>> CHRIS SEYMOUR.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE I AM AN
INTENSIVITY AND ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
PITTSBURGH CLINICAL TRANSLATION
SCIENTIST SCIENTIST FOR SEPSIS,
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> NEXT IN.
>> HI, EVERYONE A PROFESSOR AT
HARVARD UNIVERSITY,
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY UOF THE
AND WE STUDY REGENERATION AND
STEM CELL BIOLOGY.
>> THANK YOU.
AARON THOMAS?
>> YEAH, AARON THOMAS, CHEMISTRY
PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MONTANA AND OVERSEE INDIGENOUS
RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION.
>> GREAT.
YOAN?
>> GOOD MORNING, CAN YOU HEAR
ME.
>> OKAY, GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY,
JOANNE TREJO, FROM UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO, DEPARTMENT
OF PHARMACOLOGY AND SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE AND MY LAB STUDIES CELL
SIGNALING, THE CONTEXT OF
VASCULAR INFLAMMATION AND BREAST
CANCER PROGRESSION.
>> THANK YOU.
OSCAR?
>> HI, EVERYONE, OSCAR VIVAS, I
WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON.
I STUDY ORGANIZATION OF ION
CHANNELS AND HOW THAT INFLUENCE
EXCITABILITY OF AUTONOMIC
NEURONS.
>> GREAT.
ANN WEST?
>> GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, ANN
WEST, AMOLOL A PROFESSOR OF
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMIST RADIOY
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
AND I'M AN ASSOCIATE VICE
PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH AND
PARTNERSHIPS.
MY RESEARCH INTERESTS ARE IN
STRUCTURE FUNCTION STUDIES OF
BACTERIAL SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION
PATHWAYS.
NTHANK YOU ANN.
>> RON, ARE YOU THERE?
>> YEAH, I AM HERE, GOOD TO SEE
YOU JON, I'M RON, I'M DIRECTOR
OF GENOMIC MEDICINE FOR THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,
BY TRADE I'M A PATHOLOGIST.
GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> ERICA BROWN?
>> GOOD MORNING I'M ERICA BROWN
THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF
EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES AT
NCIALTION AGMS AND THE EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY OF THIS COUNCIL.
>> DOREET.
>> I'M HERE, I'M DOREET, DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF NAGMS.
>> ARIEL?
SNSHES HI, I'M AERIAL, DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION OF
EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES.
>> AND FINALLY LATASHA, YOU WANT
TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
>> HELLO, EVERYONE, I'M ACTING
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE DIVISION
EVER EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES.
NICE TO SEE YOU ALL.
>> GREAT.
WELL, THAT DID IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE BUT THANK YOU
ALL AGAIN FOR ATTENDING.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HARD
WORK ON BEHALF OF THE
INSTITUTES.
FEW ORDERS OF BUSINESS, NOW I
NEED TO READ THE CONFLICT OF
INTEREST STATEMENT TO YOU ALL.
OKAY.
IN THE ELECTRONIC COUNCIL BOOK,
YOU WILL FIND A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST FORM THAT MUST BE
SIGNED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH
COUNCIL MEETING.
PLEASE SIGN IT AS I READ THE
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT,
AND ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE WILL
SUFFICE AND THEN RETURN IT VIA
E-MAIL TO ANASTTASIA SOLIS,
COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY NOT
PARTICIPATE IN ANYIZATION WHERE
CONFLICT OF LAW OR REGULATION
SAYS MAY OCCUR.
STAFF WILL INSURE THAT A
COMMITTEE MEMBER DOES FOCUS ON
THE PARTICIPATE IN AND IS NOT
PRESENT DURING REVIEW OF
APPLICATIONS AND PROGECS TO
WHICH THE MEMBERS KNOWLEDGE, ANY
OF THE FOLLOWING AS A FINANCIAL
INTEREST, THE MEMBER, HIS OR HER
SPOUSE, MINOR CHILD, PARTNER,
INCLUDING CLOSE PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATES, OR AN ORGANIZATION
WITH WHICH THE MEMBER IS
CONNECTED.
IN ADDITION CONFLICTS OF
INTEREST MAY OCCUR BECAUSE OF
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
SUCH AS WITH RECENT STUDENTS,
COLLABORATORS, PERSONAL FRIENDS,
OR SCIENTISTS WITH WHOM THE
MEMBER HAS HAD LONG STANDING
SCIENTIFIC OR PERSONAL
DIFFERENCES.
TO INSURE THAT A MEMBER DOES NOT
PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OF
OR VOTE ON AN APPLICATION IN
WHICH HE OR SHE IS IN CONFLICT,
A WRITTEN CERTIFICATION IS
REQUIRED.
THIS STATEMENT WILL BECOME PART
OF A MEETING FILE.
THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS
PROVIDED A WAIVER FOR FEDERAL
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
EMPLOYED AT 1 UNIVERSITY OF A
STATE, MULTIUNIVERSITY SYSTEM TO
REVIEW APPLICATIONS FROM A
SEPARATE UNIVERSITY OF THE SAME
SYSTEM PROVIDED THE MEMBER HAS
NO CONFLICTING INSTITUTIONAL
RERESPONSIBILITIES.
IN ADDITION, A FEDERAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE MEMBER WHO IS EMPLOYED
BY PRIVATE INSTITUTION, FOR A
PRIVATE INSTITUTION AND AT 1 OF
ITS AFFILIATES AND THEY
PARTICIPATE IN THE REVIEW OF A
GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY
ANOTHER AFFILIATE OF THE PRIVATE
INSTITUTION, IF HE OR SHE DOES
NOT HOLD THE JOINT APPOINTMENT
WITH THE AFFILIATE AND SUBMITTED
THE APPLICATION, DOES NOT HAVE
AFFILIATED WITH RESPONSIBILITIES
ASK HAVE A WAIVER TO DO SO.
WE AT NAGMS KEEP TRACK OF THE
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE CONFLICTS
FOR YOU.
WE RELY ON YOU TO IDENTIFY OTHER
TYPES OF CONFLIBS SUCH AS THOSE
THAT WE ARE UNLIKELY TO KNOW
ABOUT, RECENT STUDENTS, PERSONAL
FRIENDS, ET CETERA.
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO LET US
KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT
A CONFLICT.
ANY QUESTIONS WITH THAT?
OKAY, NOT SEEING ANY.
IF DURING THE COURSE OF OUR
PROCEEDINGS EITHER IN THE OPEN
SESSION OR THE CLOSED SESSIONS,
YOU REALIZE YOU ARE IN CONFLICT
WITH SOMETHING, JUST SEND AN
E-MAIL TO ERICA OR ARIEL OR
LATASHA AND 1 OF THEM WILL BE
ABLE TO DEAL WITH IT FOR YOU.
THE OKAY.
NOW, A FEW THINGS WE FLEED TO
ACTUALLY TAKE VOTES ON.
THE FIRST ARE THE MINUTES FROM
OUR LAST ADVISORY COUNCIL
MEETING WHICH WAS THE SEPTEMBER
MEETING.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS
OR AMENDMENTS TO THE MINUTES?
OKAY, ERICA YOU WANT TO ACHE A
FORMAL POLL?
>> I WILL DO A QUICK VOTE COUNT.
I WILL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE
MEETING MINUTES FROM THE
SEPTEMBER COUNCIL MEETING, ANY
OPPOSED?
OKAY, THE MOTION'S APPROVED.
>> THANK YOU.
SAME FOR OPERATING PROCEDURES,
OUR OPERATING PROCEDURES WERE
ANNOUNCED PREVENTIVELY AND
COUNCIL NEEDS TO APPROVE THOSE.
>> I WILL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE
THE COUNCIL OPERATING
PROCEDURES, ARE ANY OPPOSED?
THE MOTION IS APPROVED.
>> AND THEN WE NEED TO VOTE ON
OUR TRIENNIAL REPORT.
WHICH RELATES TO HUMAN SUBJECTS
RESEARCH, I BELIEVE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT
THAT, ERICA?
>> OKAY, THANK YOU.
I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE
TRIENNIAL REPORT.
ARE ANY OPPOSED.
>> OKAY, THE MOTION'S APPROVED.
THANK YOU.
>> AND THEN WE NEED TO CONTINUE
COUNCIL MEETING DATES AND THEY
ARE THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11th
2025 VIRTUAL MEETING, THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 5th, 2025I ALSO A
VIRTUAL MEETING AND THURSDAY MAY
21st, 2026, WHICH WE HAVE
PLANNED AS AN IN-PERSON MEETING.
ARE THERE ANY OBLIGATIONS JEK --
OBJECTIONS TO THOSE?
OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO MY
DIRECTOR'S REPORT AND GIVE YOU
AN UPDATE ON SOME THINGS THAT
HAVE BEEN GOING ON AT NAGMS, WE
WILL HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND
DISCUSSION AND WE WILL TAKE A
BREAK AND THEN WE WILL DO A FEW
MORE THINGS.
IF I COULD HAVE MY SLIDES
PLEASE, EXCELLENT.
>> SORRY, JON, AS YOU'RE
STARTING -- I WANT TO MAKE SURE
EVERYONE HAS THEIR CAMERAS OFF.
THANK YOU.
>> GREAT AND WE WILL TURN THEM
BACK ON WHEN WE HAVE THE
DISCUSSION.
AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE
FOR TAKING THE TIME TO
PARTICIPATE IN THIS COUNCIL.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT WAY THAT
WE GET FEEDBACK FROM THE
COMMUNITY AND ALSO ALLOWS US TO
DISSEMINATE INFORMATION TO THE
COMMUNITY.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO I WANT TO THANK SOME OUTGOING
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FIRST RON
KING, WHO INTRODUCED HIMSELF
REFIOUSLY AS WELL AS TERRY KINSY
WHO INTRODUCED HERSELF.
NEXT SLIDE.
AND DAVE MATHEWS, THESE 3
MEMBERS HAVE BEEN TREMENDOUS
ASSETS TO OUR COUNCIL AND HAVE
PROVIDED A LOT OF IMPORTANT
INSIGHTS AND GUIDANCE TO THE
INSTITUTE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, AS WE ALWAYS
DO WE HAVE EARLY CAREER
INVESTIGATORS PARTICIPATING AS
ADHOC MEMBERS OF OUR COUNCIL,
CHRISTINA AND P A ULO JUST
INTRODUCED THEMSELVES TO YOU.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND LIDDIA AND OSCAR AS WELL.
WE BRING EARLY CAREER
INVESTIGATORS ON AS ADHOCS SO
THAT FIRST WE CAN GET THE
FEEDBACK AND INPUT OF EARLY
CAREER INVESTIGATORS WHICH WE
FIND TO BE VITALLY IMPORTANT TO
THE INSTITUTE TO GET THEIR
PERSPECTIVES.
WE ALSO DO IT SO THAT THEY CAN
HELP DISSEMINATE THE INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT NAGMS
AS WELL AS WHAT HAPPENS ON
COUNCIL WHEN I THINK IS OFTEN A
LITTLE MYSTERIOUS TO EXTERNAL
PEOPLE AND SO THEY CAN HELP US
GIVE THAT INFORMATION.
SOME SAD NEWS FOR ME, BUT HAPPY
NEWS FOR HER, IS THAT DOREET
ZOOCH, OUR LONG-TERM DEPUTY
DIRECTOR WILL BE RETIRING AT THE
END OF JUNE.
I AM CERTAINLY GOING TO MISS HER
TREMENDOUSLY MENDOUSLY ISSUES
SHE'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ASSET
TO THE INSTITUTE, ALMOST EVERY
ASPECT OF THE OPERATION HE'S
BEEN INVOLVE WIDE OPTIMIZING,
COMING UP WITH CREATIVE NEW
SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS AND MAKING
SURE THE INSTITUTE RUNS
OPTIMALLY AND SMOOTHLY, SO I
THINK YOU WILL JOIN ME IN
WISHING HER THE BEST IN
RETIREMENT AND THANKING HER FOR
HER INCREDIBLE SERVICE TO THE
COUNTRY CAN TO NIH.
NEXT, SLIDE PLEASE.
ALSO, NEW NEWS, I THINK YOU KNOW
IT, NIH AS A NEW DIRECTOR
APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT AND
CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE.
JAY BHATTACHARYA, REPLACING
MONICA BERTAGNOLLI WHO WAS THE
DIRECTOR OF JANUARY 2023-25, JAY
WAS A PREVIOUSLY TENURED
PROFESSOR IN THE MEDICAL SCHOOL
AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, HIS WORK
AS A HEALTH ECONOMIST FOCUSES ON
RESEARCH ON POPULATION AGING AND
CHRONIC DISEASE, PARTICULAR LE
ON THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF
VELLENERRABLE POPULATIONS.
AND IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE SO FAR
TO WORK WITH JAY AND I LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HIM AS
WE MOVE FORWARD.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SOME OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS, THESE
ARE A LITTLE DELAYED NOW, BUT I
THINK STILL WORTH TALKING ABOUT,
SEVERAL NAGMS GRANTEES RECEIVED
NOBEL PRIZES IN 2024 FOR WORK
THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY NAGMS.
VECTOR AMROSE AND GARY RUVKURKS
UN WERE AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE
FOR PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE FOR
THE DISCOVERY OF MRNA, AND ITS
ROLE IN POST TRANSCRIPTIONAL
JEEP REGULATION, AMBROSS HAS
BEEN A GRANTEE SINCE 1985 AND
GARY SINCE 1991, I GOT TO HAVE A
RING SIDE SEAT TO WATCH, NOT
INVOLVED IN ANY WAY BUT WATCH
THE DISCOVERY OF MICRORNAs IN
HIS LAB, AND REALLY QUITE
EXCITING TO SEE THAT WORK FROM
ALL THAT TIME AGO WAS RECOGNIZED
IN THIS WAY, AND IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT WORK AS I'M SURE YOU
ALL KNOW, NEW PARADIGM IN HOW
GENE EXPRESSION IS REGULATED
WITH MANY IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH
BIOLOGY AND FOR MEDICINE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF
THEM AND 2 ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AS
WELL, WITH OUR CONTRIBUTIONS OF
VARIOUS WAYS INCLUDING GOING
ABOVE THEIR SCIENCE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
>> WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO
WELCOME DAVID BAKER, HE WAS A
GRAPTUE FROM 1995-2005 AND
AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE IN
CHEMISTRY FOR COMPUTATIONAL
PROTEIN DESIGN.
I THINK WE'RE JUST AT THE
BEGINNING OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT
WE CAN DO WITH TECHNOLOGIES THAT
DAVID'S LAB HAS DEVELOPED.
THEY WILL TRANSFORM MEDICINE AND
PROBABLY MANY OTHER FIELDS AS
WELL BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO HIM
AS WELL FOR THIS INCREDIBLE
WORK.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE
SORT OF OVERVIEW OF A COUPLE OF
REALLY FLAGSHIP NAGMS PROGRAMS
AS WE MOVE INTO A NEW ERA, THE
FIRST IS OUR R35 MAXIMIZING
INVESTIGATORS RESEARCH AWARD OR
MIRA PROGRAM.
THIS HAS BECOME NIGMS'S FLAGSHIP
FOR FUNDING INVESTIGATOR
INITIATED FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH.
THE PROGRAM PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR
INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATORS FOR
THEIR NIGMS RELATED PROGRAMS OF
RESEARCH IN THEIR LABORATORY.
