2018 Research Festival

A Potpourri of Science

CREDIT: JOHN GALLAGHER AND AUDRAY HARRIS, NIAID
At the Research Festival’s plenary sessions, researchers talked about developing a universal flu vaccine. Shown: A prototype that is a hybrid of a scaffold (blue) and influenza hemagglutinin proteins (yellow), engineered to display antibody binding sites common to various human influenza subtypes. The particle was designed by Jeffrey Boyington (Vaccine Research Center, NIAID); the 3D structure was determined by cryo-electron microscopy by John Gallagher and Audray Harris (Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID)

This year’s Research Festival was launched on September 12 by four institute directors who spoke about their institutes’ scientific accomplishments and research advances in their own labs. The three-day event, co-chaired by scientific directors Tom Misteli (NCI) and Steven Holland (NIAID), featured scientific presentations, awards ceremonies, poster sessions, special exhibits, and more.

The NIH Animal Care and Use Program Celebration and Reflection Ceremony, was held at the Research Festival to show appreciation and gratitude for the research animals—and those who study and care for them—that have contributed to biomedical research advances. Some of the research contributions were highlighted by the Deputy Director of the Office of Intramural Research Richard Wyatt, who has been chair of the Animal Research Advisory Committee for 25 years. Research animals were key in the development—at NIH—of the first licensed rotavirus vaccine—ROTASHIELD—to treat diarrhea in infants. “As of April 2016, the World Health Organization estimates that globally 215,000 child deaths occurred during 2013 due to rotavirus infection compared to 528,000 in 2000—a reduction of nearly 60 percent in deaths,” said Wyatt. “And there are other stories like this one and many people who would express gratitude to the animals and community as we are doing today.”

To read other articles about the festival: