AN EXAMPLE, I'M SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING BUT JUST TO BE SURE. SO YOU WILL GET SOME GREAT IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES, HOPE THEY COME OUT OF THIS RFA, FANTASTIC IN GENE TECHNOLOGIES AND THEN THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO IS WORKING ON RECONFIGURING CELLULAR FUNCTION TO INDUCE SENSITIVITY BIPOLAR CELLS. IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR THAT PERSON TO HAVE THE RESULTS OF -- IT COULD PROFOUNDLY INFLUENTIAL ON THAT PERSON TO HAVE RESULTS OF IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IT COULD TURN OUT THAT THE WAY YOU DEVELOP IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES, DEPENDS ON THE KINDS OF TECHNOLOGIES YOU'RE USING TO RECONFIGURE NEURONAL ACTIVITY. THAT IS WHAT I'M CONFUSED ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THAT FIT TOGETHER. HAVE SAID IT CLEAR? >> YOU SAID IT CLEARLY. THAT IS I USE THE WORD MAGIC. THAT'S THE PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. IT'S GOING TO TAKE INTENSE KNOWLEDGE OF A GROUP HERE AT NEI TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING AND THEN ALL I CAN SAY IS BE THOUGHTFUL ANTICIPATING WHERE THAT GOES AND WHEN IT BECOMES LIMITING OR WHEN IT OPENS UP THE FIELD THAT NEEDS FURTHER SUPPORT. >> I'M TRYING TO SAY IT'S THAT MAYBE IT'S POSSIBLE, I'M NOT SAYING IT IS POSSIBLE BUT MAYBE IT'S POSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE THE RFAs IN A WAY IN WHICH THE LOGIC THAT IF THERE IS A LOGIC LINKING THEM, THEY GET PRESENTED IN A WAY THAT REFLECTS THE LOGIC AND NOT A WHOLLY INDEPENDENT EVENT. >> HENCE A LITTLE COORDINATION. >> BRAVA. >> I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE R FA THE FOR MATTING YOU WANT AND THAT LIMITS TO FOUR TO SIX WEEKS? >> IT DOESN'T LIMIT TO FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, THAT'S THE SCALE OF RESOURCE WE HAVE TO DO. >> IF DO YOU WANT HARNESS CREATIVITY, WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO HAVE MAYBE A DIFFERENT OPTION FROM SMALLER RO-1 TYPES TO LARGER GRANT -- IT'S A LOT OF MONEY THAT GOES INTO THE PROGRAM BUT IF YOU (INAUDIBLE)? >> IN A WAY, IT'S ALWAYS JUST CONSTRAINT -- FISCAL CONSTRAINT. SO TO PICK THE NUMBER FOR THE BUDGET CAP, AND PUT IN THE RFA WE LOOK AT THE AVERAGE BUDGETS OF APPLICATIONS THAT WE FUNDED IN THE PAST THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW AND INNOVATIVE IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES. FRANKLY WE SUPPORTED A LOT OF CUTTING EDGE WORK. THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE $750,000 AS A CAP. THEN ONCE $57,000 IS THE CAP YOU LOOK AT HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO OUT PUT INTO THE FIRST RFA, THAT CAN BE THE NUMBER TO FUND. AS ALWAYS IF THERE ARE MORE TRULY EXCITING APPLICATIONS THAT COME IN, WE WOULD FUND. >> THE R-21 IS AN EXPLORATORY CONCEPT. THE UO-1 ALLOWS EXPLORETORY DATA BUT IF THERE'S TOLERANCE WHEN THESE ARE BROUGHT TO THIS TABLE, I COULD SEE THAT ONE WOULD TAKE A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DEEPLY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN CANCER BIOLOGY AND DIFFERENTIATING A DISEASE FROM NORMAL TISSUE. AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE TECHNICAL SKILL AND EXPERTISE BUT ONLY RUDIMENTARY KNOWLEDGE OF THE VISUAL SYSTEM. BUT WHO ARE JUDGED TO HAVE GREAT CAPACITY TO MOVE INTO A NEW FIELD. WITH THOSE PRE-CONDITIONS. TO GO TO THEM UNDER A UO-1 AND SAY GIVE US YOUR TWO-YEAR TARGET OUT OF A FIVE YEAR PROJECT. AND WE WILL LOOK AT THAT AFTER TWO YEARS. IF THIS IS REALLY MOVING IN A KTj EXPLORATORY STAGE THEN YOU'RE GOOD TO GO FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE -- SO THE UO-1 IN THIS CASE GIVES PRETTY GOOD FLEXIBILITY. CERTAINLY MORE FLEXIBILITY WE CAN HAVE IF THAT IS SIGNALED BY DIFFERENT MECHANISM NUMBERS THAT WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD THING TO DO. AT THIS POINT AS LORY ANNE HAS SAID WE LOOK AT HOW BIG THE PURSE WAS, HOW BIG THE IDEA WOULD BE TO DO SOMETHING USEFUL IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT WHEREVER THE ENGINEERING PEOPLE ARE, AND TO MAINTAIN INPUT TO THE PROCESS TO HELP. >> BASICALLY THERE ARE A LOT OF DECISIONS TO MAKE. SO RICK WILL KEEP YOU ON FOR A YEAR -- WE'LL KEEP YOU ON FOR A YEAR. >> THANK YOU. WE CAN CONTINUE THIS OVER LUNCH.