ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Funding
Last month the House rejected the conference report to the
previously passed Labor/HHS bill that funds NIH and other public
health agencies. It has been ten years since a conference report was
not passed on House and Senate approved bills. The report had a $253
million increase (0.7%) above the FY'05 level for the NIH. This was
significantly lower than the Senate approved bill (3.7%) and only
$100 million more than the House bill (and President's request). The
conferenced number allocated for the NIH comes as no great surprise
as it was expected the number would be closer to the House than the
Senate. If some resolution is not found, the NIH could face the
prospect of a year long continuing resolution (CR) at FY'05 funding
levels for the remainder of FY’06. A second CR is currently funding
programs through December 17. Alternative solutions such as passing
the existing bill as a stand alone bill or attaching it to the
Department of Defense appropriations bill present their own problems
that make any passage difficult to impossible. Also looming in any
final resolution is the potential of across the board spending cuts.
As a result of this uncertainty, the NIH recently announced that
existing NIH grantees will be receiving payments as much as 20%
below their award notice. NIH will consider making upward
adjustments should a final FY’06 appropriations bill be enacted.
However this situation ultimately gets resolved the best-case
scenario for the NIH in FY'06 remains not good and the worst case
looks pretty bad.
The House is adjourned until December 6 and the Senate until
December 12. Conferees will begin again to try to hammer out some
agreement.
All ASPET members are urged to contact their House Members to
impress upon them the 1) importance of NIH funding; 2) to go back to
conference and 3) support the Senate’s 3.7% increase for the NIH.
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowships in Integrative
Pharmacology
The ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
will renew the competition in Cancer Pharmacology. Fellowship term
is three years with no less than six months of the Fellowship to be
spent at the Merck Research Laboratories in Boston, MA. For
eligibility guidelines, research areas of interest, and application
information view:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
Application deadline is August 31, 2006.
EB’06 Workshop for Summer Short Courses in Integrative and
Organ Systems Science
At the 2006 Experimental Biology meeting in San Francisco, ASPET’s
Public Affairs Committee will sponsor a workshop on Monday, April 3,
2006 to provide information on the National Institute of General
Medical Sciences four short summer courses that will provide
specialized training for using intact organ system and in vivo
animal models in the conduct of research. The workshop will be held
at the Moscone Convention Center from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm. The
purpose of each short course is to introduce graduate students and
Ph.Ds to the knowledge and skills needed for integrative studies of
organ systems and intact animals, and the physiological and
biochemical responses of these systems to drugs. These critical
skills are in short supply. Graduate students and Ph.Ds. with these
skills are in great demand in both academic and industrial settings.
Attendees at this workshop will hear about the summer courses from
the course directors and from students who participated this past
summer. For background on last year’s summer short courses visit:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIGMS_shortcourse_awards.html
Funding Opportunities
Prescription Opioid Use and Abuse in the Treatment of Pain
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-06-005.html
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) would like to inform the
drug abuse and addiction research community about four recently
announced NIH Roadmap funding opportunities. Further descriptions of
these grant opportunities and the recently convened NIDA Roadmap
Symposium titled: "The NIH Roadmap: Inviting Drug Abuse and
Addiction Researchers to Contribute to the Clinical Research
Enterprise" Meeting Summary and Videocast is available at:
http://www.nida.nih.gov/about/roadmap/index.html.
Competing Renewal Awards of SBIR Phase II Grants for Pharmacologic
Agents and Drugs for Mental Disorders
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-079.html
November
2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Funding
House and
Senate Appropriations Committee Members will meet next week to begin
a conference committee to reconcile the differences between their
respective bills. The House Labor/HHS bill provides a 0.5% increase
($28.5 billion total FY’06 NIH) above the FY’05 funding level. The
Senate Labor/HHS bill provides a 3.7% increase ($29.4 billion total
FY’06 NIH) above the FY’05 funding level. The Senate bill contains
over $900 million more than the House bill. Modeling forecasts
predict that should NIH receive the House (0.5%) level in FY 06 and
similar increases for a couple years, the effects of the completed
NIH doubling effort will have ended, causing pay lines and success
rates to tumble even lower. It is important that ASPET members
contact their Congressional Representatives and Senators to “Support
the $29.4 billion for the NIH that was passed by the Senate
Appropriations Committee.” To contact your elected officials click
the House and Senate Directories at
http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Legislation Addresses Animal Extremism
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Chair of the Senate Environmental and
Public Works Committee and Rep. Thomas Petri (R-WI) introduced
legislation that would broaden protections provided under the Animal
Enterprise Protection Act. Both bills aim to strengthen the Animal
Enterprise Protection Act, (AEPA) 18 USC § 43. The new legislation
would strengthen legal authority for law enforcement to prosecute
individuals involved in campaigns targeting animal research
enterprises and third-party targets. While no action on the bills is
expected for the remainder of this year, it is anticipated the
research community will be contacted shortly to support this
important legislation.
