March–April 2016 | NIH Intramural Research Program

Visualizing Infection

New Ways to Image the Immune System

BY BRANDON LEVY, NIMH

“We live in a dangerous world, constantly bombarded with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites,” said Ronald Germain at the annual G. Burroughs Mider Lecture, held in December. “How does the immune system protect against adverse unpredictable disease entities at unanticipated sites in the body?”

Teaching the Principles of Clinical Research

NIH Clinical Center Course Reaches Thousands Around the World

BY DONOVAN KUEHN, CC

CREDIT: PATRICIA PIRINGER, NIH CLINCAL CENTER

International Reach: The 2015–2016 “Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research” course has 26 international participants: Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, India, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, South Korea, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the course “Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research” (IPPCR) has an impressive title and focuses on a clear goal: providing instruction on the basics of high-quality, safe, ethical, and efficiently conducted clinical research.

From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research

Intramural Contributions to the Public Health

BY MICHAEL GOTTESMAN

I have often used this space to remind the NIH intramural community of the important role that the NIH intramural program plays in addressing urgent and compelling issues related to the public health. Three recent examples are worthy illustrations.

New Director for the NCATS Stem Cell Translation Laboratory:

Interview with Ilyas Singec

BY JOSEPH P. TIANO, OD

As the new director of the NCATS Stem Cell Translation Laboratory, Ilyas Singec is developing new resources and strategies that scientists can use to accelerate the translation of iPSC research into cell therapies and drug discovery.

NHGRI Seminar Series Reflects on the Human Genome Project

BY BRANDON LEVY, NIMH

“The Human Genome Project was a remarkable scientific endeavor. It reshaped biomedical research and paved the way for clinical advances that are already impacting patients’ lives,” said National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Director Eric Green at the launch of a new seminar series that commemorates the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Human Genome Project.

Sorcerer of the Sequencer

Bob Blakesley, Director of the NISC Sequencing Group, Retires

BY JEANNINE MJOSETH, NHGRI

Genomics research is a quintessential team science. Contributing to each project are those who identify the scientific questions, collect biological samples, purify and sequence the DNA, and analyze the resulting data. The NIH lost a key member of its broader genomics team with recent retirement of Robert Blakesley, who was the director of the sequencing group at the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center.

Research Briefs

Intramural research highlights: New inflammation treatment; new pathway for vaccine research; boosting social memory; poverty and childhood risk of neurological impairment; dizziness and balance problems common in kids; and marijuana-like brain chemical may affect cocaine addiction.

Colleagues: Recently Tenured

Meet your recently tenured colleagues: Catharine Bosio (NIAID, pictured), Harold Burgess (NICHD), Francesco DeMayo (NIEHS), Montserrat García-Closas (NCI-DCEG), and Bruce Thomas Hope (NIDA).

Photographic Moment

Find Safety Girl’s Laboratory Safety Errors

BY DIANE POOLE (NCI) AND AMANDA VANDEVEER (NCI)

The SIG Beat: Periodontitis

NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS GROUPS

Periodontitis: A Microbial-Driven Inflammatory Disease

BY HEBA DIAB, NHLBI

A mouth microbiome that’s out of whack can lead to serious health problems such as the chronic inflammatory disease periodontitis, which causes inflammation that damages gum tissue and can lead to tooth loss. NIDCR Clinical Investigator Niki Moutsopoulos described her research on periodontitis at an Inflammatory Disease SIG seminar.

NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE NIH SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUPS

Read about the new SIGs and an old one that changed its name.

FROM THE FELLOWS COMMITTEE

Helping Visiting Fellows Thrive at the NIH

BY CRAIG MYRUM, NIA

The quest to solve the world’s most critical biomedical questions is a global venture that has sparked interactions among researchers around the world. Few other institutions make this more evident than the NIH, where nearly half of all postdoctoral fellows are international researchers.

Announcements

Events at NIH and other important announcements.

This page was last updated on Thursday, April 14, 2022