SO THE WORK IN THEIR LABORATORY
THAT IS RELEVANT TO NIGMS'
MISSION, THE MIRA GRANT PROVIDES
SUPPORT FOR THAT WHOLE PROGRAM.
THE ADVANTAGES OF THE MIRA GRANT
OVER TRADITIONAL RO-1S ARE
MULTIPLE FOLD BUT THEY INCLUDE
THE FACT THAT MIRA INVESTIGATORS
HAVE MUCH GREATER SCIENTIFIC
FLEXIBILITY IN TERMS OF BEING
ABLE TO FOLLOW NEW IDEAS, NEW
OBSERVATIONS, AS THOSE IDEAS OR
OBSERVATIONS ARISE, NOT BEING
TIED TO SPECIFIC AIMS THE WAY
THEY ARE IN RO-1S, THEY ALSO
HAVE CONSIDERABLY MORE FUNDING
STABILITY AS WELL AS REDUCED
ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND ALL OF
THESE THINGS WE THINK ALLOWS
THEM TO TAKE ON MUCH MORE
AMBITIOUS AND CREATIVE RESEARCH
THAN THEY COULD DO THROUGH
TRADITIONAL RO-1S.
THE WAY THE MIRA WORKS IS
INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO GET
MULTIPLE GRANTS, THE WAY THEY
INVEST WITH RO-1S, THE MIRA
GRANT IS THE NIGMS FUNDING FOR
THAT LAB'S RESEARCH AND ONCE
THEY HAVE THE MIRA GRANT, THAT
IS THE ONLY NIGMS RESEARCH
FUNDING THAT THEY CAN HAVE.
BECAUSE OF THIS THE PERIODS OF
SUPPORT ARE LONGER AND THE
BUDGET'S LARGER ON AVERAGE THAN
COMPARABLE NIGMS RO-1S, SO
THEY'RE 5 YEARS ENSTED OF 4.
WE ARE SHOOTING NOW TO HAVE THE
MEDIAN MODE OF DIRECT COSTS BE
$275,000 PER YEAR.
SO THAT'S CONSIDERABLY LARGER
THAN WHAT AN INVESTIGATOR WOULD
GET WITH A SINGLE NIGM S RO-1.
WE HAVE 2 PROGRAMS, THESE ARE
REVIEWED INDEPENDENTLY OF 1
ANOTHER IN THE REVIEW PANELS SO
THAT THE EARLY STAGE
INVESTIGATORS ARE NOT BEING
COMPARED TO THE MORE SENIOR
ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATORS AND I
THINK THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF THIS PROGRAM AND IN
FACT, THRAW THE NIGMS EARLY
INVESTIGATOR STAGE PROGRAM,
SINCE 2013, THE INSTITUTE HAS
ACTUALLY TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF
EARLY STAGE INVESTIGATORS IT
SUPPORTS PER YEAR, WHICH IS
REALLY QUITE ASTOUNDING IF YOU
THINK ABOUT IT, THAT SOMETHING
TRIPLED IN ABOUT 10 YEARS AND
THIS REALLY IS LARGELY
ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE ESI MIRA,
AND AT THIS POINT ALMOST ALL THE
EARLY STAGE INVESTIGATORS PUT
THE INSTITUTE FUNDS ARE
SUPPORTED THROUGH MIRA AND NOT
THROUGH RO-1S.
AND GOING ALONG WITH IT AS OF
FISCAL YEAR 2024, 2/3RDS ALMOST
OF NIGMS'S RO-1 EQUIVALENTS WERE
FUNDED THROUGH MIRAs INSTEAD
OF OTHER MECHANISMS SUCH AS
RO-1S.
AT THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR
THAT WOULD BE OVER 70%.
THAT WAS A STRATEGIC TARGET WE
HAD WAS TO REACH 60% BY 2025.
WE EXCEEDED THAT, ALREADY IN
2024 AND WE WILL GET
CONSIDERABLY BEYOND THAT TARGET
BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
SO THAT JUST SHOWS THE
IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROGRAM TO
THE INSTITUTE, THIS NEW PARADIGM
AND 1 POINT I WANTED TO MAKE WAS
TAKEN--THEY NIH IS SOMETIMES
CRIT SIZED FOR BEING SLOW AND
FOR SORT OF CLINGING TO THE PAST
AND NOT MAKING CHANGES, HERE'S A
CASE WHERE WE TOOK AN IDEA IN
2015, 2016 WHEN THE PROGRAM
STARTED AS A PILOT, IT WAS JUST
AN IDEA IN HOW WE MIGHT MORE
EFFECTIVELY AND MORE EFFICIENTLY
SUPPORT FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH AND
WE TRIED IT OUT AND IT WAS
SUCCESSFUL AND WE HAVE GROWN IT
TO THIS POINT WHERE IT IS THE
LARGE MAIORITY OF FUNDING FOR
NIGMS' RESEARCH INVESTIGATORS.
SO I THINK THAT SHOWS CERTAINLY
THE ABILITY TO TRY NEW IDEAS AND
TO ACTUALLY REPLACE THE OLD
SYSTEM WITH NEW IDEAS WHEN THEY
WORK.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
I WILL GIVE YOU JUST A QUICK
PORTRAIT OF 1 EARLY STAGE
INVESTIGATOR, MIRA GRANTEE AND
THAT'S SHANNON NEWFELT, SHE IS
AT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY, SHE
RECEIVED HER ESI MIRA IN TBENT
20, HER RESEARCH USES ORGANIC
AND ORGAN O METALLIC CHEMISTRY,
TO OPTIMIZE AND UNDERSTAND
CATALYTIC SYSTEMS FOR MOLECULAR
SYNTHESIS, AND THIS WORK IS
CRITICAL FOR US BEING ABLE TO
MAKE NEW DRUGS AS WELL AS NEW
MEDICAL MATERIALS.
SO SHE STARTED HER LAB IN 2020,
SHE'S ALREADY PUBLISHED 23
PAPERS, THIS WAS ACTUALLY AS A
FEW MONTHS AGO, I SUSPECT IT'S
MORE THAN THAT AT THIS POINT.
SO OFF TO JUST A TREMENDOUS
START, HAVING A BIG IMPACT ON
THIS FIELD ALREADY AND GOING
ALONG WITH THAT SHE WAS A
RECIPIENT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
EARLY CAREER AWARD FOR
SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS A FEW
MONTHS AGO.
SO REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK
SHE'S DOING AT MONTANA STATE
WITH THE MIRA AND LOOK FORWARD
TO SEEING WHAT SHE DOES IN THE
FUTURE.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
NOW THE OTHER FLAGSHIP PROGRAM I
WANTED TO TO JUST BRING UP AND
GO OVER A LITTLE BIT WITH YOU IS
THE IDEA PROGRAM, THE
INSTIEWTIONZAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD
PROGRAM.
THIS IS A RESEARCH CAPACITY
BUILDING PROGRAM THAT TARGETS
STATES THAT HISTORICALLY HAVE
NOT RECEIVED HIGH LEVELS OF NIH
FUNDING.
IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY CONGRESS
IN 1993 WITH A MISSION TO
ENHANCE THE RESEARCH
COMPETITIVENESS OF INSTITUTIONS
IN STATES THAT HISTORICALLY
RECEIVE LOW LEVELS OF NIH
RESEARCH FUNDING.
IN 2011 WITH THE DISSOLLULATION
OF THE CENTER FOR NATURAL
RESOURCES, IT WAS MOVED TO
NIGMS.
IT'S A LINE ITEM IN OUR
APPROPRIATIONS AND IN FISCAL
YEAR 24, IT WAS $431 MILLION.
IT SUPPORTS BASIC TRANSLATIONAL
CLENICAL AND BEHAVIORIAL
RESEARCH AS WELL AS RESEARCH
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND
INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCE WANTS IN
THE IDEA STATES.
AND THE IDEA STATES ARE SHOWN ON
THE MAP COLOR INDEED BLUE, 23
STATES PLUS PUERTO RICO.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
NOW YOU COULD ASK WHY DO WE HAVE
AN IDEA PROGRAM, WHY DO WE WANT
TO BUILD RESEARCH CAPACITY AT
ALL?
AND I THINK THERE ARE REALLY A
NUMBER OF REASONS WHY THIS IS
EXTREMELY COMPELLING FOR THE
COUNTRY AND IMPORTANT USE AND
IMPORTANT INVESTMENT OF TAXPAYER
FUNDS.
THE 1 I FIND THE MOST COMPETING
AND IF I WERE TO ONLY SAY 1 IT
WOULD BE UNTAPPED SCIENCE
TALENT.
THERE IS TREMENDOUSTALINENT
EVERY STATE IN THE COUNTRY BUT
IF FUNDAMENTAL OR OTHER RESEARCH
WAS ONLY GOING ON IN JUST SAY
HALF THE STATES, WE WOULD LOSE
THE TALENTS IN THE OTHER HALF OF
THE STATES BECAUSE THOSE
STUDENTS, THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE
WOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TRYING
OUT DOING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH,
THEY WOULDN'T LEARN THEY HAD A
PASSION AND A TALENT FOR IT AND
THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING ELSE
INSTEAD.
SO IT IS ESSENTIAL IN MY VIEW
THAT WE HAVE CUTTING EMG
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH GOING ON IN
ALL 50 STATES AND IN TERRITORIES
SO THAT WE CAN TAP INTO THAT
INCREDIBLE SCIENTIFIC TALENT
THAT EXISTS THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE
SCIENTISTS OF THE FUTURE ARE
DRAWING FROM THIS ENTIRE TALENT
POOL.
IT'S SORT OF WHAT'S OFTEN BEEN
DESCRIBED AS OR AS BEEN
DESCRIBED IN THE PAST AS THE
LOST EINSTEIN EFFECT.
AGAIN, IF FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE
WAS BEING DONE IN HALF THE
STATES, WE WOULD LOSE THOSE
PEOPLE I JUST TALKED ABOUT A
COUPLE MINUTES AGO.
THERE ARE COMPELLING REASONS
THOUGH, THERE ARE SPECIFIC
REGION HEALTH CHALLENGES AND
PRIORITIES.
SO THE HEALTH CHALLENGES IN
STATES DIFFER FROM 1 TO ANOTHER
AND DIFFERENT REGIONS AS WELL.
EXAMPLES OF THIS WOULD BE VALLEY
FEVER THAT OCCURS IN DRY ARID
STATES BUT NOT IN OTHER STATES
THAT HAVE MORE HUMID CONDITIONS.
IF RESEARCH WASN'T GOING ON IN
STATES SAY ON THE COAST, THEN
STATES THAT HAVE VALLEY FEVER
WOULD BE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO GET
THAT HEALTH CONDITION ADDRESSED
THROUGH CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO ADDRESS THE
REGION SPECIFIC HEALTH
CHALLENGES, OF EVERY STATE, I
THINK IS A CRITICAL REASON THAT
WE HAVE TO BUILD RESEARCH
CAPACITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY.
IN ADDITION, WE WANT TO SEE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPURRED
THROUGH BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
THE BIOTECH SECTOR IS A VERY
FAST GROWING AND IMPORTANT
SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY, BUT
CURRENTLY, IT REALLY EXISTS IN
ONLY A SMALL SUBSET OF REGIONS,
AND SO 1 OF THE GOALS IS TO
ALLOW OTHER REGIONS AND STATES
TO TAP INTO THIS GROWTH ENGINE
FOR THEIR ECONOMIES AS WELL.
AND THEN FINALLY, IF RESEARCH IS
ONLY GOING ON IN SAY, A SUBSET
OF THE STATES, THE BENEFITS OF
THAT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND AN
UNDERSTANDING OF THE REASONS FOR
DOING THAT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
ARE NOT GOING TO BE DISTRIBUTED
EVENLY ACROSS THE STATES BUT BY
HAVING RESEARCH GOING ON IN
EVERY STATE, THE STATE VS VESTED
INTEREST IN THE RESEARCH, THEY
CAN GUIDE THE RESEARCH IN WAYS
THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR
POPULATIONS AND THEIR PEOPLE AND
YOU KNOW THAT ALLOWS EVERYONE IN
THE COUNTRY TO BENEFIT FROM
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, NOT JUST
SUBGROUPS OF PEOPLE.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS
BUT I THINK THEY'RE INCREDIBLY
COMPELLING AS TO WHY WE DO
CAPACITY BUILDING AND WHY IN
PARTICULAR WE HAVE THE PROGRAM.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE IDEA PROGRAM HAS 5
PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS, THEY'RE
THE CENTERS FOR BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE OR THE
COBREs, THEY ARE CENTERS THAT
ALLOW INSTITUTIONS OR GROUPS OF
INSTITUTIONS TO BUILD RESEARCH
CAPACITY IN PARTICULAR
SCIENTIFIC AREAS OF STRATEGIC
IMPORTANCE TO THAT INSTITUTE.
SO THIS COULD BE -- COULD YOU GO
FORWARD, PLEASE?
THANK YOU.
SO THESE COULD BE AREAS SUCH AS
BASIC RESEARCH AREAS, STRUCTURAL
BIOLOGY, ANN WEST WHO'S HERE HAS
A REALLY SUCCESSFUL COBRE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IN
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY.
IT COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE
BIOMEDICAL DATA SCIENCE TO BUILD
THAT CAPACITY, IT COULD BE AREAS
FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH,
INSTITUTES THAT DON'T HAVE A
STRENGTH IN BUT ARE STRATEGIC
IMPORTANT FOR GROWTH, THE COBRE
CENTER ALLOWS THEM TO SUPPORT
THOSE HIRES, THE URINE FACULTY
ONCE THEY GET THERE WITH FUNDING
AND MENTORING AS WELL AS
RESOURCE INFRASTRUCTURE, CORE
FACAS SIGNATURESSITYS, IMPROVE
WANTS TO LAB FACILITIES, ET
CETERA.
CURRENTLY THERE ARE ABOUT ALMOST
150 COBREs ACROSS THE COUNTRY
IN A VAST ARRAY OF DIFFERENT
AREAS.
EACH IDEA STATE HAS WHAT WE CALL
AN IDEA NETWORK OF BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE OR INBRE,
THESE ARE STATEWIDE NETWORKS
THAT LINK 1 OR MORE RESEARCH
INSTITUTION TO THE STATE TO THE
PRIMARY UNDERGRADUATE
INSTITUTIONS OF THE STATE AND
THEY FORM A PATHWAY THROUGH
WHICH THE UNDERGRADUATE
INSTITUTIONS CAN GET RESEARCH
EXPERIENCE AT THEIR OWN
INSTITUTION OR AT THE RESEARCH
INTENSIVE INSTITUTIONS.
THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE
STUDENTS TO WORK EITHER DURING
THE SCHOOL YEAR OR IN THE SUMMER
IN LABS, DOING RESEARCH, THEY
PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CORE
FACILITIES, THEY PROVIDE
RENOVATION EXPENSES TO UPGRADE
THE FACILITIES AND THE PRIMARILY
UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS AND
ALSO SUPPORT FOR FACULTY TO
START RESEARCH PROJECTS TO BRING
THE RESEARCH CAPACITY OF THOSE
PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE
INSTITUTIONS HIGHER.
AND THAT BUILDS A PIPELINE OR A
PATHWAY IN THE STATE FROM THE
YOUNG PEOPLE, THE UNDERGRADUATES
TO GET THEM EXPERIENCED TO GET
THEM EXCITED ABOUT RESEARCH AND
THEN GOING INTO LABS AT THE
PRIMARILY -- THE RESEARCH
INTENSIVE INSTITUTIONS IN THOSE
STATES.
WE ALSO ARE A PROGRAM CALLED THE
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL
RESEARCH AWARDS PROGRAM.
THIS IS DESIGNED TO BUILD
RESEARCH CAPACITY IN CLINICAL
AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
WITHIN INSTITUTIONS IN THOSE
STATES.
THEY ARE SIMILAR TO THE CTSAs
THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY NCATS, BUT
THEY ARE SPECIFIC TO THE IDEA
STATES, AND HAVE SOME SPECIAL
FEATURES FOR THE IDEA STATES
THAT ALLOW THEM TO TARGET, AGAIN
THOSE HEALTH BURDENS AND HEALTH
AREAS OF NEED THAT ARE SPECIFIC
TO THE PARTICULAR STATE IN WHICH
THE CTRs EXIST.
THESE CURRENTLY THESE REGIONS
THEY DEVELOP UNDERSTANDING AND
SKILLS AMONGST FACULTY, POST
DOCS AND STUDENTS IN HOW TO
COMMERCIALIZE FINDINGS FROM THE
LAB AND MOVE THEM INTO ACTUAL
PRODUCTS EVENTUALLY.
WE ARE GOING TO RETOOL THIS
PROGRAM, WE THINK WE WILL
PROBABLY EXPAND IT SO THAT IT'S
MORE THAN JUST 1 IN EACH OF THE
4 IDEA REGIONS, THAT WAS A LOT
EACH OF THOSE CENTERS TO TAKE
ON, AND MAYBE MAKE IT MORE
TARGETED AT INDIVIDUAL STATES OR
NEIGHBORING STATES AND THEN
FINALLY WE HAVE THE IDEA CO
FUNDING PROGRAM.
THE IDEA PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT
RESEARCH GRANTS AT OTHER NIH
INSTITUTES AND CENTERS THAT
SCORE WELL IN REVIEW THAT WERE
MERITORIOUS BUT WEREN'T QUITE
GOOD ENOUGH IN TERMS OF THEIR
SCORES TO GET FUNDED AT THOSE
NIH INSTITUTES AND CENTERS, THE
IDEA PROGRAM WILL FUND THE FIRST
2 YEARS OF THOSE GRANTS, WHICH
ALLOWS THEM TO GET FUNDED AND
THEN THOSE INSTITUTES AND
CENTERS PICK UP THE OUT YEARS
AFTER THOSE FIRST 2 YEARS AND WE
FIND ABOUT 30 RESEARCH GRANTS A
YEAR THROUGH THIS CO FUNDING
PROGRAM SO THAT'S GETTING A FAIR
NUMBER OF GRANTS FUNDED THAT
WOULD OTHERWISE NOT HAVE BEEN
FUND INDEED IDEA STATES.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE
COBREs THAT EXIST AROUND THE
COUNTRY THESE ARE JUST PICKED TO
GIVE YOU A FLAVOR OF THE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS THAT
ARE BEING SUPPORTED IN IDAHO
THERE'S A COBRE ON NUTRITION AND
WOMEN'S HEALTH AND MONTANA
THERE'S INTEGRATED BIOMEDICAL
AND RESEARCH WORLD HEALTH COBRE,
IN MAINE THERE'S ACUTE CARE AND
RESEARCH IN RURAL DISPARITIES,
IN KENTUCKY THERE'S A COBRE IN
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AND
INNOVATION AND IN MISSISSIPPI
THERE'S A TBLIEK O SCIENCE
CENTER OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
AND IN KANSAS THERE'S A
MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF DISEASE
PATHWAYS.
SO THOSE ARE JUST A FLAVOR FROM
BASIC SCIENCE ALL THE WAY TO
POPULATION HEALTH STUDIES.
A VARIETY OF EXTERNAL STUDIES
CONDUCTED BY INDEPENDENT
INVESTIGATORS, HAS SHOWN THAT
CON, BREs ARE EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL AT LEAST IN
PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHAT
I TALKED ABOUT IN BUILDING THE
BASE OF JUNIOR INVESTIGATORS AND
GETTING THEM TO FUNDING
INDEPENDENCE AND SUCCESS.
SO, A PAPER PUBLISHED ABOUT THE
COBREs IN NEVADA, SHOWED THAT
THEY INCREASE THE SUCCESS RATE
OF JUNIOR FACULTY IN RECEIVING
FUNDING, BY APPROXIMATELY 3 FOLD
FROM 15% TO 47% RELATIVE TO
MATCHED PIs WHO DID NOT
PARTICIPATE IN COBREs, SO
THAT'S REALLY QUITE IMPRESSIVE
AND OTHER STUDY VS SHOWN SIMILAR
THINGS AND YOU WILL HEAR THAT WE
ARE LAUNCHING OUR OWN MORE
GLOBAL EVALUATION OF THE COBE
PROGRAM AS WELL, WE WILL ASK
YOUR PERMISSION TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH THAT IN A FEW
MINUTES.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
JUST A COUPLE SUCCESS STORIES OF
THOSE JUNIOR INVESTIGATORS WHO
HAVE COME OUT OF CON, BREs, 2
INVESTIGATORS OUT OF THE KANSAS
COBRE I MENTIONED, THE CENTER
FOR MOLECULAR DISEASE PATHWAYS
HAVE GONE ON TO RECEIVE THE MI
RA AWARDS I TOLD YOU ABOUT
BEFORE.
JENNIFER ROBINSON RECEIVED A
MIRA TO CONTINUE HER RESEARCH ON
OSTEOARTHRITIS AND JING XIN WANG
RECEIVED A MIEE, AUDIENCE RA
AWARD TO FURTHER EXPLORE RNA
SPLICING.
WE SEE MORE OF THESE RECEIVING
MIRAs THROUGH INITIAL SUPPORT
THEY RECEIVE THROUGH COBRE
GRANTS OR IN SOME CASES FROM
INBRE GRANTS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
NOW I WANT TO HONE IN ON JUST 1
IDEA STATE, JUST TO GIVE YOU A
FLAVOR OF SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT ARE GOING ON IN 1
PARTICULAR STATE AND I JUST --
ARBTRARLY AT SOME LEVEL PICKED
OKLAHOMA.
JUST GIVES YOU A MAP OF THE
ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN
OKLAHOMA.
THERE ARE 29 4-YEAR
INSTITUTIONS, 20 2-YEAR
INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING 1 TRIBAL
COLLEGE AND 3 NONDEGREE GRANTING
RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND THEY
ARE BASICALLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT
THE STATE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SOME OVERALL STATISTICS, THE
TOTAL NIH FUNDING FOR OKLAHOMA
AND FISCAL YEAR 2024 WAS A
LITTLE OVER $151 MILLION.
THE TOTAL FUNDING THAT CAME JUST
FROM NIGMS WAS ALMOST
$41 MILLION, SO YOU CAN SEE A
VERY SUBSTANTIAL FRACTION OF THE
TOTAL FUNDING FOR THE STATE OF
OKLAHOMA FROM NIH CAME JUST FROM
NIGMS EVEN THOUGH WE'RE JUST 1
OF 24 INSTITUTES AND CENTERS
THAT GIVES GRANT AWARDS.
THE TOTAL IDEA FUNDING FROM --
FOR THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA WAS
$28 MILLION, A LITTLE OVER
$28 MILLION, SO THE PERCENTAGE
OF NIH FUNDING FROM NIGMS OVER
ALL, PERCENTAGE OF NIH FUNDING
THAT WAS FROM NIGMS TO OKLAHOMA
WAS 27%.
SO OVER A QUARTER OF THE ENTIRE
STATE'S FUNDING FROM NIH COME
JUST FROM NIGMS AND CONTRAST
THAT THE FACT THAT NIGMS'S
BUNLET AND LESS THAN 7% OF THE
TOTAL NIH BUDGET SO IF WE WERE
GOING ON BUNLET ALLOCATION, THAT
WOULD BE 7% BUT YOU CAN SEE IT'S
ALMOST 4 TIMES THAT LEVEL.
SO THAT SHOWS BOTH THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE IDEA PROGRAM,
BUT ALSO I THINK THAT NIGMS
OVERALL IS PUNCHING ABOVE ITS
WEIGHT IN SUPPORTING STATES SUCH
AS OKLAHOMA.
THE NUMBER OF MIRA GRANTS SO FAR
IN OKLAHOMA AS OF FISCAL YEAR
2024 WAS 16 WHICH IS -- IS GOOD
BUT I THINK WE HAVE CERTAINLY A
FAIR AMOUNT OF ROOM WE COULD
MOVE AND GROW IN THAT REGARD FOR
OKLAHOMA AND THE OTHER IDEA
STATES AS WELL.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE A
STRATEGIC GOAL OF NIGMS FOR THE
NEXT 5 YEARS.
THE NUMBER OF NIGMS R15 AREA
GRANTS, THESE ARE GRANTS THAT
SUPPORT THOSE PRIMARILY
UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS IN
THE STATE THAT ARE PART OF THE
INBRE THAT I MENTIONED, SO NOT
BAD BUT ROOM TO GO.
NO R16 SURE GRANTS WHICH ALSO
SUPPORT A SIMILAR AND SUBSET OF
INSTITUTIONS IN THE STATE SO
THAT'S AN AREA THAT I THINK WE
CAN WORK ON TRYING TO GET MORE
OF THOSE IN OKLAHOMA AND 10
COBREs CURRENTLY IN OKLAHOMA
WHICH IS A GOOD NUMBER.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THIS JUST GIVES A LIST OF THE
COBREs THAT CURRENTLY EXIST IN
OKLAHOMA.
THEY RANGE AGAIN FROM THE BASIC
SCIENCE, ACROSS THE SPECTRUM ALL
THE WAY TO THINGS THAT ARE MUCH
MORE CLINICALLY AND POPULATION
FOCUSED.
AGAIN, I WILL JUST PARTICULARLY
HIGHLIGHT ANN WEST'S STRUCTURAL
BIOLOGY COBRE AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF OKLAHOMA.
I THINK THAT'S 1 I KEEP COMING
BACK TO AND POINTING TO OVER AND
OVER AGAIN AS A EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL COBRE.
THE KIND OF THING THAT WE'RE
LOOKING FOR, A BROAD AREA OF
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT THE
INSTITUTION DECIDED WAS OF
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR IT TO
GROW IN AND YOU KNOW HA ANN AND
HER COLLEAGUES HAVE DONE THERE
HAS BEEN REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
MANY OTHER IMPORTANT COBREs,
IN THE STATE DEVELOPMENTAL
BIOLOGY, CELLULAR METABOLISM,
CHILDHOOD INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH
ON CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY SO AGAIN
THAT WHOLE SPECTRUM FROM BASIC
SCIENCE ALL THE WAY TO
POPULATION STUDIES AND
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND MAYBE ANN WILL HAVE
SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT HER
EXPERIENCES LEADING THE
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY OF COBRE AT
THE END OF THIS.
NEXT SLIDE.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE INBRE IN
OKLAHOMA AS WELL.
TWO RESEARCH INTENSIVE
INSTITUTIONS IN THE STATE SERVE
AS THE HUBS, THE UNIVERSITY OF
OKLAHOMA HELT SCIENCES CENTER AS
THE LEAD AND OKLAHOMA MEDICAL
RESEARCH FOUNDATION WHICH IS 1
OF THOSE RESEARCH INSTITUTES IN
THE STATE IS ALSO A PRIMARY
PARTICIPANT.
FIFTEEN PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE
INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITY AND
TRIBAL COLLEGES MAKE UP THE
SPOKES AND SO THOSE ARE THOSE
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS I TALKED
ABOUT.
THEY SUPPORT FACULTY AND
STUDENTS RESEARCH PROJECTS, THEY
DO MENTORING OF BOTH THE
STUDENTS AND THE FACULTY AT THE
PRIMARILY UNDERGRAD
UTINSTITUTIONS, THEY SUPPORT
CORE FACILITIES PARTICULARLY IN
DATA SCIENCE SO EVERY INBRE IS
REQUIRED TO HAVE A DATA SCIENCE
CORE BECAUSE WE FELT IT WAS SUCH
AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR EVERY IDEA
STATE TO HAVE STRENGTH, GROWING
STRENGTHENED AND THEY ALSO HAVE
A VERY STRONG PROTEOMICS CORE AS
WELL.
THEY ALSO DO INFRASTRUCTURE AND
ENHANCEMENT SO FOR INSTANCE LAB
FACILITIES AT THE PRIMARILY
GRADUATE INSTITUTIONS CAN BE
RENOVATED AND MADE MORE MODERN
FROM THE FUNDS THROUGH INBREs,
AND 1 OF THE EXCITING THINGS I
THINK ABOUT THE INBRE IS THAT
THE FEDERAL INVESTMENT WAS
LEVERAGED BY THE STATE, SO THE
STATE OF OKLAHOMA CONTRIBUTES
ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO EXPAND THE
REACH OF THE INBRE, SO WE GET A
SINNER GESTIC EFFECT FROM THE
FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN,A DITION
TO THE STATE INVESTMENT AND I
THINK THAT'S KIND OF A HALLMARK
OF MANY OF THE IDEA PROGRAMS
THAT YOU SEE WHERE THE STATE
ALSO CONTRIBUTES ON TOP OF THIS
NIGMS AND NIH INVESTMENT BECAUSE
THEY SEE THE INCREDIBLE LOAMACYY
IMPORTANT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE
THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND THEY
REALIZE THEY CAN SYNERGIZE WITH
IT AND GET EVEN MORE FOR THEIR
INVESTMENTS ON TOP OF IT.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT 1
RESEARCHER FROM OKLAHOMA,
SUZANNEA RANKIN, AT THE OKLAHOMA
MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION.
HER WORK IS STUDYING THE WORLD
OF CO HESIN AND CO HESIN
REGULATING PROTEINS IN
CHROMASOME STRUCTURE AND
CHROMOSOME SEGGREEN
CELLSICATION, SO WHEN IT'S
DIVIDED DURING CELL DIVISION
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF COHESIN AND
ALLOWING THAT TO HAPPEN.
AND SEE USES BOTH FROG EGG
EXTRACTS AS WELL AS HUMAN CELLS
AS RESEARCH SYSTEMS.
SO I THINK QUITE NICE CROSSING
THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SPECIES
TO LEARN FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT HOW BIOLOGY WORKS THROUGH
HER WORK IN BOTH OF THESE
DIFFERENT SYSTEMS.
SHE WAS SUPPORTED ACTUALLY PRIOR
TO GETTING INDEPENDENT FUNDING
THROUGH OKLAHOMA INBRE, AND SHE
NOW HAS AN NIGMS MIRA SUPPORT SO
REALLY GREAT FACT THAT SHE WENT
FROM SUPPORT FROM INBRE TO
GETTING AN NIGMS MIRA GRANT
SHOWING THAT THE PIPELINE WE ARE
TRYING TO BUILD HAS BEEN WORKING
SO FAR AND WE CAN EXPAND UPON
THAT.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND FINALLY, I JUST WANT TO END
WITH HIGHLIGHTING 1 OF OUR
TRAINING PROGRAMS.