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowships in Integrative
Pharmacology
The ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
will renew the competition in Cancer Pharmacology. Fellowship term
is three years with no less than six months of the Fellowship to be
spent at the Merck Research Laboratories in Boston, MA. For
eligibility guidelines, research areas of interest, and application
information view:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
Application deadline is August 31, 2006.
EB’06 Workshop for Summer Short Courses in Integrative and
Organ Systems Science
At the 2006 Experimental Biology meeting in San Francisco, ASPET’s
Public Affairs Committee will sponsor a workshop on Monday, April 3,
2006 to provide information on the National Institute of General
Medical Sciences four short summer courses that will provide
specialized training for using intact organ system and in vivo
animal models in the conduct of research. The workshop will be held
at the Moscone Convention Center from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm. The
purpose of each short course is to introduce graduate students and
Ph.Ds to the knowledge and skills needed for integrative studies of
organ systems and intact animals, and the physiological and
biochemical responses of these systems to drugs. These critical
skills are in short supply. Graduate students and Ph.Ds. with these
skills are in great demand in both academic and industrial settings.
Attendees at this workshop will hear about the summer courses from
the course directors and from students who participated this past
summer. For background on last year’s summer short courses visit:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIGMS_shortcourse_awards.html
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
FASEB’s Office of Public Affairs has added a web page featuring
evolution resources, including tools for teaching evolution to K-12,
statements made by scientific societies regarding evolution, and
other resources of interest to scientists. The page can be found at
http://www.faseb.org/opa/ppp/evolution.html.
October 2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Funding
With the new fiscal
year beginning October 1 and only two of 11 spending bills
completed, Congress has passed a continuing resolution (CR) that
will provide stopgap funding for agencies. The CR will keep
programs such as the NIH running through November 18. Following
that date, another CR would be necessary in the most likely event
the final spending decisions have still not been resolved. The
current CR funds the NIH at its FY 2005 level.
The potential exists for across the board cuts for domestic
discretionary programs, like NIH, to help pay for hurricane relief.
NIH Reauthorization
The chances of a
NIH reauthorization bill being passed are diminishing. House Energy
and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX), who was leading
efforts on the NIH reauthorization bill has been actively involved
in new energy legislation concerning the loss of refining capacity
due to hurricane Katrina damage. It is possible momentum for the
reauthorization bill may pick up but that would most likely happen
next year.
EB’06
Workshop for Summer Short Courses in Integrative and Organ Systems
Science
At the 2006
Experimental Biology meeting in San Francisco, ASPET’s Public
Affairs Committee will sponsor a workshop on Monday, April 3, 2006
to provide information on the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences four short summers that will provide specialized training
for using intact organ system and in vivo animal models in the
conduct of research. The workshop will be held at the Moscone
Convention Center from 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm. The purpose of each
short course is to introduce graduate students and Ph.Ds to the
knowledge and skills needed for integrative studies of organ systems
and intact animals, and the physiological and biochemical responses
of these systems to drugs. These critical skills are in short
supply. Graduate students and Ph.Ds. with these skills are in great
demand in both academic and industrial settings. Attendees at this
workshop will hear about the summer courses from the course
directors and from students who participated this past summer. For
background on last year’s summer short courses visit:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIGMS_shortcourse_awards.html
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
FASEB’s Office of
Public Affairs has added a web page featuring evolution resources,
including tools for teaching evolution to K-12, statements made by
scientific societies regarding evolution, and other resources of
interest to scientists. The page can be found at
http://www.faseb.org/opa/ppp/evolution.html.
Hurricane Relief
Members of Council
have initiated the ASPET Member Hurricane Relief Fund with their
contributions. You can help your fellow scientists and ASPET by
making a fully tax-deductible contribution to the ASPET Member
Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to assist us in being able to provide
these benefits without having to severely restrict other Society
activities. You can contribute online by going to the following
link:
https://orders.collage.com/aspet/relief_collection/relief_coll.asp
AAHRPP Accreditation
The Association for
the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP)
announced three institutions that are the first in their state to
receive accreditation for its research protection
programs. Additional details at
http://www.aahrpp.org/www.aspx?PageID=32$1.
September
2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Reauthorization Bill Moving Forward
At press time, the current draft NIH
Reauthorization contains potentially significant changes to future
funding levels and the direction of priority setting at the agency.
