Skip to main content
NIH Intramural Research Program, Our Research Changes Lives

Navigation controls

  • Search
  • Menu

Social follow links

  • Podcast
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Main navigation

  • About Us
    • What Is the IRP?
    • History
    • Honors
      • Nobel Prize
      • Lasker Award
      • Breakthrough Prize
      • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
      • Presidential Medal of Freedom
      • National Medal of Science
      • Searle Scholars
      • The National Academy of Sciences
      • The National Academy of Medicine
      • The National Academy of Engineering
      • The American Academy of Arts and Sciences
      • National Medal of Technology & Innovation
      • Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals
      • Crafoord Prize
      • Fellows of the Royal Society
      • Canada Gairdner Awards
    • Organization & Leadership
    • Our Programs
      • NCI
      • NEI
      • NHGRI
      • NHLBI
      • NIA
      • NIAAA
      • NIAID
      • NIAMS
      • NIBIB
      • NICHD
      • NIDA
      • NIDCD
      • NIDCR
      • NIDDK
      • NIEHS
      • NIMH
      • NIMHD
      • NINDS
      • NINR
      • NLM
      • CC
      • NCATS
      • NCCIH
    • Research Campus Locations
    • Contact Information
  • Our Research
    • Scientific Focus Areas
      • Biomedical Engineering & Biophysics
      • Cancer Biology
      • Cell Biology
      • Chemical Biology
      • Chromosome Biology
      • Clinical Research
      • Computational Biology
      • Developmental Biology
      • Epidemiology
      • Genetics & Genomics
      • Health Disparities
      • Immunology
      • Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
      • Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
      • Molecular Pharmacology
      • Neuroscience
      • RNA Biology
      • Social & Behavioral Sciences
      • Stem Cell Biology
      • Structural Biology
      • Systems Biology
      • Virology
    • Principal Investigators
      • View by Investigator Name
      • View by Scientific Focus Area
    • Accomplishments
      • View All Accomplishments by Date
      • View All Health Topics
      • The Body
      • Health & Wellness
      • Conditions & Diseases
      • Procedures
    • Accelerating Science
      • Investing in Cutting-Edge Animal Models
      • Creating Cell-Based Therapies
      • Advancing Computational and Structural Biology
      • Combating Drug Resistance
      • Developing Novel Imaging Techniques
      • Charting the Pathways of Inflammation
      • Zooming in on the Microbiome
      • Uncovering New Opportunities for Natural Products
      • Stimulating Neuroscience Research
      • Pursuing Precision Medicine
      • Unlocking the Potential of RNA Biology and Therapeutics
      • Producing Novel Vaccines
    • Research in Action
      • View All Stories
      • Too Much of a Good Thing
      • Turning Face Perception on Its Head
      • Safeguarding a Second Chance at Life
      • A Biological Betrayal
    • Trans-IRP Research Resources
      • Supercomputing
    • IRP Review Process
    • Commercializing Inventions
  • NIH Clinical Center
    • Clinical Center Facilities
    • Advancing Translational Science
    • Clinical Trials
      • Get Involved with Clinical Research
      • Physician Resources
  • News & Events
    • In the News
    • I am Intramural Blog
    • Speaking of Science Podcast
    • SciBites Video Shorts
    • The NIH Catalyst Newsletter
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Faculty-Level Scientific Careers
    • Trans-NIH Scientific Recruitments
      • Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigators
        • Science, the Stadtman Way
        • Earl Stadtman Investigator Frequently Asked Questions
      • Lasker Clinical Research Scholars
      • Independent Research Scholar
    • Scientific & Clinical Careers
    • Administrative Careers
  • Research Training
    • Program Information
    • Training Opportunities
    • NIH Work/Life Resources
The NIH Catalyst: A Publication About NIH Intramural Research

National Institutes of Health • Office of the Director | Volume 27 Issue 1 • January–February 2019

Creating a “Spellchecker” for Genes

BY LISA YUAN, NIDDK

Imagine a pair of molecular scissors that could snip and tweak sections of the genetic alphabet. Or tweezers that could pluck one letter and replace it with another. These tools have become a reality in recent years, allowing scientists to correct “misspellings” in the genetic code.

Read more

The Merry Band of Stadtmans

Meet 15 New Stadtman Investigators

BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER

Meet 15 more investigators who have become part of the Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator Program. The program, which was launched in 2009 and named for the legendary biochemist who worked at NIH for 50 years, aims to recruit a diverse group of scientists pursuing interests across the biomedical-research spectrum. (Pictured: Chandra Jackson, NIEHS and NIMHD.)

Read more

From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research

A New Centralized Institutional Review Board

BY MICHAEL GOTTESMAN, DDIR, AND JONATHAN GREEN, OD

As you almost certainly have heard by now, the NIH Intramural Research Program is in the process of centralizing and consolidating the Institutional Review Board (IRB) system in an effort to improve its consistency and overall efficiency.

Read more

NIH Distinguished Scholars Program

BY CARL HASHIMOTO, OD

As part of an effort to enhance diversity in the scientific workplace, NIH launched the Distinguished Scholars Program (DSP), which facilitates the hiring and career progression of tenure-track investigators who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the biomedical-research workforce.

Read more

News You Can Use: Office of Patient Recruitment

Extending the Reach of NIH Studies

BY BRANDON LEVY, OIR

If researchers design a groundbreaking clinical study, and no patients know about it, what’s the use?