AS YOU KNOW NIGMS IS 1 OF THE
BIGGEST FUNDERS OF T32
INSTITUTIONAL PREDOCTORAL
TRAINING GRANTS, IS THE BIGGEST
LENDER OF THOSE AT NIH.
WE HAVE A NEW OR REVAMPED
SUBCATEGORY OF OUR T32, SO WE
HAVE DIFFERENT AREAS IN WHICH WE
GET T32S, THINGS LIKE CELL AND
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, BEHAVIORIAL,
BASIC BEHAVIORIAL STUDIES, ET
CETERA, AND YOU CAN GO TO OUR
WEBSITE TO SEE WHAT THOSE ARE,
BUT WE'VE RECENTLY VASMED THE
TRANSDEPARTMENTMENTAL AREA, AND
THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO
BROADEN THE SCOPE OF OUR
INSTITUTIONAL T32 PREDOCTORAL
TRAINING GRANTS, IN TERMS OF
BOTH THE INSTITUTIONS THEY
SUPPORT AND THEIR GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.
WE ARE TRYING TO USE THESE TO
ENHANCE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
FOR BASIC BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
TRAINING AND TO PROVIDE RESEARCH
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO
STUDENTS FROM A WIDE BREDTH OF
BIOMEDICAL DISCIPLINES AT THE
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR INTUITIONS
ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS
TRACK IF THEY HAVE NO PREVIOUS
NIH T32s, NO OTHER NIGMS
T32s WITH A COUPLE MINOR
EXCEPTIONS AND WE'RE STRONGLY
ENCOURAGING ORGANIZATIONS IN
IDEA STATES TO APPLY.
SO THIS IS NOT PART OF THE IDEA
PROGRAM, WE DON'T SUPPORT IT IN
GENERAL WITH THE IDEA
APPROPRIATIONS, BUT IT'S ANOTHER
WAY WE'RE LEVERAGING NIGMS FUNDS
TO TRY TO SUPPORT THE IDEA
STATES.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE OF
OUR NRSA T32 PROGRAMS INTO IDEA
STATES TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO
SUPPORT THEIR GRADUATE STUDENTS
IN THIS CASE, AND WE'RE GOING TO
USE THIS TRACK TO TRY TO DO
THAT.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I HAD TO SAY.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF SOME OF THE
REALLY GREAT FOLKS AT NIGMS.
LET ME JUST END BY SAYING I KNOW
THERE ARE A LOT OF CHANGES GOING
ON AND THAT THE COMMUNITY IS
HAVING TO ADJUST TO CHANGES IN
PRIORITIES, CHANGES IN THE WAY
WE DO BUSINESS, AND CHANGE IS
ALWAYS HARD BUT LET ME ASSURE
YOU THAT THE STAFF AT NIGMS ARE
INCREDIBLY COMMITTED TO
SUPPORTING THE NIGMS RESEARCH,
TRAINING, CAPACITY BUILDING
COMMUNITIES, THEY ARE WORKING
JUST UNBELIEVABLY HARD TO ADAPT
TO AND MANAGE THE CHANGES THAT
ARE HAPPENING AND MAKE THEM ALL
WORK AS EFFICIENTLY AND
EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE AND THEY
ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO
GET GRANTS AWARDED, SO THAT THE
COMMUNITY CAN KEEP DOING THE
REALLY IMPORTANT RESEARCH
TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
THAT IT DOES SOME OF WHICH I
JUST HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU.
SO I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF FOR
THEIR INCREDIBLY HARD WORK AND
THEIR DEDICATION TO BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH AND TO THE COMMUNITY
AND THANK YOU ALL AND HAPPY TO
TAKE SOME QUESTIONS.
IF YOU CAN TURN YOUR CAMERAS ON,
COUNCIL, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND IF WE CAN MAYBE GO TO THE --
YEAH, THAT VIEW IS GOOD.
MY FRIEND STEVEN CUTLER.
YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP.
>> YES, THANK YOU JON.
GREAT OVERVIEW, AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE YOU SPENDING TIME
TALKING ABOUT THE IDEA PROGRAM.
IT'S 1 OF THE BEST PROGRAMS THAT
NIH FUNDS AND SUPPORTS.
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, I
SERVED AS A PI FOR COBRE FOR 2
PHASES, EARLY COMPETITIVE PHASE
FOR PHASE 3, THAT WAS FUNDED AS
I LEFT TO GO TO UNIVERSITY OF
SARK ARK AT THE TIME, IT WAS THE
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI WHERE
I WAS FUNDED, IT WAS TO DO
RESEARCH ON CANNABIS AS THE ONLY
FEDERAL FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY
THAT CAN GROW CANNABIS AND
DURING THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD OF
TIME THAT COBRE REALLY HAD A
MAJOR IMPACT ON THE UNIVERSITY
OF MISSISSIPPI.
THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE
APPLICATIONS WERE AT 34% WERE
FUNDED, I THINK THE AVERAGE FOR
NIH WAS CLOSER TO A SINGLE DIGIT
AND IN A 10 YEAR PERIOD OF TIME
WE QUADRUPLE FUNDED AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.
JUST A REMARKABLE PROGRAM.
JON, YOU MAY RECALL, I TOLD
FRANCIS COLLINS AT THE TIME
THIS, IS SOME OF THE BEST MONEY
THAT NIH IS SPENDING BECAUSE OF
THE 4 PILLARS YOU SHARED WITH US
ATY BEGINNING OF THE
PRESENTATION OF THE IDEA
PROGRAM.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING IT.
>> THANK YOU STEVE.
WHEN I CAME TO NIGMS, I KNEW
NOTHING ABOUT THE IDEA PROGRAM
AND I THINK PROBABLY LITERALLY
THE FIRST THING I DID WAS GO
DOWN STAIRS STAIRS AND MEET WID
TAYLOR AND GET HIM TO EXPLAIN
THE PROGRAM AND I WAS A CONVERT
WITHIN AN HOUR AND I'M NOW THE
BIGGEST SUPPORTER
PROSELYTIZINGER FOR THAT PROGRAM
AROUND AND THANK YOU FOR THE
HARD WORK YOU'VE DONE AND
INCREDIBLE THINGS YOU'VE DONE
THAT YOU TALK ABOUT AT
MISSISSIPPI AND THAT YOU'RE NOW
DOING AT SOUTH CAROLINA.
SPEAKING OF INCREDIBLE, ANN WHAT
DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?
>> THANK YOU JON, I WANT TO SAY
THANK TO YOU ALL THE STAFF AT
NIGMS FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO
AND ESPECIALLY DURING THE
DIFFICULT TIMES THAT WE FIND
OURSELVES IN.
BUT THANK YOU FOR SHINING A
SPOTLIGHT ON THE STATE OF
OKLAHOMA AND OUR COBRE IN
PARTICULAR, AND FOR THOSE WHO
AREN'T AS FAMILIAR WITH THESE
PROGRAMS, AS STEVE SAID, YOU
KNOW THE COBREs FOCUS AT LEAST
ON PHASE 1 AND 2 ON EARLY CAREER
FACULTY MEMBERS TO THE POINT
WHERE THEY GRADUATE FROM COBRE
FUNDING TO INDEPENDENT FUNDING
OF THEIR OWN SO IT'S REALLY A
WIN, WIN, SITUATION AND IT'S --
YOU KNOW CAN BE TRANSFORMATIONAL
FOR AN INSTITUTION AND FOR
INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN PROGRAMS
SUCH AS THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
AND I APPRECIATE YOU WELCOMING
ME TO THE COUNCIL WITH THOSE
HIGHLIGHTS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ERIC?
NTHANK YOU JON, SO I WAS JUST
CURIOUS, WHEN YOU SAID
TRANSDEPARTMENTMENTAL, WHAT DO
YOU MEAN BY THAT?
I'M JUST SORT OF CURIOUS, IS IT
GOING TO BE -- I ASSUME WELL'S
GOING TO BE MORE DETAILS LATER
ON BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
>> YEAH, CAN YOU CAN GO TO OUR
WEBSITE AND ANYONE'S INTERESTED
CAN LEARN MORE.
IT'S CALLED TRANSDEPARTMENTAL
BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO
BROADEN AND FOCUS ACROSS AN
ENTIRE INSTITUTION.
SO SOME OF THE OTHER 1S ARE THE
DEPARTMENT OF CELLULARY AND
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN CELLULAR
AND MOLEC BAR BIOLOGY, SO THIS
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO
SUPPORT INSTIEWPGZS THAT DON'T
CURRENTLY HAVE NIGMS TRAINING
SUPPORT BROADLY SO THEY COULD
HAVE 1 THAT SPANNED THE CHEMIST
RADIOY DEPARTMENT, BIOLOGY
DEPARTMENT AND YOU KNOW WHATEVER
STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW
WHATEVER DEPARTMENTS THEY WANTED
TO FIT INTO THIS BROAD BASED
PROGRAM TO REALLY GET THEIR
GRADUATE TRAINING TO THE NEXT
LEVEL, BUT NOT JUST IN 1
SPECIFIC AREA.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN BY
TRANSDEPARTMENTAL, IT CAN CROSS
DEPARTMENTMENTAL BOUNDARIES
EASILY.
TERRY?
>> I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A
MOMENT AND THANK DR. ZUK TO HER
INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO
NIGMS, HER WORKSHOP SHE RAN ON
TRULY NONTRADITIONAL MODEL
SYSTEMS IN RESEARCH AND HOW
IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT
SHE ALWAYS MADE SURE TO LIFT UP
THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO MOVE
SCIENCE FORWARD AND HAS A GREAT
SCIENTIST HERSELF, I WANT TO
APPLAUD HER FOR WHAT SHE DID AND
SHE WILL BE MISSED.
>> THANKS, TERRY.
>> I WILL CERTAINLY MISS HER, NO
DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
>> I WILL MISS YOU ALL, TOO, BUT
MAYBE NOT THAT MUCH.
>> YOU WILL HAVE TO SEND US HAIR
COLOR UPDATES FREQUENTLY.
>> OTHER QUESTIONS, THINGS
PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS?
LET'S SEE, MAZI.
>> WE ARE JUST CONNECTING BACK
TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE TRANSZ
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM, I THINK
THATIA A REALLY FANTASTIC IDEA.
YOU KNOW BIOLOGY, -- BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH IS JUST INCREASINGLY
INTERDISCIPLINARY WHERE IT TAKES
THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF MANY
DIFFERENT FIELDS TO TRULY MAKE
PROGRESS SO, I THINK THAT'S
GOING TO BE A TREMENDOUS
SUCCESS.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
THAT.
I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ON THE
MONEY THERE.
WE ALSO DO OFFER IT FOR
INSTITUTIONS THAT CURRENTLY HAVE
MULTIPLE TRAINING GRANTS IN
DIFFERENT AREAS BUT WOULD LIKE
TO COLLAPSE THEM INTO A SINGLE
BROAD PROGRAM, SO THAT'S ANOTHER
WAY IT CAN BE USED.
JOANNE?
>> YEAH, JON, AND ALL STAFF OF
THE NIGMS, REALLY
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SUCCESS
OF THE MIRA PROGRAM, IT'S REALLY
GREAT TO SEE THE INCREASED
SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY FOR EARLY
STAGE INVESTIGATORS AND THE WAY
THE MECHANISM IS STRUCTURED IT
TRULY DOES PROVIDE MORE
STABILITY, MORE LONG-TERM
RESEARCH FUNDING AND REDUCES
ADMINISTRATIVE BURRED KNOW SO I
THINK THIS IS SOMETHING REAL
INNOVATIVE AND A PROGRAM I THINK
WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT SO
I WANT TO MAKE I SHOUT OUT TO
THAT.
>> THANK YOU.
REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
AND WE DO HEAR THAT IN THE
COMMUNITY IN COMNL, SO THANK YOU
FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT JOANNE.
, LET'S SEE, CHRISTINE?
>> AS SOMEONE WHO RECEIVED AN
EARLY STAGE MIRA AWARD AND WHO
HAD IT RENEWED EARLIER THIS
YEAR, I HAVE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT
TO THAT AS WELL.
THE STABILITY AFFORDS THE
ABILITY TO GO OUT ON A LIMB AND
MAYBE DO THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT
OTHERWISE DO BECAUSE HAVE YOU
THE BACK STOP OF SUPPORT AND I
THINK IT HELPS TO ACTUALLY
PROMOTE MORE INVIGORATING
SCIENTIFIC FORAYS, AND
INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK.
>> THANK YOU.
REALLY GREAT TO GET THOSE
TESTIMONIALS, THAT WAS WHAT WE
WERE HOPING WHEN WE SET IT UP.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
TERRY, DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR
HAND UP OR IS THAT THE OLD 1?
LESLIE?
>> THANKS, MY HAND DOESN'T SEEM
TO BE GOING UP.
YEAH, SO, TUSTLY HAVE A
QUESTION/CONCERN, SO YEAH, I
THINK GENERALLY MY COLLEAGUES
ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE MIRA
PROGRAM, BUT THERE IS 1 CONCERN
THAT'S BEEN VOICED TO ME IS
ABOUT THE ELEDGIBILITY PERIOD.
SO, TO PUT THAT AS A QUESTION,
IS THERE ANY CHANCE OF
INCREASING THE ELIGIBLE PERIOD
BECAUSE FOR PEOPLE TRYING TO
CONVERT, IT SEEMS LIKE A SHORT
WINDOW OF TIME AND ESPECIALLY
RIGHT NOW WITH THE 2 DEADLINES
BEING SO CLOSE TOGETHER, IT
SEEMS LIKE THERE'S 1 SHOT AND
THEN IF YOU DON'T GET IT, ON THE
FIRST ROUND, YOU ARE GOING BACK
TO AN RO-1 POOL WHERE NOW THE
PAY LINE IS MUCH, MUCH LOWER.
AND MY DEPARTMENT CHAIR BROUGHT
THIS TO ME BECAUSE HE HEARD IT
FROM SOME OF HIS PEOPLE BUT ALSO
IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT
THERE'S JUST WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE
FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS
BASICALLY BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T
GET IN, YOU CANNOT REAPPLY FOR A
MIRA AFTER THAT 1 YEAR
ELIGIBILITY.
>> YEAH.
WE TAKE THAT BACK AND THANKS FOR
RAISING THAT AND LOOK AT IT.
I THINK THE WAY WE SET IT UP WAS
THAT THEY CAN APPLY EARLIER IN
THEIR RO-1 IF THEY WANT TO,
RIGHT?
AND SO, IT'S A QUESTION OF YOU
KNOW DO THEY WANT TO CONVERT AND
POTENTIALLY HAVE A YEAR LESS OF
THE RO-1, BUT NOW GET THE MIRA,
SO IT IS A TRADE-OFF, BUT WE
TRIED TO BUILD IT INTO THE
SYSTEM SO THAT, YOU KNOW THEY
HAD MULTIPLE SHOTS ON GOALS SO
TO SPEAK IF THEY WANTED TO DO
THAT.
>> RIGHT, I WOULD SAY GOING IN
EARLY, THOUGH, IF YOU ARE A
SINGLE SMALL RO-1 LAB, COULD BE
--
>> YEAH, UNDERSTOOD.
WE WILL SEE IF THERE'S ANYWAY WE
CAN MODIFY THAT.
>> THANKS.
>> LET'S SEE, MONCI?
>> I ULS HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT
THE MIRA PROGRAM WHICH I'M A
HUGE FAN OF, YOU KNOW I
BENEFITED TREMENDOUSLY, I THINK
IT'S REALLY PROVIDED
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY OF US
DOING HIGHER RISK NONTRADITIONAL
MODEL ORGANISM WORK THIS DORIT
HAS BEEN CHAMPIONING EMPLOY SO
GIVEN THAT THE MIRA PROGRAM HAS
BEEN AROUND FOR A NUMBER OF
YEARS AT THIS POINT BUT IT HAS
PEOPLE COME NOTHING THROUGH
DIFFERENT ROUTES, SOME FOLKS
COMING IN BY COMBINING MULTIPLE
RO-1s THEN, ESI PROGRAM NOW
FOLK CANS CONVERT FROM SINGLE
RO-1S AND IT'S TRUE THAT OVERALL
THE BUDGETS ARE HIGHER THAN THE
BUDGETS OF RO-1S, BUT I'M
CURIOUS IF YOU'RE NOTICING ANY
DIFFERENCES IN OVERALL LEVEL OF
SUPPORT PER GRANT DEPENDING ON
WHAT THE INCOMING MECHANISM WAS?
AND IF SO, YOU ARE PUTTING ANY
NEW MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO MAKE
SURE THAT YOU KNOW EVERYBODY
DOING EQUIVALENT BOLD RESEARCH
IS GETTING EQUIVALENT SUPPORT?
>> EXCELLENT QUESTION.
SO THERE DEFINITELY WERE
DIFFERENCES BECAUSE THE PROGRAM
STARTED THAT WE STARTED AS A
PILOT AND IT WAS FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAD MULTIPLE GRANTS TO
CONSOLIDATE AND WE ACTUALLY CUT
THEIR BUDGETS WHEN THEY DID
THAT, SO WE TOOK SOME OF THE
MONEY FROM PEOPLE WHO HAD A LOT
OF MONEY AND PUT IT BACK INTO
THE POOL, SO WE -- THAT WAS 1
PLACE AT WHICH WE TRIED TO
NORMALIZE THINGS A LITTLE BIT
BUT THERE -- THERE WAS STILL
SOME PEOPLE HAD $600,000 AND
OTHER PEOPLE HAD 250.
WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, AS I
ALLUDED TO WAS, WE'RE TRYING TO
INCREASE THE MEDIA AND THE MODE
BUDGET, YOU KNOW AND IT'S NOT --
IT'S NOT GOING FROM 250 TO 500,
IT'S GOING FROM 250-275 BECAUSE
THERE'S A LIMITED POOL OF MONEY.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
DO AND WHEN I FIRST ENVISIONED
THIS PROGRAM WAS A PROGRAM WHERE
EVERYBODY GOT -- I THINK THE
NUMBER I HAD IN MY HEAD AT THE
TIME WHICH WAS 12, 13 YEARS AGO
WAS 300 AND PIOF THE THOUSAND
DOLLARS, YOU KNOW -- IF EVERYONE
JUST GOT THAT, THEY COULD DO ALL
KINDS OF STUFF AND WE COULD FUND
A LOT MORE PEOPLE XI THINK WE
WOULD GET BETTER RESULTS.
THAT'S STILL KIND OF WHAT I LIKE
AS AN IDEA, BUT TO MOVE TO THAT
IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ALL
AT ONCE, RIGHT?
WE HAVE TO GRADUALLY BUILD
TOWARDS THAT.
PETRA?
>> OKAY, LET'S SEE IF THE
MIC WORKS, YEAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME
IN.
>> YEAH.
>> YOU SHOULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF
BECAUSE YOU NEVER GOT A CHANCE
TO DO IT.
>> I'M FROM THE BIOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS AND I
WORK ON BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY,
GROWTH, SIZE, SHAPE, SOME
ANTIBIOTIC WORK.
MY QUESTION ACTUALLY IS ALSO
ABOUT THE MIRA WHICH I LOVE THIS
PROGRAM VERY MUCH.
I GUESS MY MAIN QUESTION IS NOW
THAT THERE'S TOW MANY MIRAs
AND I'VE GONE THROUGH SO MANY
SUMMARY STATEMENTS ARE THEY
GOING TO START PERCENTILING THEM
TO HAVE MORE UNIFORMITY ACROSS
STUDY SECTIONS AS THEY ARE FOR
THE RO-1S BECAUSE, YEAH, THAT
WAS MY --
>> YEAH, THAT IS A GOOD
QUESTION.
SOMETHING WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT A
LOT.
I THINK 1 OF THE REASONS WE
HAVEN'T DONE IT YET IS, WELL,
FIRST OF ALL CSR'S BEEN A
TREMENDOUSLY GREAT PARTNER IN
THE MIRA AND THEY DO ALL THE
MIRA REVIEWS AND THEY HAVE STOOD
UP STANDING PANELS FROM MIRA AND
THEY EXPANDED THE NUMBER, BUT
THEY ALSO STILL USE A FAIR
AMOUNT OF SPECIAL EMPHASIS
PANELS AND THAT MAKES THE
PERCENTILE A LITTLE HARD BECAUSE
THEY KEEP CHANGING AND WHAT'S IN
THEM IS CHANGING, SO THAT'S 1
ISSUE, THE OTHER ISSUE IS
ALTHOUGH THE SCORE OF A GRANT IS
AN IMPORTANT FACTOR, WE DON'T
WANT TO OVEREMPHASIZE IT,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST 1 THING,
RIGHT?
AND WE LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE
REVIEWS THEMSELVES, BECAUSE YOU
CAN GET A CORE OF SAY, 30 WITH
ALL 3 REVOWERS, GIVING YOU A 3,
OR, YOU KNOW 1 GIVING YOU A 1, I
WON'T DO THE MATH IN MY HEAD BUT
1 GIVING YOU A 1, 1 GIVING AWE A
4 AND 1 GIVING YOU A 6 OR
WHATEVER THE AVERAGE IS, DID I
GET IT RIGHT?
PROBABLY NOT.
BUT THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT
THING THAN EVERYONE SAYING THE
SAME SO WE DON'T FEEL WE CAN GO
ON SCORE ALONE AND SO WE DON'T
-- AS YOU KNOW WE DON'T USE PAY
LINES, WE LOOK AT MANY DIFFERENT
FACTORS WHEN MAKING FUNDING
DECISIONS AND SO, PERCENTILING
DID HAVE THE CENTER FOR
EXCELLENCE ON AGING OF SAYING
LIKE, IT'S ALL THE SCORES,
THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT
MATTERS AS OPPOSE TO THE FACT
THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS
TO LOOK AT.
SO, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I WOULD
SAY THAT'S THE MAIN ISSUE.
WE DO HOWEVER, SINCE EACH PANEL
IS CALIBRATED DIFFERENTLY, EVERY
ROUND WE LOOK AT THE GRIEWKS OF
SCORES AND THE PANELS AND WE
ACTUALLY TRY TO NORMALIZE THE
FUNDING WE GIVE TO EACH -- THE
GRANTS COMING OUT OF EACH PANEL
TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TAKING INTO,A
COUNT THAT SOME ARE HARDER
GRADERS THAN OTHERS SO THEY'RE
NOT JUST DISADVANTAGED FROM
BEING IN A HARD GRADING PANEL.
YEAH.
NEIL?
>> HEY, JON, COUPLE COMMENTS AND
A QUESTION/SUGGESTION, FIRST OF
ALL, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY AT
NIGMS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE
DOING.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
I WANT TO ALSO SAY THAT FOR THE
MIRA ISSUE I JUST THINK THAT'S
AN AWESOME PROGRAM FOR MANY OF
US, IT'S REALLY BEEN
INSTRUMENTAL.
IT'S BEEN HUGE FOR US AND I
REALLY HOPE IT CONTINUES AND I
APPRECIATED YOUR PRESENTATION.
THE SPECIFIC THAT I WOULD SAY IS
THAT'S BEEN MOST HELPFUL FOR ME
IS THE FLEXIBILITY IN TERMS OF
THE SCIENCE WE PURSUE, AND NOT
BEING TIED DOWN TO SPECIFIC
AIMS.
THAT'S BEEN THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCE FOR ME GOING FROM THE
RO-1 TO THE R35, PLUS THE
FINANCIAL STABILITY AND WHAT NOT
BUT I WANT TO MENTION IT, THAT'S
BEEN IMPORTANT FOR GIVING US
FLEXIBILITY TO PURSUE WHATEVER'S
MOST EXCITING NOT WHAT WE
THOUGHT WAS EXCITINGA AT THE
TIME WE WROTE THE SPECIFIC AIMS.
I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION OF
SCIENTISTS AND CONCERNS IN
ACADEMIA AND MOST INSTITUTIONS I
THINK STILL HAVE HIRING FREEZES
AND IT'S GOTTEN A LITTLE
COMPLICATED FOR THE YOUNGER
FOLKS AS THERE ARE DPRADUATE
STUDENTS OR POST DOCS THAT ARE
THINKING ABOUT ACADEMIA AND ON
TOP OF THAT THE NSF FELLOWSHIPS
HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF.
COULD YOU SAY MORE ABOUT THAT?
I APPRECIATED YOUR COMMENTTHE
T32, ENCOURAGING COMMENTS AT THE
END COULD YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT
F31 OR F32, ANY HOPES OF BRINGS
BACK THOSE AND PUTTING FUNDING
INTO IT AND REGARDLESS I WANT TO
PUT IN A MR. UG FOR THAT AND
HOPE THAT'S SOMETHING THIS GROUP
IT CONSIDER AND TALK ABOUT IT
AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR OTHER
PEOPLE'S OPINIONS ON THIS FOR
THE FUTURE AND WHAT CAN CAN DO
TO HELP POST GRADUATES AND POST
DOCS.
NGREAT QUESTION.
SO GLOBALLY NIH WIDE, THE
F-FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WE PLAN
TO BE REISSUING SOON.
YOU KNOW THEY EXPIRED.
THEY HAD TO HAVE THE REVIEW
CRITERIA UP DATED TO THE NEW
VERSIONS, SO THE PLAN IS THAT
THOSE SHOULD COME OUT AGAIN, SO,
IT'S NOT THAT NIH CANCELED THE
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS, THAT THEY
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COMING OUT.
IN TERMS OF NIGMS, CERTAINLY WE
ARE THE LARGEST FUNDER OF
INSTITUTIONAL TRAINING GRANTS SO
THAT'S HISTORICALLY BEEN OUR
MAIN WAY TO SUPPORT GRADUATE
STUDENTS AND I ANTICIPATE WE
WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE THAT, THE
ADVANTAGES OF THE TRAINING
GRANTS ARE THAT THEY ARE SORT OF
THE LEVERAGING EFFECT WHERE
BECAUSE IT'S INSTITUTIONAL, THE
INSTITUTION ALSO PUTS SKIN IN
THE GAME FOR THOSE, WILL CHANGE
ITS CURRICULUM, WILL CHANGE THE
WAY MENTOR STUDENTS, ET CETERA
BASED ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
PROGRAM, SO I THINK WE WILL
CONTINUE TO PROBABLY LEAN
HEAVILY ON THOSE BECAUSE OF
THOSE FACTORS.
INSTITUTIONS ALSO PUT THEIR OWN
MONEY IN TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE
PROGRAM SO AGAIN, THERE'S THAT
LEVERAGING EFFECT, FELLOWSHIPS,
I THINK CAN BE VERY VALUABLE IN
THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES AND 1
THING WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MAY
BE GOING DOWN THE PATH IN THAT
REGARD IS THE F99 K00 CONCEPT
WHERE IT WOULD BE FOR LATER
STAGE GRADUATE STUDENTS TO
SUPPORT THEIR KIND OF TRANSITION
INTO A POST DOC, SO THE F99 IS
FOR THE END OF THEIR GRADUATE
CAREER, GETTING THEM FINISHED,
AND THEN THE F99-K00, THE K00 IS
TO SUPPORT THE EARLY STAGE OF
THEIR POST DOCTORAL WORK.
SO THAT I HOPE WE MAY BE ABLE TO
GET STARTED AND USE THAT.
I THINK -- I WILL JUST SAY THE
REASON THAT NIGMS STOPPED USING
THE F31 WAS BECAUSE WHEN WE
LOOKED AT IT, THEY WERE ALL
GOING TO A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF
LABS AND A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF
INSTITUTIONS AND LET'S GO BACK
TO PETRA'S QUESTION ABOUT
SCORES.
EVEN IF WE WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW
WE WILL TRY TO PUT MORE OF THOSE
IN INSTITUTIONS SAYING IDEA
STATES WE COULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE
THE WAY THE SCORING DISTRIBUTION
WAS YOU WOULD HAVE TO SKIP 50
APPLICANTS TO GET TO THE 1 IN
THE IDEA STATE AND SO IT DID
SEEM VERY SKEWED.
NOW THE GREAT WORK OF ALLYSON
GAMMY IS OTHERS HAS CHANGED THE
WHOLE FRAMING OF THE NIH Fs
WHICH IS THE THING WE'RE TRYING
TO GET PUBLISHED SOON AND IS THE
REASON THAT THEY HAVE NOFOs
ARE AREN'T OUT, AND THAT MAY
HELP FIX THAT PROBLEM SO THAT
FIXES THAT PROBLEM AND ALLOWS A
BROADER DISTRIBUTION AND THE
AWARDS TO GO TO EMPLOYMENT
PROGRAMS WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE
TO COMPLETE THEIR GRADUATE
EDUCATION, THEN THAT WOULD BE A
GREAT THING.
IF IT'S JUST GOING TO LABS THAT
HAVE HHMI SUPPORT AND OTHER
THINGS LIKE THAT, IT'S JUST NOT
CLEAR WHAT -- YOU KNOW WHAT
WE'RE DOING AT THAT STAGE THAT'S
BENEFITING THE GREATER SYSTEM.
CHRIS?
YOU THERE CHRIS?
>> THANKS AGAIN, I HAD TO STEP
AWAY FOR A FEW MINUTES, I MAY
HAVE MISSED THIS BUT BEYOND FOR
THE MIRA PROGRAM, BEYOND JUST
THE PROPORTION OF APPLICATIONS
BEING FUNDED AS A METRIC, WHAT
OTHER METRICS ARE YOU LOOKING AT
THAT THIS IS A SUCCESS IS IT
THROUGH RENEWAL RATES OR THROUGH
PUBLICATION RATES, I'M CURIOUS
WHAT ARE THE OTHER ANCILLARY
THINGS YOU'RE MEASURING?
>> YEAH, WE LOOK AT LOTS OF
DIFFERENT THINGS AND I AS I SAID
THE MIRA PROGRAM IS THE MOST
HEAVILY EVALUATED PROGRAM WE'VE
HAD BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN
CONTINUALLY DOING IT ALL THE
TIME AS WE GO LOOKING AT ALL
KINDS OF DIFFERENT FACTORS, SO
WE DID DO ANALYSIS A FEW YEARS
AGO OF THE SORT OF EASY LYE
MEASURABLE THINGS IN TERMS OF
SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTIVITY LIKE
PAPERS, CITATIONS, AND MIRA WAS,
I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY IT WAS
AT LEAST AS GOOD AS RO-1S AND
SORT OF WAS TRENDING BETTER IN
THOSE THINGS BUT THOSE ARE, YOU
KNOW, THEY ARE LIMITED AND
NUMBERS IN OF THE TIME WE WILL
REDO THAT ANALYSIS SOON, THAT'S
AN IMPERFECT -- PAPERS, WELL
THAT'S 1 THING, CITATIONS, THOSE
AREN'T PERFECT, 1 WOULD LIKE TO
SEE THINGS LIKE THEY DIDN'T
ALLOW PEOPLE TO REALLY SWITCH
DIRECTIONS, IN THE RESEARCH LIKE
WE HEARD ABOUT, THAT'S MUCH
HARDER TO MEASURE.