Some of the major provisions of the draft bill expand the authority
of the NIH director, establishes a “common fund” for providing
resources for all trans-NIH research priorities, and divides the
institutes into two categories, “mission-specific” or
“science-enabling.”
The bill would provide the NIH director with authority to
reorganize, add, terminate or transfer offices within the Office of
the Director and ICs, subject to public hearings and approval by the
HHS Secretary. Current law already requires approval by the
Secretary. Expansion of the Director’s authority was recommended by
an Institute of Medicine study.
A “common fund” would be established and the Director’s transfer
authority would be used to provide resources for the common fund.
Unclear is what percentage the Director’s transfer authority would
be. The Director currently has a one percent transfer authority. The
bill specifies that such transfers would not be allowed to result in
an IC receiving fewer dollars for the upcoming fiscal year than it
received for the current year.
The bill’s intent to divide NIH institutes into two categories is
problematic too. There is no mention of specific funding levels for
each institute as Congress currently provides. Instead, the bill
proposes that appropriators will provide a lump sum to
“mission-specific” and “science-enabling” ICs. How would funding
levels then be determined for each IC? Most mission-specific ICs
include the disease and organ based institutes such as NIDDK and
NHLBI. The draft bill explains mission-specific institutes as
“…research, training, health…and other programs with respect to a
particular organ or physiological system or the cause, diagnosis,
prevention…of particular diseases, disorders or other adverse health
conditions.” Science-enabling ICs, “have responsibilities that
concern technologies, techniques. or other means that assist in the
treating, diagnosing, or preventing diseases…or that assist in
conducting research on such matters…” Included among
Science-enabling ICs are NIGMS and NIEHS. Would two clusters mean
that the ICs would be competing for funding against one another?
Historically, the ICs have received from Congress roughly the same
increases. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the Chair of the House Energy &
Commerce Committee is committed to completing this authorization
bill, and it is one of his top priorities as indicated by 11
hearings on the subject in the past two and one-half years. While
there is no intent to cut the NIH budget in this process, it is
clear that Rep. Barton has no interest in preserving the status quo
and he feels that equal growth among the ICs without evaluating
public health needs and opportunities makes little sense.
It is unclear at this time what action might be taken in the Senate
or what the finished NIH reauthorization bill will ultimately look
like.
NIH Conflict of Interest Regulations
The National Institutes of Health announced final regulations
concerning the reporting of financial interests, outside activities,
and awards by NIH scientists and staff. The NIH press release on the
announcement follows. The prohibition against outside activities for
professional associations has been removed. Additional information,
including a summary of the NIH-specific amendments to the
conflict-of-interest regulations and a Q & A are available at
<http://www.nih.gov/about/ethics_COI.htm>
Funding Opportunities
September SCAW Advanced IACUC Workshop in North Carolina:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-054.html
Alzheimer's Disease Drug Development Program:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-148.html
NCCAM Director's Fellowship
NCCAM seeks outstanding candidates for the NCCAM Director's
Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda,
Maryland. The fellow will undertake complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM)-related clinical, translational, and/or laboratory
research in the NIH's intramural program.
http://nccam.nih.gov/about/jobs/dir_fellowship.htm/
FASEB
FASEB has published “Cholesterol: From Biochemical Riddle to
Blockbuster Drug for Heart Disease,” the latest article in the
Breakthroughs in Bioscience series. This publication outlines the
discovery of the role cholesterol plays in heart disease and the
subsequent development of statins to treat this major cause of
death. The Breakthroughs in Bioscience series is a collection of
illustrated articles, published by FASEB, that explain recent
developments in basic biomedical research and how they are important
to society. To obtain a copy of this publication, visit the
Breakthroughs in Bioscience Web site (http://www.faseb.org/opa/break)
or contact FASEB’s Office of Public Affairs at (301) 634-7650.
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
July-August 2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Funding News
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the funding
recommendations of the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee
providing NIH $29.415 billion for FY2006, an increase of $1.050
billion (3.5%) over the FY2005 appropriation. This amount is $905
million more than the President proposed in his budget request. The
Senate also provides $908 million more than the House provided for
NIH. The House-passed bill includes $28.507 billion for NIH, an
increase of $142.3 million (0.5 percent) but $3 million less than
the President's request. The bill is expected to go to the full
Senate for approval after the August recess. The House and Senate
bills will need to be reconciled.
