Features

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.

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.