WE TRIED TO SOME INITIAL THINGS
TO LOOK AT THAT, BUT NOT TRIVIAL
TO MEASURE ABOUT WE WILL KEEP
TRYING TO MEASURE THINGS LIKE
THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE ALSO LOOK AT THINGS
LIKE RENEWAL RATES, THOSE ARE TO
AN EXTENT IN OUR CONTROL
ALTHOUGH NOT ENTIRELY, DEPENDS
ON THE BUDGET, BUT YOU KNOW ARE
WE MEETING OUR GOALS OF HAVING
HIGH RENEWAL RATES FOR MIRAs
SO A VARIETY OF THINGS WE WILL
LOOK AT, EVENTUALLY WE WILL LOOK
AT PATENTS, YOU KNOW, GOOD
QUESTIONS.
CHRISTINA?
>> HI, JOHN, I ALSO WANTED TO
ECHO OTHERS IN OUR THANKS TO YOU
AND THE NIGMS STAFF, IT'S VERY
MUCH APPRECIATED, ALL THE WORK
YOU'RE PUTTING IN.
I WANTED TO MAKE A SMALL FOLLOW
UP COMMENT ON LESLIE'S COMMENT
ABOUT TIMING.
SO I THINK, I'M NOT SURE WHAT
CAN BE DONE ABOUT TIMING BUT
THERE'S SOME CONCERNS, I KNOW
AMONG A NUMBER OF INVESTIGATORS
WITH THE BUMP IN STUDY SECTIONS,
SO, SOME OF THE MIRA, I DON'T
KNOW HOW MANY, BUT A BUNCH OF
MIRA ASHES WARDS THAT WERE
SUPPOSED TO BE REVIEWED THIS
JUNE ARE NOW BUMPED TO OCTOBER
AND I'M HEARING THAT EVEN THE
OCTOBER DATES HAVEN'T BEEN SENT
YET, SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU
KNOW AT LEAST A 4 MONTH DELAY.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S EVEN
A TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENT IN TIMING
BUT WE COULD THINK ABOUT THAT
THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
>> YEAH, YEAH, THERE ARE A LOT
OF CHALLENGES AND WE WILL KEEP
WORKING THROUGH THOSE WITH CSR.
CSR REVIEW IS BEING CONSOLIDATED
IN CSR WHICH I THINK ULTIMATE
ULTIMATELY
WILL HAVE BENEFITS BUT ANYTIME
YOU MAKE A BIG CHANGE IT WILL
CAUSE DISRUPTIONS ABOUT YOU WE
WILL KEEP TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO
MITIGATE THOSE PROBLEMS.
I SHOULD SAY THAT EARLY STAGE
INVESTIGATORS YOU KNOW WHOSE
EARLY STAGE INVESTIGATOR STATUS
IS GOING TO RUN OUT, CAN APPLY
FOR TENSIONS FOR VARIOUS
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, SO
THAT'S SOMETHING TO MAKE
EVERYONE AWARE OF, THERE'S A
PORTAL THAT NIH HAS THAT CAN
EXPLAIN WHAT IT WAS THAT
HAPPENED, THE STUDY SECTION WAS
DELAYED FOR EXAMPLE, THINGS OF
THAT NATURE, SO, THAT SHOULD BE
ABLE TO BE TAKEN CARE OF, IF
IT'S AN ISSUE OF ESI
ELIGIBILITY, I THINK THAT SHOULD
BE ABLE --
>> YEAH, THANK YOU.
NYEAH ISSUE WE WILL TAKE THE
LAST QUESTION FROM DAVE AND THEN
WE WILL TAKE A SHORT BREAK.
NHI, JON.
SO I'M WONDERING IF NOW MIGHT BE
A GOOD TIME TO HAVE A WORKING
GROUP EVALUATE THE MIRA PROGRAM
TO BRING IN SOME PERSPECTIVES
FROM THE COMMUNITY?
>> WE COULD THINK ABOUT THAT.
CERTAINLY AS I SAID WE'VE BEEN
DOING SOME INTERNAL EVALUATIONS
AS WE GO, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY
ADD THAT TO THE LIST OF FORMAL
EVALUATIONS THAT WE MIGHT WANT
TO DO.
I THINK THAT'S A TOTALLY
REASONABLE IDEA.
>> I THINK NOW HAVING WORKED ON
1 OF THE WORKING GROUPS, I CAN
SEE HOW SOME OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE
MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
>> OKAY, WE WILL TAKE THAT BACK,
THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
ALL RIGHT, SO, WE'RE A LITTLE
BEHIND TIME, SO WHY DON'T WE
TAKE WHAT DO YOU THINK A 10
MINUTE BREAK, ERICA?
SHAVE OFF A LITTLE TIME IN.
>> YEAH, ABOUT 10 MINUTES WOULD
BE GOOD.
>> SO WHY DON'T WE ALL COME BACK
IN 10 MINUTES SO ABOUT 5 MINUTES
TO 11.
DID EMPLOY.
THANK YOU ALL.
>> ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GET STARTED AGAIN.
I WILL START WITH THE PLAN FOR
EVALUATING THE COBRE CENTERS I
TALKED ABOUT AND THEN WE WILL
ARE A REPORT ON AN ACTUAL
EVALUATION THAT DAVE MATTHEWS
AND MICHAEL CHAPMAN WILL LEAD.
SO IF I CAN HAVE THE SLIDE FOR
THE COBRE PART.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
ALL RIGHT, SO I ALREADY GAVE THE
BACKGROUND ON IDEA, SO I WON'T
GO OVER THAT AGAIN, AND I TOLD
YOU ABOUT THE COBRE PROGRAM, BUT
JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE MORE
SPECIFICS, THERE ARE ACTUALLY 3
PHASES IN THE COBRE PROGRAM, THE
FIRST PHASE IS DOING THAT
CAPACITY BUILDING AND
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT I
TALKED ABOUT, FOCUSING ON JUNIOR
INVESTIGATORS, THE SECOND PHASE
IS A RENEWAL SO THEY CAN
CONTINUE THAT WORK AND THEN PLAN
HOW THEY WILL MAKE THIS
SUSTAINABLE IN THE LONG RUN AND
THE THIRD PHASE IS THE
SOLIDIFYING PHASE, IF THEY WERE
SUCCESSFUL, NOW THEY GET TIME
AND FUNDING TO TREELLY TRY AND
SOLIDIFY THE GAMES AND TO MAKE
THEM FULLY CEMENTED INTO THE
SYSTEM.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
IF YOU CAN JUST CLICK THE
BULLETS THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
SO THE WAY WE DO EVALUATIONS,
WHEN WE DO THEM FULL SCALE
FORMALLY IS WE DO A BIG DATA
COLLECTION IN-HOUSE THAT'S LED
BY RICHARD ARAGOM AND HIS DIMA
TEAMS AND YOU WILL SEE 1 OF
THOSE FROM THE DATA COLLECTION
EFFORTS IN JUST A MINUTE.
WE DISCUSSED THAT IN HOUSE QUITE
A BIT, ASK MORE QUESTIONS, GET
MORE DATA AND THEN ONCE THAT'S
COMPLETE WE EMPANEL A WORKING
GROUP OF COUNCIL WITH A FEW
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEN OTHERS
FROM OUTSIDE WITH APPROPRIATE
EXPERTISE WHO GO OVER ALL THOSE
DATA, THEY CAN ASK FOR
ADDITIONAL DATA, ASK ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS, THEY HAVE A FULL DAY
MEETING, WHERE THEY SYNTHESIZE,
YOU KNOW THEIR IDEAS AND YOU
KNOW BASICALLY THEIR FINDINGS
ABOUT THE PROGRAM, INTO A REPORT
WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOU
KNOW CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PROGRAM.
SO THE WAY THEY DO THIS IS TO
ASK 4 OVERARCHING QUESTIONS:
HAS THE PROGRAM BEEN SUCCESSFUL
IN MEETING ITS STATED
OBJECTIVES?
ARE THE STATED OBLIGATIONS
YECTIVES APPROPRIATE FOR THE
PROGRAM AND ITS INTENDED IMPACT?
CAN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE PROGRAM
WITH BE OPTIMIZED, IMPROVED OR
STRENGTHENED IN AND WHAT KEY
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS CAN
BE MADE ABOUT THE PROGRAM?
EVERYTHING HAS HAPPENED IN THESE
EVALUATIONS FROM PROGRAMS
WORKING ERROR WELL, JUST NEEDS
MINOR TWEAKS TO IN A COUPLE
CASES, THE PROGRAM IS MOT
WORKING THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO
AND SHOULD BE COMPLOATLY CHANGED
OR ELIMINATED AND REPLACED WITH
SOMETHING ELSE.
AS I MENTIONED, DIMA, ARE THE 1S
THAT DO THE DATA.
THEY LEAD THIS GROUP BUT THERE'S
A WORKING GROUP OF COUNCIL
THAT'S AN EVALUATIVE BODY.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO, YEAH, GO BACK 1 SLIDE.
SO THE WORKING GROUP ONCE
THEY'VE GOTTEN THEIR FINDINGS
SYNTHESIZED, THEY THEN PRESENTED
TO NIGMS COUNCIL, IT'S A
PRESENTATION TO THE COUNCIL.
THE COUNCIL HAS TO FORMALLY
ACCEPT THEIR REPORT.
FROM THEIR NIGMS LOOKS AT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS, DECIDES WHAT
CHANGES TO MAKE AND THEN WE
ACTUALLY COME BACK AND DO A
PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL SAYING
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE
BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF
THE WORKING GROUP THAT WAS
ACCEPTED BY OUR COUNCIL.
IN ORDER TO DO THIS WE HAVE TO
FORMALLY ASK COUNCIL TO DO THE
PANEL AND WE'RE HERE TO DO THAT
NOW IS TO ASK IF YOU ARE WILLING
TO LET US EMPANEL A WORKING
GROUP TO DO A FORMAL EVALUATION
OF THED COBRE PROGRAM.
SO ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT?
>> ERRATICCA, I WILL TAKE A VOTE
ON THAT.
I WILL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE TO
IMPANEL THIS WORKING GROUP, ARE
ANY OPPOSED IN OPPOSED?
, THE HOAGZ IS APPROVED.
>> GREAT.
WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT
COBRE EVALUATION, NOW WE WILL
HEAR THE RESULTS OF A PREVIOUS
EVALUATION THAT IS CONCLUDING
WITH THIS PRESENTATION TO
COUNCIL, SO DAVE, I WILL LET YOU
TAKE IT AWAY AND IS MICHAEL HERE
AS WELL?
>> YES.
>> YEAH.
>> GREAT, I WILL LET YOU 2 TAKE
IT AWAY.
>> THANKS, CAN YOU PULL UP OUR
SLIDES.
SO I'M DAVID MATHEWS AND I'M CO
CHAIR ALONG WITH MICHAEL
CHAPMAN.
WE EVALUATED THE NIGMS
MSR PROGRAM, MATURE SINK ROUGH
ATOM TRON RESOURCES.
NEXT SLIDE.
OUR WORKING GROUP WAS COMPOSED
OF SARAH BOWMAN, UNIVERSITY OF
BUFFALO, MICHAEL CHAPMAN THE CO
CHAIR FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
MISSOURI AT COLUMBI ATHE VADIM
CHEREZOV FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, KRZYSZTOF
FIDELIS, FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA DAVIS AND I WANT TO
THANK THE HELP OF NIGMS STAFF
FOR THE WORK THEY PROVIDED IN
GATHERING DATA.
IN PARTICULAR I WANT TO CALL OUT
ANDREW MIKLOS, WHO IS INVOLVED
WITH THE DATA INTEGRATION AT
NIGMS.
WE DID A GREAT JOB COLLECTING
DATA AND PRESENTING IT TO US AND
ALSO ORGANIZING OUR MEETINGS, I
ALSO WANT TO THANK RICHARD AR
AGON, DOROTHY DECKET, DAVID
BOTCHENER, THOMAS CHO, ANN,
PAULA, AND ADAPTED RUE AND KATIE
AND KAMILAH, AND TROY, THANKS
FOR THEIR HELP.
NEXT SLIDE.
IN THIS EVALUATION POINT, I WILL
START THE PRESENTATION, I WILL
GIVE BACKGROUND ON THE P30 MSR
PROGRAM, I WILL PRESENT OUR KEY
QUESTIONS AND FINDINGS, AND THEN
MICHAEL CHAPMAN WILL GET THE
WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE P30 MSR OBLIGATIONS
YECTIVE IS TO INSURE THAT THE
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ACTIVITY HAS
ACCESS TO STRAIGHT OF THE ART
BEAM LINE TECHNOLOGIES FOR
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
APPLICATIONS, IT ALSO HAS THE
SUBAIMS TO OBTAIN OR CREATE BEST
PRACTICES, ADVERTISE RESOURCE
CAPABILITIES AND AVAILABILITY TO
THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
COMMUNITY THROUGH OUTREACH
ACTIVITIES, AND TO PROVIDE USER
TRAINING AND SUPPORT DATA
COLLECTION PROCESSING AND
ANALYSIS.
NEXT SLIDE.
THE MSR PROGRAM STRUCTURE IS
DESIGNED AROUND RESOURCE
FACILITIES, I WILL SHOW YOU ON
THE NEXT SLIDES THAT THERE ARE 8
OF THESE FACILITIES, EACH
FACILITY HAS 3 CORES, AN
ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, A USER
TRAINING AND OUTREACH CORE, AND
A TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS CORE AND
THE INTENDED RESOURCE USERS ARE
THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE
TECHNIQUES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY
THE PROGRAM.
THE FIGURE SHOWS STRUCTURAL
BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES IN GENERAL
STARTING ON THE LEFT WITH THOSE
WITH THE FINEST RESOLUTION TO
THE RIGHT THOSE THAT ARE
GRANDEST IN SCALE AND THEN IN
BLUE BOXES ARE THE NAMES OF THE
TECHNIQUES THAT ARE SINK ROUGH
ATOM TON TECHNIQUES SUPPORTED BY
NIGMS, THOSE INCLUDE MASS SPEC
ROMETRY, CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, SMALL
ANGLE AND NEUTRON SCATTERING,
SOFTXRAY TOMOGRAPHY, AND THEN
X-RAY FLUORESCENCE IMANNUALING,
MICROSPECTROSCOPY AND TOMOGRAPHY
.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO THIS PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF
THE SITES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY
THE MSR PROGRAM BY LOCATION.
AND THE TABLE STARTS PRESENTING
THEM ROUGHLY FROM WEST TO EAST.
AND SO, THE ADVANCED LIGHT
SOURCE IS THE HOME OF 2
RESOURCES, ALS ENABLE WHICH IS
ADMINISTERED UC LAWRENCE BURKELY
LABS AND THEN ALS-NCXT,
ADMINISTERED BY UNIVERSITY OF
SAN FRANCISCO, THE SSRL IS THE
HOME OF 1 RESOURCE, WHICH IS
ADMINISTERED BY STANFORD
UNIVERSITY, AND THEN THERE ARE 3
DIFFERENT RESOURCES AT THE
ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCE OR APS IN
ILLINOIS.
THERE'S APS, GCMA, ISSUED BY
ARGON LABS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO.
APS BIOCAT ADMINISTERED BY
ILLINOIS EN--STRATEGIESITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY AND APS NE-CAT WHICH
IS ADMINISTERED AT CORNELL
UNIVERSITY, AT THE MACCHESS AND
THEN THE FARTHER IS THE 1
RESOURCE, THE NSLS 2 CBMS WHICH
IS ADMINISTERED BY BROOK HAVEN
NATIONAL LABS.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE GOES TO THE
INVESTMENT PROGRAM FROM NIGMS,
THE FIGURE SHOWS THE TOTAL
DOLLARS IN MILLIONS AS A
FUNCTION OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
PRIOR TO 2017, THE SINK ROUGH
ATOM TON RESOURCES WERE FUNDED
THROUGH NIGMS, THROUGH THE P41
MECHANISM OR INTERAGENCY
AGREEMENTS.
IN THE PERIOD OF TIME, THE
TRANSITION TO THE P31 PROGRAM
THAT WE EVALUATED AND THE NUMBER
OF RESOURCES HAS BEEN STABLE AT
8.
THE PTHERT HAS BEEN CONSTANT
SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2020 AND
AROUND $22 MILLION AWARDED PER
YEAR.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATES THE LINE
OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE
SUPPORTED BY THE PROGRAM.
SO AS I MENTIONED THERE ARE 8
RESOURCES, THEY PROVIDE 36 BEAM
LINES TOTAL, MANY OF THESE BEAM
LINES ARE PARTIALLY SUPPORTED BY
NIGMS SO THERE ARE 21 EFFECTIVE
BEAM LINES SUPPORTED.
THE PIE CHARTOT RIGHT SHOWS THE
BREAK DOWN BY TECHNIQUE, THE
MAJORITY GOES TO CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
AT 52% OF THE BEAM LINES SMALL
SCATTERING AND ALTHOUGH SOME OF
THE SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES REQUIRE
ONSET ACCESS AND
-- THAN IN OTHER YEARS, THAT'S
BECAUSE OF COVID SHUT DOWNS,
OTHER RESOURCES HAD SAFETY SHUT
DOWNS THAT REDUCED AVAILABLE
TIME IN SPECIFIC YEARS BUT WE
CAN SEE THAT THE OTHER RESOURCES
HAVE INCREASED TO PICK UP SOME
OF THE SLACK.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SHOWS PROGRAMS TO BENEFITED
FROM THE PROGRAMS AND THIS SHOWS
THE UNIQUE USERS ON THE Y-AXIS
AND THE X-AXIS IS THE YEAR AND
THEN EACH RESOURCE IS PLOTTED IN
A DIFFERENT COLOR AND SO WE CAN
SEE THAT SAW DIFFERENT USERS IN
2020 ALMOST CERTAINLY BECAUSE OF
COVID-19 LOCK DOWNS THE NUMBER
OF USERS CONSISTENT OR INCREASED
WE DO SEE SOME AND WE SEE SOME
RESOURCES THIS IS ALMOST
CERTAINLY FROM DOWN TIME, EITHER
FOR SAFETY OR UPGRADE AND SO,
SOME OF THE THESE RESOURCES THAT
HAD PLANNED DOWN TIMES WERE ABLE
TO MAKE AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER
RESOURCES TO ABNORMALITIES
ABSORB USER REQUESTS!
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE NUMBER OF
PUBLICATIONS THAT WERE SUPPORTED
BY THE MSR PROGRAM, SO THE BAR
PLOT SHOWS THE NUMBER OF
PUBLICATIONS AS A NUMBER OF
PUBLICATION YEAR.
IN PARTICULAR, WE CAN SEE THAT
THIS HAS BEEN RELATIVELY
CONSTANT DURING THE P30 YEARS OF
SUPPORT, WE CAN SEE A BIG
INCREASE IN 2020 WHICH WAS
ALMOST CERTAINLY DURING THE
COVID LOCK DOWNS INVESTIGATORS
INSTEAD OF DOING STRUCTURAL
BIOLOGY RESEARCH, WERE WRITING
UP THE RESULTS FOR PUBLICATION,
AFTER THAT WE CAN SEE A VERY
SLIGHT DECLINE WHICH COULD
POSSIBLY BE A REPORTING LAG IN
PUBLICATIONS.
WE THINK ACTUALLY A LARGE PART
OF IT IS THE COVID-19 IMPACTS,
SO IN 2020 WHILE STRUCTURES WERE
BEING SOLVED WE CAN SEE THAT THE
NUMBER OF PAPERS REPORTING
RESULTINGS IS DECREASED.
NEXT SLIDE.
AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE NUMBER
OF PDB DEPOSITIONS SO ON THIS
SLIDE THE STRUCTURES IS ALONG
THE Y-AXIS AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO
NOTE THIS IS A LOGO RHYTHMIC
ACCESS AND THEN THE Y-AXIS IS
THE PDB RELEASE SHARE, SO WE CAN
SEE SINCE 1980 A NUMBER OF
DEPOSITIONS OF X-RAY STRUCTURE
SHOWN IN RED HAVE INCREASED
EXPONENTIALLY AND JUST STARTED
TO LEVEL OFF IN RECENT YEARS!
AT THE SAME TEE WE CAN SEE THAT
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY POTTED IN
BLACK HAS HAD AN EXPONENTIAL
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
DEPOSITIONS FROM ABOUT 2010 TO
TODAY, BUT WE STILL SEE THAT THE
X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY IS STILL
THE NUMBER 1'S OF PDB
DEPOSITIONS.
NEXT SLIDE.
TWO AND 3 OF THE MSR PROGRAM ARE
ADVERTISING RESOURCE
CAPABILITIES AND AVAILABILITY
THROUGH OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
PROVIDING USER TRAINING AND
SUPPORTING DATA COLLECTION
PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS.
HERE WE HAVE LESS DATA TO SHOW
TO SUPPORT THE SUCCESS OF THIS
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A LOT OF
ANECDOTA EVIDENCE THAT THE MSR
PROGRAM HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
WE DO HAVE 1 PIECE OF DATA THAT
I WANT TO SHOW ON THE NEXT SLIDE
THAT SUPPORTS THIS.
NEXT SLIDE.
HERE WE SHOW A MAP OF THE UNITED
STATES WITH THE NUMBER OF USERS
OF THE MSR RESOURCES PLOTTED PER
STATE NORMALIZED BY THE NIH
FUNDING PER STATE IN MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS.
IN PARTICULAR WE ALSO HAVE THE
IDEA STATES THAT JOHN TALKED
ABOUT EARLIER SURROUNDED WITH A
YELLOW BORDER.
AND SO, THE MSR RESOURCES
ATTRACT USERS FLOABALLY, BUT A
MAJORITY OF THESE COME FROM THE
UNITED STATES.
NINETY% OF STATES HAVE USERS
ACCESSING THE MSR, AND IN
PARTICULAR 75% OF THE IDEA
STATES HAVE USERS UTILIZING THE
MSRS, SO THESE DATA SUPPORT THAT
THE OUTREACH HAS BEEN
SUCCESSFUL.
NEXT SLIDE.
NOW, MICHAEL CHAPMAN WILL
PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
>> THANK YOU DAVE.
SO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE THE
WORKING GROUP CAME UP WITH
RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY TART BY
NOTING THAT THE DIFFERENT BEAM
LINES NOW PROVIDING SIMILAR
SERVICES WITH WORK FLOWS AND
STAN ARDIZEATIONS THAT WOULD
IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES BY MAKING
IT EASIER FOR USERS TO SWITCH
BETWEEN DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND
THESE STANDARDIZATIONS COULD BE
-- COULD INVOLVE THE APPLICATION
PROCESS WITH COMMON FORMS, IT
COULD INCLUDE COMMON USER
INTERFACES TO CONTROLLING THE
BEAM LINES WHETHER THAT BE
ONSITE OR FOR REMOTE OPERATION.
AND SUCH STANDARDIZATIONS WOULD
BE A FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING
MODULINGS OF TRAINING,
CERTIFICATIONS OF COMPETENCIES
WHO COULD BE TRANSFERRED BETWEEN
DIFFERENT BEAM LINES.
NOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS COME
FROM THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE
NATIONAL CRYOEM CENTERS, AND WE
KNOW FOR THE CINCH ROUGH SYNCHRN
RESOURCES BECAUSE SOME OF THESE
PROVIDING RESOURCES IN WHERE
THEY EXPECT SAT TUS TO BE AND
THEY ALSO ENCOMP PASS A WIDE
DIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGIES AND
THIS IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO
STANDARDIZE BETWEEN SAY SMALL
INGLE STATERRING AND X-RAY
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY.
NOW, THE CRYOEM CENTERS GOT TO
THIS POINT IN TERMS OF
STANDARDIZATION REALLY THROUGH
DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE HATCHED AT
ANNUAL MEETINGS BETWEEN THE
CENTERS MEETINGS THAT INVOLVE
THE KEY PERSONNEL AT EACH SITE
AND THAT WERE SPONSORED BY NIH
AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION FROM
THE WORKING GROUP IS THAT NIGMS
CONSIDER BUDGETING FUNDS SO THAT
AN ANNUAL MEETING COULD BE HOLD
BETWEEN THE MSRs SPONSORED BY
NIGMS AND HELD AT EACH MSR
INTERN.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO, YEAH, THERE WERE SUGGESTIONS
ON TRAINING AND AGAIN THESE
INVOLVE IDEAS STOLEN FROM THE
CRYOEM CENTERS AND THAT 1 OF THE
CENTRAL IDEAS WAS TO THINK ABOUT
COMPETITIONS FOR SEPARATE
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
THAT HAVE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL
IMPACT ON THE CRYOEM SIDE, BY
COVERING ELEMENTS OF CORE
CURRICULUM, AND THE MODULES THAT
HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED OUT OF THESE
INITIATIVES HAVE BECOME PRERICK
WIZZITS FOR THE TRAINING THAT IS
REQUIRED TO USE EACH 1 OF THE
RESOURCES THAT EACH 1 OF THOSE
SITES.
THESE TRAINING PROGRAMS HAVE
CONSITUTED A PRETTY MODEST
INVESTMENT, IT'S JUST 3 PERCENT
OF THE OVERALL INVESTMENT IN THE
CRYOEM CENTERS BUT IT'S PRODUCED
A HIGH RETURN.
THE WORKING GROUP NOTED THAT
THIS WOULD SUBSTITUTE FOR ONLY A
SMALL PART OF THE TRAINING
ACTIVITIES OF THE SINK ROUGH
ATOM TRON RESOURCES BECAUSE WE
WOULD EXPECT THAT SIGNIFICANT
TRAINING WOULD ALSO HAVE TO
OCCUR AT EACH OF AT
EACH OF THE INDIVIDUAL SITES.
NOW ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION CAME
FROM CONSIDERATION THAT THERE
MAY COME A TIME WHEN DEMAND FOR
SOME OF THE SYNCHROTRON SERVICES
BEGINS TO SUFFER.
THERE'S NOT YET ANY EVIDENCE OF
THIS HAPPENING BUT THE WORKING
GROUP WAS CONCERNED THAT FUTURE
RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE BEST
MADE WITH KEY USAGE DATA THAT'S
NOT AVAILABLE NOW AND SO
COLLECTION OF SUCH DATA SHOULD
BE STARTED AS SOON AS PRACTICAL.
THE CRITICAL DATA THAT'S NEEDED
ARE THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS,
THE SUCCESS RATES, THE TIMES
THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT IN ORDER
TO SCHEDULE TIME AT A PARTICULAR
RESOURCE AND THESE DATA ARE
LIKELY AVAILABLE AT ALL OF THE
SITES BUT THEY REALLY NEED TO BE
COLLECTED IN A STANDARDIZED
FORM.
THERE WAS A SURVEY TO WHICH
INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY WERE INVITED TO
RESPOND AND THERE WERE 2
MESSAGES THAT DOMINATED, THE
FIRST 1 WAS THAT THE MATURE
SYNCHROTRON RESOURCES ARE DOING
A GREAT SERVICE.
THE SECOND MESSAGE WAS THAT
THERE'S A NEED FOR FURTHER
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND 2
PURPOSES WERE CITED 1 WAS FOR
IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND
THEENTIOUS FICIENCY OF THE BEAM
LINES, BUT IT'S ALSO A QUESTION
OF IMPROVING THE ENGAGEMENT OF
THE SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT STAFF AND
AS A MEANS TO THEIR RETENTION.
SO RESPONDENTS TO THE SURVEY
RECOMMENDED INCREASED SUPPORT OF
BEAM LINE R&D BEYOND THAT --
>> SHOULD THE SLIDES BE
ADVANCED?
>> SORRY.
YES.
WE SHOULD BE ON 24.
I'M SORRY.
SO THIS PROMPTED DISCUSSION ON
SEVERAL FRONTS.
THERE WAS DISCUSSION OF WHETHER
THE CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON R&D
AND THE P30 MECHANISM SHOULD BE
RELAXED, THERE WAS DISCUSSION OF
WHETHER COMPOSITION TR R-SERIES
GRANTS WAS THE APPROPRIATE WORK
FOR FUNDING TO BE FUNNELED TO
SUCH WORK, AND THERE WAS ALSO
DISCUSSION OF A PERCEIVED
DISADVANTAGE FOR PROPOSALS IN
THE AREA OF BEAM LINE TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT, SO NEXT SLIDE,
PLEASE.
SO THE WORKING GROUP WAS
PROVIDED WITH ADDITIONAL
RELEVANT DATA AND SO, THESE ARE
DATA ON TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS.
IT'S A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE SO I
WOULD CAUTION ABOUT READING TOO
MUCH INTO THIS BUT IF WE ADD
TOGETHER THESE 3 DIFFERENT
FUNDING MECHANISMS, AND I SHOULD
POINT OUT THAT THE DATA REFER TO
AN 8 YEAR PERIOD, EACH
MSR AVERAGED 1.1 SUCCESSFUL
APPLICATIONS FOR SEPARATE
FUNDING FOR BEAM LINE TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT AND WE CAN INFER
FROM THIS, THAT EACH OF THE
RESOURCES HAD R&D GRANT FOR
ABOUT HALF OF THE TIME.
NOW, YOU CAN ALSO LOOK AT THIS
DATA IN TERMS OF SUCCESS RATES
AND WE SEE THAT ABOUT 30% OF THE
INCOMING PROPOSALS ENDED UP
BEING FUNDED.
AND SO THIS IS ROUGHLY
COMMENSURATE WITH SUCCESS RATES
OVERALL AND SO, BOTH SIDES OF
THIS DISCUSSION COULD SEE DATA
TO SUPPORT THEIR POSITIONS OF
EITHER THE NEEDED TO BE A BETTER
MECHANISM FOR SUPPORTING R&D,
AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AT
THE BEAM LINES OR THAT THE
EXISTING MECHANISMS WERE WORKING
FINE.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THERE WERE A COUPLE SUGGESTIONS
REGARDING OUTREACH.