Senate to Consider Stem Cell Legislation
The U.S. Senate might begin debate on S. 471 The Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act of 2005 shortly. H.R. 810, a companion bill passed
the House in May and would expand the number of stem cell lines
available for federal funding. ASPET members are encouraged to
contact their Senators and ask them to support S. 471 when the time
comes. To see a copy of the alert which is posted on the FASEB OPA
website, please visit:
http://capwiz.com/faseb/home/
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
One award will be made for outstanding research proposals in cancer
pharmacology. Interested candidates can view details at:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
Society of Toxicology Awards
Colgate-Palmolive Grants for Alternative Research offer scientists
up to $40,000 per year to develop, refine, or validate
scientifically acceptable animal alternative methods to facilitate
the safety assessment of new chemicals and formulations. Scientists
at any stage of career progression may submit a proposal, due to SOT
by August 9, 2005. Full details and the application form are linked
from
www.toxicology.org/ai/af/awards.asp . Information on other
SOT awards:
www.toxicology.org/ai/af/awards.asp . Address questions to
sothq@toxicology.org .
National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)
ASPET member Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., has been appointed to the
NSABB. The NSABB has been established to provide advice to federal
departments and agencies on ways to minimize the possibility that
knowledge and technologies emanating from vitally important
biological research will be misused to threaten public health or
national security. For additional information view:
http://www.biosecurityboard.gov/.
Funding Opportunities
Pharmacologic Agents and Drugs for Mental Disorders
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-121.html
NIH will award Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)
Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants (T35) to eligible
institutions to develop or enhance research training opportunities
for individuals interested in careers in biomedical and behavioral
research.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-117.html
NCCAM Director's Fellowship seeks outstanding candidates for related
clinical, translational, and/or laboratory research in the NIH's
intramural program.
http://nccam.nih.gov/about/jobs/dir_fellowship.htm/
RFA Notice for Prescription Opioid Abuse and Pain
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DA-05-009.html
Meeting Notice
The "Omics Revolution: Emerging Scientific Technologies and their
Application to Dietary Supplement and Natural Products Research.
http://genomics.uic.edu/index.htm
FASEB
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
ASPET Government and Public
Affairs Report
House Passes
Stem Cell Vote in Historic Vote
The House
passed The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, HR 810 on May 24.
The bill authorizes federal funding for stem cell lines derived from
leftover embryos created by in vitro fertilization. HR 810
passed with 238 votes in the House, including 50 Republicans. Reps.
Diana Degette (D-CO) and Michael Castle (R-DE) cosponsored HR 810.
ASPET members and hundreds of other organizations in the research
community all provided generous grassroots support.
Senate sponsors of
the companion Senate bill, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
(S.471), including Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA),
Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Gordon Smith (R-OR),
and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) are urging Senate leadership to quickly
bring the bill Senate floor for a vote. S.471 currently has 32
sponsors. ASPET members are asked to contact their Senators now to
enlist their support for passage of the bill. For help in
contacting your Senators, visit:
http://capwiz.com/faseb/issues/alert/?alertid=7148736&type=CO
And
http://www.stemcellfunding.org/fastaction/.
President Bush has threatened to veto
the legislation should it reach his desk.
Poll Shows
Support for Use of Animals in Research
The Foundation for
Biomedical Research (FBR) released poll results that show a majority
of Americans support the use of animals in research. The percentage
of people who say they feel that animal research contributes to
medical progress is essentially unchanged from results taken 25
years ago. For more complete information, and to see poll results
broken down by demographic data, please see:
http://www.fbresearch.org/journalist/press-releases/Polls/HartPoll_4_15_05.htm
National Academy of Sciences
The NAS
announced the election of 72 new members to the Academy, including
ASPET member Susan Band Horwitz. Dr. Horwitz is the Rose C.
Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Research and associate director for drug
development, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College
of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Academy appointments are “in
recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in
original research.”
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
One award will
be made for outstanding research proposals in cancer pharmacology.
Interested candidates can view details at:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
Senate Hearing on Animal and Environmental Terror
On May 18, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public
Works held a hearing to explore the role of animal and environmental
terrorism. For those interested in learning more: the entire
hearing is available as a cybercast on the Committee’s website, at
http://epw.senate.gov/epwmultimedia/epwmultimedia.htm
RealPlayer required.
Also, the
statements of all of the witnesses and many of the Committee members
are available on the Committee’s website at
http://epw.senate.gov/hearing_statements.cfm?id=237836
BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4561059.stm
CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/19/domestic.terrorism/index.html
Inside Higher Ed:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/05/19/animal
Des Moines Register:
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050519/NEWS01/505190395/1001/NEWS&lead=1
NCCAM Interim
Policy: Biologically Active Agents Used in CAM and Placebo
Materials
The policy
addresses product quality, scope of research, and Investigational
New Drug application. It supersedes NCCAM's Policy Announcement on
the Quality of Natural Products (July 2003).