Read more

Research Briefs

Read about discoveries made by NIH intramural researchers: how elevated hormones flag liver problems; a bacteria toxin that triggers the death of cancer cells; T cells that accelerate wound healing; how male mice grow ovaries; imaging modalities that allow scientists to view the retina in unprecedented detail; and more.

Read more

Obituaries 2018

Former NIH scientists and other NIH-affiliated people who died in 2018.

Read more

Farewell to America’s Cancer Doctor

Alan Rabson (1926–2018)

BY MICHELE LYONS, OD

When Katie Couric told her boss that her husband had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, the first thing he said was, “Call Al Rabson.” Couric, a television journalist, related this story at the celebration of Alan Rabson’s life on October 30th. Rabson died at the age of 92 on July 4, 2018. Guests gathered to share laughter and some tears while remembering “America’s cancer doctor.”

Read more

Finding the Elixir of Life

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado Studies How Flatworms Regenerate

BY AMRITA MANDAL, NICHD

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado may have found the elixir of life in a simple organism that scientists have mostly ignored: the tiny flatworm planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. The worm has an amazing ability to regenerate itself from the smallest bits of its tissue.

Read more

The Training Page: NIH Fellows Editorial Board

Influencing Science, One Manuscript at a Time

BY BRANDI CAROFINO AND ERIKA GINSBURG, NCI

The NIH Fellows Editorial Board (FEB) recently celebrated a big milestone: They edited their 1,000th submission.

Read more

The Training Page: Breaking Through the Petri Dish Lid

Institutional and Personal Approaches to Enhancing Diversity

BY SUSAN CHACKO, CIT

Mentorship and institutional change were the main themes at the symposium “Breaking through the Petri Dish Lid: Ways for Women and Underrepresented Groups to Advance Their Careers in Science,” held on October 5, 2018. Prompted by the underrepresentation of women and minorities at the upper levels of science, the symposium featured three panelists—Kathryn Zoon, Hannah Valantine, and Nesrine Taha—who discussed personal and institutional approaches to changing the existing paradigm.

Read more

News You Can Use: NIH Library Services

So Much More than Books

BY KATHLEEN MCGLAUGHLIN, OD

Need to know how to develop bibliometrics that will help you evaluate written publications? Want to understand how to use information-systems technology? How about getting assistance with editing your manuscripts or managing your data? The NIH Library, located in Building 10, is at your service.

Read more

NIH in History: Christian B. Anfinsen

Celebrating the Life and Work of Nobel Laureate Christian B. Anfinsen

BY HUSSAIN ATHER, NICHD, AND ALAN N.SCHECHTER, NIDDK

He won a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1972, and his work still influences research being done today. He was a beloved mentor to dozens of scientists at the NIH. And he worked tirelessly to promote human rights for scientists around the world.

Read more

The SIG Beat

NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUPS

Two SIGs are featured here: The Adherence Research Network SIG, which has been around a long time but recently revived its SIG page; and a new SIG—the Circulating Nucleic Acids/Liquid Biopsy Interest Group.

Read more

Announcements

News about events, deadlines, lectures, news about the upcoming NIH Workplace Climate and Harassment Survey, and more.

Read more

This page was last updated on Tuesday, April 5, 2022

  • Issue Overview
  • Features
    • Creating a “Spellchecker” for Genes
    • The Merry Band of Stadtmans
    • NIH Distinguished Scholars Program
    • Obituaries 2018
    • Farewell to America’s Cancer Doctor
    • Finding the Elixir of Life
  • Departments
    • From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research
    • News You Can Use: Office of Patient Recruitment
    • Research Briefs
    • The Training Page: NIH Fellows Editorial Board
    • The Training Page: Breaking Through the Petri Dish Lid
    • News You Can Use: NIH Library Services
    • NIH in History: Christian B. Anfinsen
    • The SIG Beat
    • Announcements
  • Issue Contents
  • Download this issue as a PDF

Catalyst menu

  • Current Issue
  • Previous Issues
  • About The NIH Catalyst
  • Contact The NIH Catalyst
  • Share Your Story
  • NIH Abbreviations

Catalyst links

  • Follow The NIH Catalyst

Subscribe Today!

Subscribe to The NIH Catalyst Newsletter and receive email updates.

Subscribe

Get IRP Updates

Subscribe

  • Email
  • Print
  • Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Main navigation

  • About Us
    • What Is the IRP?
    • History
    • Honors
    • Organization & Leadership
    • Our Programs
    • Research Campus Locations
    • Contact Information
  • Our Research
    • Scientific Focus Areas
    • Principal Investigators
    • Accomplishments
    • Accelerating Science
    • Research in Action
    • Trans-IRP Research Resources
    • IRP Review Process
    • Commercializing Inventions
  • NIH Clinical Center
    • Clinical Center Facilities
    • Advancing Translational Science
    • Clinical Trials
  • News & Events
    • In the News
    • I am Intramural Blog
    • Speaking of Science Podcast
    • SciBites Video Shorts
    • The NIH Catalyst Newsletter
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Faculty-Level Scientific Careers
    • Trans-NIH Scientific Recruitments
    • Scientific & Clinical Careers
    • Administrative Careers
  • Research Training
    • Program Information
    • Training Opportunities
    • NIH Work/Life Resources
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Institutes of Health
  • USA.gov

Footer

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • IRP Brand Materials
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • Web Policies & Notices
  • Site Map
  • Search