ONE WAS TO SUGGEST INTERNSHIPS
AS A MECHANISM FOR BEAM LINE
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THE
WORKING GROUP ALSO NOTED THAT
INVESTIGATORS AT RESOURCE
LIMITED INSTITUTIONS FACED
ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES IN
ACCESSING FOR DATA PROCESSING
THAT FOLLOWS THIS TO THE BEAM
LINES, AND THE WORKING GROUP
SUGGEST THAD THE NEXT RFA COULD
ALLOW PROPOSAL OF MODEST
COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES FOR
SHARED ALLOCATION OF
INSTITUTIONS THAT COULD JUSTIFY
THE NEED AND A FAIRLY MODEST
INVESTMENT AND THE KEY BEING
THAT USERS WOULD HAVE TO
SPECIFICALLY REQUEST ACCESS
BASED UPON LIMITED RESOURCES AT
THEIR INSTITUTIONS.
AT THE WORKING GROUP,
DISCUSSIONS TRIED TO BALANCE THE
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR A CONSTANT
DOLLAR BUDGET WITH APPRECIATION
THAT NIGMS WAS LIKELY OFFERING
CONSIDERING REQUESTS TO EXPAND
SUPPORT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND
TRYING TO DO IT ALL WITHIN AN
NIGMS BUDGET THAT WAS
CONSTRAINED.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND SO, AGAIN, THE WORKING GROUP
WAS PROVIDED WITH ADDITIONAL
DATA.
ON THE LEFT WE SEE A GRAF
SHOWING THE LEVELS OF SUPPORT IN
CONSTANT DOLLARS, INFLATION
CORRECTED DOLLARS AND WE SEE
THAT THE FUNDING PEAKED AT ABOUT
2019 AT RIGHT THE TIME WHEN THE
P30 MECHANISM BECAME THE
PREDOMINANT FORM OF SUPPORT AND
IT'S DECLINED SOMEWHAT SINCE
THEN TO LEVELS THAT ARE ABOUT
COMMENSURATE WITH THE LEVELS OF
SUPPORT ABOUT A DECADE AGO.
NOW ON THE RIGHT IS SHOWN THE
SYNCHROTRON SUPPORT BUDGET AS A
FRACTION OF THE TOTAL NIGMS
BUDGET.
AND WE SEE THAT IT HAS REMAINED
ROUGHLY CONSTANT AT ABOUT
3-QUARTERS OF 1 PERCENT.
ASK SO IT WOULD BE A WORTHY GOAL
TO MAKE THE MSRs FULLY
SUSTAINABLE THRU RESTORATION OF
A LOST CONSTANT DOLLARS BUT IT'S
ALSO PERFECTLY REASONABLE TO
EXPECT THAT THE CHALLENGES, ARE
SHARED WITHIN THE NIGMS
PORTFOLIO.
AND THAT A CONSTANT FRACTION OF
THE OVERALL BUDGET IS A
REALISTIC EXPECTATION.
AND SO IN CONCLUSION, THE
WORKING GROUP WANTS TO EMPHASIZE
THAT THE MATURE SYNCHROTRON
RESOURCES ARE DOING A TERRIFIC
JOB PROVIDING A VALUED SERVICE
TO THE COMMUNITY THAT IS WELL
WORTHY OF THE SUPPORT THAT NIGMS
PROVIDES AND PERHAPS MORE WHEN
THAT'S POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU AND I THINK DAVE
AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO TRY TO
ADDRESS QUESTIONS.
NEXCELLENT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT GREAT
PRESENTATION.
THANKS TO THE ENTIRE WORKING
GROUP FOR ALL THE HARD WORK THEY
DID ON THIS.
VERY HELPFUL AND ILLUMINATING.
QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE?
ERIC IN.
>> SO I'M CURIOUS HAVE
ESSENTIALLY GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES,
-- IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF
CENTERS ARE FOCUSED IN SMALL
AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY SOIME
CURE QUOWS, ESSENTIALLY
GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES BEEN RESOLVED
BY A LOT OF REMOTE ACCESS AND
SAMPLES BEING SENT REMOTELY AND
I'M ALSO WONDERING CURIOUSLY HOW
MUCH HAVE THESE MATURE SOURCES
TRANSITIONED TO UNIQUE
METHODOLOGIES THAT CAN'T BE SEEN
BY OTHER METHODS SUCH AS CRYOEM,
SO FOR EXAMPLE, LOOKING AT
DYNAMIC STRUCTURES OVER TIME IN
ULTRA FAST SORT OF MEASUREMENT.
>> SO MAYBE I CAN TAKE A STAB AT
THAT.
SO WE DO THINK THAT THE REMOTE
DATA ACQUISITION HAS HELPED
QUITE A BIT WITH THE GEOGRAPHIC
KIND OF LOCALIZATION -- LOCATED
IN 1 PLACE AND USERS HAVE TO
TRAVEL THERE.
IN TERMS OF PROVIDING UNIQUE
SERVICES, I THINK CLEARLY THE
BEAM LINES FOR SMALL ANGLE X-RAY
SCATTERING AND FOR SOLVING
STRUCTURES BY X-RAY
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY ARE ESSENTIAL
FOR THE COMMUNITY AND SO, YOU
KNOW JUST PROVIDING THE HIGH
BRIGHT RESOURCES FOR EXTRA
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY IS CERTAINLY
UNIQUE.
>> THANKS, SUDA?
>> SORRY, THANKS, JON, MY RAISE
HAND WASN'T WORKING IN THE
PREVIOUS SESSION, SO THANK YOU.
THIS IS REALLY VERY USEFUL
INFORMATION, SO I WAS WONDERING,
I WANT TO PONENT OUT THAT
STANDARDIZING THE PROCEDURES AND
SHARING COMPETENCIES IS AN
EXCELLENT IDEA.
NICELY TAKEN FROM THE CRYOEM
NATIONAL CENTERS THAT HAS REALLY
HELPED SO I WAS WONDERING IN
TERPS OF THE MSR COLLABORATIONS
PER SE, LIKE, DO THEY FOR
EXAMPLE, ISSUES THAT THEY
ENCOUNTER WITH CERTAIN PROJECTS
OR CERTAIN TECHNOLOGIES, HOW DO
THEY SHARE INFORMATION ACROSS
THE DIFFERENT MSR CENTERS?
>> DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE A STAB
AT THIS DAVE?
>> THAT WOULD BE GREAT, THANKS.
>> I THINK AT THE MOMENT IT'S
PRETTY INFORMAL AND I WOULD SAY
FRANKLY HIT AND MISS AS TO
WHETHER IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND I THINK THE EXPERIENCE FROM
THE CRYOEM CENTERS IS THAT WHEN
IT WAS A REQUIREMENT, THAT'S
WHAT REALLY GOT PEOPLE TALKING
TOGETHER AND THEN, YOU KNOW I
THINK IT WAS A SOCIAL
EXPERIMENT, RIGHT?
AND PEOPLE -- THE PERSONNEL AT
THE DIFFERENT SITES REALLY
STARTED WORKING WELL TOGETHER
WITH 1 ANOTHER AND OVERCOMING,
YOU KNOW THE SMALL BARRIERS THAT
THERE ARE TO THIS.
>> GREAT.
ANN?
>> HI, FIRST I JUST WANT TO SAY
THANK YOU TO BOTH MICHAEL AND
DAVID AND THE WORKING GROUP FOR
THEIR EXCELLENT REPORT.
I THINK THAT WAS REALLY
COMPREHENSIVE AND REFLECTIVE OF
THE STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
COMMUNITY.
SO I HAVE A COMMENT AND A COUPLE
OF COMMENTS.
ONE IS THAT I'VE SEEN THIS SORT
OF COME FULL CIRCLE, YOU KNOW
THE EVOLUTION OF SYNCHROTRONS TO
A POINT WHERE NOW THEY'RE
CONSIDERED MATURE RESOURCES AND
THEN THE CRYOEM CENTERS THAT
HAVE CAP PALLIZED ON THAT LEVEL
OF MATURITY BECAUSE IESM
FAMILIAR WITH BOTH THE STANFORD
SLACK CRYO EM CENTER WHICH BASIC
LE ADOPTED A LOT OF THE
SSRL PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES,
AND THEN THE NCCAT WHICH HAS
WORKED WELL WITH THE NORTHEAST
CONSORTIUM ON STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
AND I AGREE THAT THE CRYO EM
CENTERS HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUSLY
GOOD JOB IN EDUCATING THE
COMMUNITY AND A LOT ABOUT IT ARE
ONLINE RESOURCES IN ADDITION TO
OFFERING THE ONSET TRAINING
ESPECIALLY TO THE CORE FACILITY
DIRECTORS AND STUDENTS AND POST
DOCS SO IT'S INTERESTING YOU SEE
THIS COME FULL CIRCLE AND NOW
THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE
SYNCHROTRON SIDE BEING ABLE TO
OFFER MORE TRAINING WHICH IS
KIND OF INTERESTING.
AND CERTAINLY THE REMOTE ACCESS
BEING ABLE TO SHIP SAMPLES,
REALLY MEANS THAT THE GEOGRAPHIC
LOCATIONS OF THESE RESOURCES ARE
PROBABLY NOT AN ISSUE AT ALL.
I THINK WHAT I'VE SEEN AT LEAST
FROM WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGISTS IS THE
CHALLENGE IN RESOURCES ARE THE
DATA TRANSFER, RIGHT?
SO MOVING, YOU KNOW, HIGH
THROUGH PUT DATA FROM THESE
CENTERS TO THEIR HOME LOCATION,
HAVING TO PURCHASE SORT OF
HIGHER END, MUCH HIGHER END
DESKTOP COMPUTERS AND THEN
FINDING LOCAL RESOURCES FOR
STORING LARGE DATA SETS
ACCUMULATED OVER MANY YEARS AND
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE
CURRENTLY FACE SOME CHALLENGES.
WITHOUT THE COBRE SUPPORT
CERTAINLY OUR STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
CENTER WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO BUILD THAT LEVEL OF
INFRASTRUCTURE.
I THINK WE'RE -- WE'RE GETTING
THERE, BUT IT'S -- YOU KNOW I
CAN'T IMAGINE A SINGLE
INVESTIGATOR LAB TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROVIDE THEIR
OWN RESOURCES TO GET UP TO
SPEED.
>> GREAT, THANK YOU.
P A ULO?
>> YEAH, THAT IS CLEAR TO THE
WORKING GROUP, THAT ESPECIALLY
AT INSTITUTIONS WITH FEWER
RESOURCES THAT THE COMPUTING AND
STORAGE REQUIREMENTS CAN BE
ONEROUS, SO THAT WAS 1 OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MICHAEL
PRESENTED WAS IN THE FUTURE,
MAYBE NIGMS COULD SUPPORT HAVING
SOME OF THAT COMPUTE POWER
AVAILABLE AT THE RESOURCES THAT
TARGETED FOR INSTITUTIONS THAT
DON'T ARE THOSE RESOURCES
AVAILABLE TO THEM.
NDO YOU THINK CLOUD IS A VIABLE
OPTION FOR THAT?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT SOLVES
EVERY PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE
COST ASSOCIATED WITH USING THE
CLOUD, SO I THINK JUST SAYING
USING THE CLOUD HAS THE COST TO
INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATORS THAT
MIGHT BE TOO MUCH.
>> I CAN COMMENT A LITTLE BIT
MORE ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE DATA
QUANTITIES WILL BE COMPATIBLE,
BUT A TYPICAL BM DATA SET, RAW
DATA SET IS OF THE ORDER OF 5
TERRA BYTES AT THIS POINT, SO
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF
DATA.
I SUSPECT THAT THE SYNCHROTRON
BEAM LINES CAN QUICKLY PROCESS
DOWN TO SMALLER DATA SETS AND SO
IT'S NOT QUITE AS SEVERE BUT
THERE'S BEEN A GROUP AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN THAT HAVE
LOOKED AT THE USE OF CLOUD FOR
EM DATA PROCESSING AND IT REALLY
ISN'T ECONOMIC.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE A
DIFFERENT QUESTION FOR THE
SYNCHROTRON BEAM LINES BUT 1
WOULD CERTAINLY WANT TO LOOK AT
IT AND NOT JUST ASSUME THAT IT'S
GOING TO BE AN EFFICIENT AND
ECONOMIC WAY OF DOING IT.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU.
P A ULO?
NTHANK YOU FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE
OVERVIEW AND EXPLANATION, I WAS
WONDERING REFERRING TO THE
REPORT ON THE POSITION OF
DIFFERENT RESULTS AND LATER ON
THE PROTEIN DATA SEEM TO BE AN
INCREASE OF THAT, I THINK IT'S A
GREAT RESOURCE SO I WAS JUST
WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY METRIC
OF THE IMPACT OF THAT, TO HAVE
THIS OPEN RESOURCE HAVE IMPACT
THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY AS A
WHOLE, SO I JUST WONDER IF
THERE'S ANY MAGIC THAT THE
WORKING GROUP HAS CONSIDERED
REGARDING THAT.
>> SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT
QUESTION, SO MAYBE 1 WAY WE
MIGHT HAVE TRIED TO ASSESS THAT
IS, YOU KNOW WHAT ARE THE
CITATIONS OF PAPERS THAT WERE
SUPPORTED BY THE P30 PROGRAM NOT
SURE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY
TO DO BUT, WE KIND OF CAME FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
ASSUMPTION THAT STRUCTURAL
BIOLOGY IS FOUNDATIONAL ACROSS
THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
ENTERPRISE IN GENERAL SO WE --
WE DID NOT CHECK THAT.
>> OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
ALL RIGHT, GREAT DISCUSSION
AGAIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HARD
WORK OF THIS COMMITTEE AND FOR
YOUR LEADERSHIP, DAVE AND
MICHAEL.
WE NEED TO FORMALLY HAVE COUNCIL
ACCEPT THIS REPORT.
SO ERICA, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO
YOU.
NTHANK
N--
>> THANK YOU.
I MOVE THAT THE COUNCIL ACCEPT
THIS REPORT FROM THE WORKING
GROUP.
ARE ANY OPPOSED?
UNANIMOUSLY CONFIRMED.
THANK YOU, JON.
>> OKAY, THAT CONCLUDES THE OPEN
SESSION BUSINESS.
WE CERTAINLY ARE, ALWAYS EAGER
TO HEAR THINGS THAT YOU WOULD
LIKE TO DISCUSS AT FUTURE
MEETINGS, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY
TOPICS, YOU KNOW YOU WOULD LIKE
TO PUT ON THE POTENTIAL AGENDA,
YOU CAN EITHER TELL US NOW OR
SEND US AN E-MAIL AT ANY POINT.
ALWAYS HAPPY TO DISCUSS THINGS
THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD FIND
INTERESTING.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, WITH THAT WE
WILL CONCLUDE THE OPEN SESSION.
THE CLOSED SESSION PLEASE
CONSULT THE E-MAIL THAT HAVE YOU
GOTTEN REGARDING THE LYNCH, IT'S
NOT THE SAME LINK AS THIS AND
THE TIMING OF THAT SESSION, SO
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE TIME FOR
THE SESSION YOU'RE ATTENDING.
BUT WE WILL SEE YOU AT THOSE AND
AGAIN, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR
YOUR PARTICIPATION AND IT WAS
GOOD TOEE -- SEE YOU HERE.
THANKS EVERYONE, SEE YOU AT THE
CLOSED SESSIONS.
>> THANKS MUCH.