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AT-05-003.html
NCCAM Interim
Applicant Guidance: Product Quality: Biologically Active Agents
Used in CAM and Placebo Materials
The guidance
on product quality helps grant applicants determine the type of
information to include in their grant application and learn what
type of information NCCAM may request before grant award.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AT-05-004.html
Funding
Opportunities
NEI Translational
Research Program On Therapy For Visual Disorders
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-110.html
FASEB
Read FASEB’s
Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
The FASEB
webpage, “Issues authors should consider regarding the NIH enhanced
public access policy” has been posted at:
http://www.faseb.org/opa/PDF/FASEB%20PublicAccess%20MemberEducation.pdf. The
page includes links to statements about the final NIH policy from
ASPET and other scientific societies.
May 2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs
Report
ASPET FY’06
Testimony Supports Funding for NIH
ASPET’s written
statement to the House Appropriations Labor/HHS Subcommittee supports
a $30.07 billion appropriation for the NIH in FY 2006. This
represents a 6% increase above the FY ’05 level. Read ASPET’s
statement at:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_nih_fy2006_support.html
NIGMS Awards Four Institutions to
Support Training in Integrative and Organ Systems Pharmacology
The National
Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) will fund four short
course workshops to support training in integrative and organ systems
pharmacology. These programs recognize the importance of studies using
intact organ system and in vivo models in the conduct of research.
The Award is made to a lead institution from among a consortium of
institutions that will play a collaborative role in teaching and
research interactions among participants. View:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIGMS_shortcourse_awards.html.
For more information on ASPET’s advocacy for increased support for
training and research in integrative and whole organ systems
pharmacology visit
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_sip.html.
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
One award will be
made for outstanding research proposals in cancer pharmacology.
Interested candidates can view details at:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
New Botanical
Research Centers
Five research
centers focusing on studies of botanical products have been jointly
funded by the NIH’s National Center for Complementary & Alternative
Medicine and the Office of Dietary Supplements. Research conducted by
these centers will advance the scientific base of knowledge about the
safety, effectiveness, and mechanisms of action of botanicals.
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2005/040705.htm
USP Seeks Candidates for Information
Expert Committee on Special Populations/Clinical Pharmacology
USP is seeking
volunteers to serve on its Information Expert Committee on Special
Population/Clinical Pharmacology. USP’s standards-setting activities
are conducted by its Council of Experts. This Council will be
composed of 40 Expert Committees devoted to developing and revising
standards in the United States Pharmacopeia and the National
Formulary (USP-NF), which are the official compendia of the
United States. USP is now in the process of seeking qualified chair
and member candidates for the Special Populations/Clinical
Pharmacology Committee and additional Information Expert Committees.
These chairs and their Expert Committees, among other activities
develop peer-reviewed articles on new and novel drug therapy for the
Annals of Internal Medicine and other journals, and support
future USP drug information programs. Other opportunities include
continuation of a drug-drug interaction project by USP’s Therapeutic
Decision Making Expert Committee. After USP develops a slate of chair
candidates for the 16 Information Expert Committees, USP’s Nominating
Committee for the Council of Experts will conduct a rigorous review of
the pool of candidates and nominate a slate of two individuals per
Expert Committee. The deadline for applications for the chair
position is June 1, 2005. The USP Convention membership will
elect the chairs sometime this summer. Working with the newly elected
chairs, USP will work to populated the sixteen Expert Committees with
additional experts. The deadline for Expert Committee members is
July 1, 2005. Expert Committee members will be nominated and
elected by the newly elected chairs in late summer of 2005. Qualified
individuals can apply directly through USP’s nominations website:
www.usp.org/volunteers/nominate . Questions can be directed to
dgp@usp.org or
agl@usp.org.
Funding
Opportunities
NINDS Preclinical
Development Facility CINAPS Drug Optimization Program
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-NS-05-008.html
FASEB
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
ASPET Government and Public Affairs
Report
NIGMS Awards Four
Institutions to Support Training in Integrative and Organ Systems
Pharmacology
The National
Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) will fund four short
course workshops to support training in integrative and organ systems
pharmacology. These programs recognize the importance of studies using
intact organ system and in vivo models in the conduct of research.
The Award is made to a lead institution from among a consortium of
institutions that will play a collaborative role in teaching and
research interactions among participants. View:
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIGMS_shortcourse_awards.html.
For more information on ASPET’s advocacy for increased support for
training and research in integrative and whole organ systems
pharmacology visit
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_sip.html.
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
One award will be
made for outstanding research proposals in cancer pharmacology.
Interested candidates can view details at:
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
ASPET Comments on NIH Conflict of
Interest Rules for NIH Employees
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_NIHCOI_comments.html
IUPHAR - Society for Neuroscience / NIDA satellite
IUPHAR will co-sponsor an all-day satellite mini-convention at this
year's Society for Neuroscience meeting on Friday, November 11, 2005
in Washington DC. The mini-convention "Frontiers in Addiction
Research" is being organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
IUPHAR has been invited to recommend three early-career international
(non-US) scientists to present their work at the mini-convention.
Each of the three would receive a travel award of $1,000 USD. An
early-career investigator is defined as a graduate student,
postdoctoral fellow or junior faculty member. Nominations of young
investigators should be sent to Lindsay Hart (hartl@uci.edu) no later
than May 30, 2005. Nominations should include a brief nomination
letter from an IUPHAR member society, an abstract of the work to be
presented and a brief CV of the young investigator. Contact Sue
Duckles (spduckle@uci.edu) for additional information.
NIGMS Feedback
Loop E-Newsletter Launched
NIGMS has launched
an e-mail newsletter to alert the scientific community to NIGMS
funding opportunities, trends, and plans. The newsletter, called the
NIGMS Feedback Loop, also encourages readers to provide input and
feedback on Institute activities. To read the first issue, which
includes a message from
NIGMS Director Dr. Jeremy M. Berg and information on
NIGMS funding
trends, go to
http://www.nigms.nih.gov/loop.
To subscribe to receive future issues, go to
http://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=nigms-feedback-loop&A=1
.
Funding Opportunities
NINDS Institutional
Center Core Grants to Support Neuroscience Research
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-070.html
Course Development in
the Neurobiology of Disease
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-05-011.html
Non-Human Lentiviral
Models of the Neurological Complications of AIDS
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-05-078.html
Evolution of
Infectious Diseases
PA-05-079
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-079.html
FASEB
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
ASPET Government and Public Affairs
Report
ASPET-Merck Postdoctoral
Fellowship in Integrative Pharmacology
One award will be made for outstanding research proposals in cancer
pharmacology. Details
http://www.aspet.org/public/merck_fellowships/guidelines.html.
EB’05 Teaching
Institute
Attendees at the
Experimental Biology 2005 meeting in San Diego are invited to attend
the ASPET Teaching Institute program, Let’s Get Integrative: Finding
Jobs in Industry. The session will be held on Saturday, April 2, from
3:00-5:30 p.m. in room 3 of the convention center.
Attendees will hear
from industry representatives about opportunities that exist for those
individuals trained in the use of intact organ systems and in vivo
animal models. For those scientists with a background in integrative
organ system biology, there are good jobs available. Find out what
skills and background are needed and what opportunities exist.
Industry representatives will visit the breakout groups and discuss
what needs and skills they look for and what opportunities exist
within their companies. Meet scientists from Abbott Laboratories,
Amgen, Cypress Biosciences, Merck Research Laboratories, and Wil
Research Laboratories.
http://www.aspet.org/public/meetings/eb05.html
NIGMS, NIMH
NEWS
NIMH FY 2006 Congressional Justification is available
at:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/cj2006.pdf.
Behavioral Research at
NIMH: Reorganizing the Portfolio to Advance Public Health is available
at
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/dirupdate_behavioralresearch.cfm
Medicines for
You Revised
A revision of Medicines for You, a lay-language flyer that
describes the science of pharmacogenetics and answers questions about
pharmacogenetics research,
is at
http://www.nigms.nih.gov/medsforyou/index.html
NCCAM's New
Strategic Plan Released
The NCCAM
5-year strategic plan for 2005-2009 is now available. The plan
reflects a full year of information gathering, planning, and
deliberations. NCCAM is grateful for the generous input of several
hundred NCCAM stakeholders. To order a printed copy of the plan, or to
view it online, visit
http://nccam.nih.gov/about/plans/2005/index.htm
Funding Opportunities
Animal Models of NIDDK-Relevant
Diseases,
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-049.html
Strategic Program for
Innovative Research on Drug Addiction Pharmacotherapy
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-05-009.html
Using Drug
Self-Administration in Rats to Evaluate Drugs of Abuse and
Pharmacotherapies for Drug Addiction
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DA-05-021.html
Pharmacology
International
Read the IUPHAR
newsletter, Pharmacology International, for news, information
and events of IUPHAR and Member societies:
http://www.iuphar.org/pubs_newsletter.html
FASEB
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/washington/
February 2005
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
NIH Policy on
Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications
NIH’s final public
access publication allows authors to post their research manuscripts
on the PubMed Central database as soon as possible allowing a 12-month
timeframe. View the policy at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-022.html
NIH Unveils
Conflict of Interest Rules
NIH scientists
will have 30 days to sever consulting ties with pharmaceutical and
biotech companies in order to comply with new conflict of interest
regulations. The new rules prohibit NIH employees from engaging in
outside employment with biotech, pharmaceutical, and other health care
concerns, organizations, or institutions that are NIH grantees. A
Washington Post story is attached:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58845-2005Feb2.html
ASPET, ASCPT, SOT
Congressional Briefing on Dietary Supplements
On January 31 and
February 1, ASPET, together with the American Society for Clinical
Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Society of Toxicology, held
congressional staff briefings on the subject of “Botanical Dietary
Supplments: Scientific Perspectives and Public Health Pitfalls.” The
briefings were sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (R-Ill) and Reps
Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Susan Davis (D-CA). You can view the
PowerPoint presentations by the speakers at
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/pa_botanical_res.html.
EB’05 Teaching
Institute
Attendees at the
Experimental Biology 2005 meeting in San Diego are invited to attend
the ASPET Teaching Institute program, Let’s Get Integrative: Finding
Jobs in Industry. The session will be held on Saturday, April 2, from
3:00-5:30 p.m. in room 3 of the convention center.
Attendees will hear
from industry representatives about opportunities that exist for those
individuals trained in the use of intact organ systems and in vivo
animal models. For those scientists with a background in integrative
organ system biology, there are good jobs available. Find out what
skills and background are needed and what opportunities exist.
Industry representatives will visit the breakout groups and discuss
what needs and skills they look for and what opportunities exist
within their companies. Meet scientists from Abbott Laboratories,
Amgen, Cypress Biosciences, Merck Research Laboratories, and Wil
Research Laboratories.
http://www.aspet.org/public/meetings/eb05.html
Pharmacology
International
Read the IUPHAR
newsletter, Pharmacology International, for news, information
and events of IUPHAR and Member societies:
http://www.iuphar.org/pubs_newsletter.html
NIGMS Biomedical
Beat
NIGMS has just
launched a new electronic newsletter featuring recent research
advances supported by the Institute. This digest, called Biomedical
Beat, will initially be produced on a monthly basis. The first issue
describes the NIGMS role in supporting basic research that led to a
powerful new painkilling drug, a new approach to engineering
carbohydrates for research and possibly medical applications, and the
discovery of a long-sought gene regulator. The short
pieces contain
links to additional information, and some have accompanying images. An
expanded
version of the
material is available online at
http://www.nigms.nih.gov/biobeat
2005 NIH Director's Pioneer Award
The 2005 NIH
Director's Pioneer Award supports scientists of exceptional creativity
who propose pioneering approaches to major challenges in biomedical
research. Awardees must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or
permanent residents. NIH expects to make 5 to 10 new Pioneer Awards
of up to $500,000 in direct costs per year for 5 years. The
streamlined self-nomination process includes a 3- to 5-page essay, a
biographical sketch, a list of current research support, and the names
of 3 references. Submit nominations on the Pioneer Award Web site,
http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/pioneer, between March 1 and April 1,
2005. Visit the Pioneer Award Web site or e-mail questions to
pioneer@nih.gov.
Funding
Opportunities
Neurobiology of Behavioral Treatment: Recovery of Brain Structure and
Function (RFA-DA-05-006)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-05-006.html
Mechanisms of Adverse Drug Effects in
Children (PA-05-045)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-045.html
Consequences of Drug
Abuse and Alcohol Exposure on Brain and Behavioral Development
(RFA-DA-05-007)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-05-007.html
NCCAM's New
Strategic Plan Released
The NCCAM 5-year
strategic plan for 2005-2009 was released at a recent meeting of the
National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
To order a printed copy of the plan, or to view it online, visit
http://nccam.nih.gov/about/plans/2005/index.htm
FASEB
The latest article in the Breakthroughs in Bioscience series,
“Clot Busters!! – Discovering Thrombolytic Therapy for Heart Attack &
Stroke,” is now available online at:
http://www.faseb.org/opar/break/ .
The FASEB Federal Funding report for FY2006 was released on January
19.
The report cab be
viewed at
http://www.faseb.org/opa/fund2006/fedfund2006.pdf.
Read FASEB’s Washington Update for biweekly news from Capitol Hill.
http://www.faseb.org/opa/PDF/FASEBWashUpdateJan2105.pdf
ASPET Government and Public Affairs Report
FY’05 Spending
Bills Passed
The FY’05 Labor/HHS
Appropriations spending bill for the National Institutes of Health
passed last month and appropriate$28.363 billion for the NIH, a 2%
increase ($563 million) over the FY 2004 level. A draft of the HHS FY
2006 budget indicates the FY’06 NIH budget may be cut by 1%.
ASPET
Response to NIH Proposed “Enhanced Public Access to NIH Research
Information
ASPET’s official
response to the NIH can be read on the ASPET home page (Featured
Links) at
www.aspet.org. Other organizational responses opposing the NIH
plan can be viewed at:
http://www.faseb.org/opa/news/docs/add_statements_11x3x04.htm. An
analysis by NIH of comments submitted reveals a majority of
respondents support the NIH plan. 5,839 comments were received via
the Web, 2,402 agreed with the concept of the plan and 3,874 agreed
with its implementation, 41% and 66% of responses respectively. 8%
(454 responses) opposed the NIH plan. 22% (1,275 responses) did not
find implementation of the plan feasible.
The conference report to the Labor/HHS bill contained the following
language on the NIH public access proposal: "The conferees are aware
of the draft NIH policy on increasing public access to NIH-funded
research. Under this policy, NIH would request investigators to
voluntarily submit electronically the final, peer reviewed author's
copy of their scientific manuscripts; six months after the publisher's
date of publication, NIH would make this copy publicly available
through PubMed Central. The policy is intended to help ensure the
permanent preservation of NIH funded research and make it more
readily accessible
to scientists, physicians, and the public. The conferees note that
the comment period for the draft policy ended November 16th; NIH is
directed to give full and fair consideration to all comments before
publishing its final policy. The conferees request
NIH to provide the estimated costs of implementing this policy each year
in its annual Justification of Estimates to the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees. In addition, the conferees direct NIH to
continue to work with the publishers of scientific journals to
maintain the integrity of the peer review system."
Congressional Briefing
ASPET, the American
Society for Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, and the Society of
Toxicology are organizing a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill
titled “Botanical Dietary Supplements: Scientific Perspectives and
Public Health Pitfalls. “ A briefing for Senate staff and members
sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin will be held on January 31. This
will be followed on February 1 by a briefing for House staff and
members sponsored by Reps. Susan Davis and Henry Waxman. Speakers
include Steven A. Kliewer of UT Southwestern Medical Center (ASPET),
Jason Morrow of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (ASCPT), and
George Burdock of the Burdock Consulting Group (SOT).
ASPET Comments on NCCAM 2005 Strategic
Plan
http://www.aspet.org/public/public_affairs/NCCAM_Strat_Plan_05-09.html
EB Teaching Institute
The 2005 ASPET
Teaching Institute at the Experimental Biology ’05 meeting in San
Diego will provide opportunities for interested graduate students to
hear about job opportunities in industry. Attendees at the “Lets Get
Integrative” Teaching Institute will hear from representatives from
pharmaceutical companies, biotech, and contract research organizations
on how industry is looking for talented scientists trained in
integrative whole organ pharmacology. Ed French (University of
Arizona) will provide an overview on the “Academic Perspectives on the
Training of Integrative Whole Organ Scientists. Industry
representatives include: Bryan F. Cox, Abbott Laboratories; Srinivas
Rao, Cypress Bioscience; Christopher F.Toombs, Amgen, Gerald J.
Schaefer, Wil Research Laboratories; and a representative from Merck
Research Laboratories.
Science Advisory
Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods
SACATM is seeking
individuals to fill 6 upcoming vacancies. SACTM is a federally
chartered advisory committee that advises the Interagency Coordinating
Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), a
committee composed of 15 regulatory and research federal agencies.
ICCVAM promotes the development, validation, regulatory acceptance,
and national and international harmonization of toxicological test
methods that more accurately assess the safety or hazards of chemicals
and products. A major focus of SACATM and ICCVAM is establishing new
test methods for regulatory agencies that refine, reduce or replace
the use of animals. To learn more about ICCVAM / SACATM, please visit
their website:
http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/
Funding
Opportunities
New Methodologies
for Natural Products Chemistry
RFA-RM-05-013
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-05-013.html
Pilot-Scale
Libraries for High-Throughput Screening
RFA-RM-05-014
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-05-014.html
Novel Preclinical
Tools for Predictive ADME-Toxicology (NOT-RM-05-002)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RM-05-002.html
R21 Grants for
Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery (PAS-05-022)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-05-022.html
The American Heart
Association and its Affiliates announces research-funding
opportunities for January 2005 deadlines. Program information, forms
and instructions are available on the AHA Web site.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=9713.
Other AHA funding opportunities are listed at:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2304
