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Home > News and Events > NIBIB Newsletter
In This Issue
LinksNational Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (www.nibib.nih.gov) Contact UsAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) UpdateARRA Funding OpportunitiesRecovery Act Limited Competition: Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research (RC4) Innovative Adaptation and Dissemination of AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Research Products (iADAPT) (R18) Science HighlightsNew Stroke Treatments on the Horizon A model of the middle cerebral artery shows (A) an artery without a blood clot and (B) the artery blocked by a clot. In (C), the model artery is shown 15 minutes after inserting a stroke wire; the majority of the clot mass has been obliterated and minimal blood flow restored. Current research is focused on decreasing the time required to remove a blood clot and fully restore blood flow.
Blocked cerebral arteries account for 88% of all strokes. Although current therapies such as mechanical clot removal have improved patient outcomes, they can be cumbersome and slow-acting and sometimes damage surrounding tissue. As part of comprehensive research aimed at developing more sophisticated treatment technologies, NIBIB-supported researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are developing the neurovascular stroke wire, a whisper-thin wire that delivers gentle ultrasonic energy directly to blood clots in the cerebral blood vessels. Blood flow is restored within minutes. Rapid restoration of blood flow could improve patient outcomes and quality of life for survivors. Read the full article at http://www.nibib.nih.gov/HealthEdu/eAdvances/30Oct09. NIBIB Scientists Combine Microscopy Methods to Increase Imaging Efficiency in Cell Structure StudiesNew Method Produces High-Resolution Images of Thicker Specimen SamplesScientists in the NIBIB's Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science have developed a new technique that allows researchers to visualize fine details of cell structure three-dimensionally in thick sections, thus providing greater insight into how cells are organized and how they function. The work is described in a report published online recently in Nature Methods. The new electron tomography method, referred to as bright field scanning transmission electron microscopy (BF STEM) tomography, lets researchers image samples that are more than three times the thickness of typical samples. Electron tomography is carried out at the nanoscale on individual cells. Conventionally, high-resolution imaging of biological specimens has been accomplished by cutting cells into thin sections (300 nanometers or less) and imaging each section separately. Although reconstructing an entire structure from thin sections is laborious, thin sections are used because images of thicker sections typically are blurred. Serial BF STEM tomography accomplishes the same work using fewer yet thicker specimen sections, leading to faster reconstruction of intact organelles, intracellular pathogens, and even entire mammalian cells. Drs. Alioscka Sousa, Martin Hohmann-Marriott, Richard Leapman, and colleagues in NIBIB, in collaboration with Dr. Joshua Zimmerberg and colleagues in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), demonstrated feasibility and advantages of BF-STEM tomography in a study of red blood cells infected with Plasmodium falciparum, a parasite that causes malaria. High-resolution 3D reconstructions of entire cells were generated by serially imaging just a few thick sections. The intricate system of red blood cell and parasite membranes, as well as several organelles, can be seen in detail. "We believe that the new technique, which was conceived by Dr. Sousa, will lead to improved 3D visualization of larger internal structures in mammalian cells at a nanoscale. And it will complement cryo electron tomography and super-resolution optical imaging approaches," explains Dr. Leapman. Most high-performance electron microscopes can readily be equipped to utilize the BF STEM tomography approach. "This exciting new method, with its ability to provide nanoscale structural details over three dimensions, has the potential for broad application in cell biology," says NIBIB Director Roderic Pettigrew. "This should open new vistas in the understanding of the interplay between cellular structure and function, and is a great example of NIBIB-supported research that moves medical science forward through technological innovation." This work was supported by the Intramural Research Programs of the NIBIB and the NICHD at the National Institutes of Health. In addition, Dr. Hohmann-Marriott received support through the Joint NIST/NIBIB Postdoctoral Associateship Program of the National Research Council, USA. Reference: Nanoscale 3D cellular imaging by axial scanning transmission electron tomography. Martin F. Hohmann-Marriott, Alioscka A. Sousa, Afrouz A. Azari, Svetlana Glushakova, Guofeng Zhang, Joshua Zimmerberg, Richard D. Leapman. Published online: 30 August 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmeth.1367. NIBIB NewsNIBIB Is Among Several NIH Institutes to Award Grants to Examine Factors Influencing Women's Careers in ScienceThe NIH recently announced that it will fund 14 grants focusing on factors that influence the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral science and engineering. The program responded to a 2007 National Academies report that urgently called for a broad, national effort to maximize the potential of women scientists and engineers. The report, Beyond Bias and Barriers, led to the creation of an NIH working group charged with examining the issues and addressing the challenges in supporting the advancement of women scientists and engineers. The new grants will examine many influences on women's career choices such as family and economic factors, institutional environments, and broader social and cultural issues. Topics include the role mentoring and funding support play throughout women's academic careers and the impact of family-friendly policies in retaining women in the scientific workforce. The career paths of underrepresented and financially disadvantaged women will also be examined. The NIBIB is providing support to Dr. Thomas Diprete at Columbia University. Dr. Diprete will examine how growing career opportunities for women may affect decisions about college major and the choice of future career for academically-talented high school and college women, with a particular focus on curricular differences among high schools and on the impact of perceived difficulties in combining family and work in a science career. This research will inform how strong programs encourage women to pursue scientific careers and how advanced placement or honors science and math courses in high school may influence women to major in science, math, or engineering in college. “NIBIB is pleased to support this important grant program,” said NIBIB Deputy Director Belinda Seto, Ph.D. “The data and information generated by Dr. Diprete will inform young women, as they arrive at various critical academic junctures, about pursuing a science and math curriculum.” The other NIH components funding awards include the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the National Cancer Institute; the National Center for Research Resources; the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute on Aging; the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; the National Institute of Mental Health; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; the National Institute of Nursing Research; the NIH Office of AIDS Research, the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. Read the NIH press release at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2009/nigms-09.htm. NIBIB Grantsmanship Seminar to be Held November 19, 2009NIBIB will be holding a regional Grantsmanship Seminar on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The event will be hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle. The Grantsmanship Seminar is intended to provide an overview of NIBIB funding opportunities and the NIH application, review, and grant-making processes and policies. We invite faculty, researchers, students, and others interested in research opportunities in bioengineering, biomedical imaging, and research training opportunities at the NIH to attend. The one-day program will feature presentations from NIBIB science program and scientific review staff on subject areas such as an overview and status of NIBIB and NIH, research areas and opportunities, research training and career development opportunities, and the NIH grant application and peer review processes. The registration fee is $69 for general attendance and free for all currently enrolled students and postdocs. Early registration is advised as space is limited and on-site registration (if available) will be more expensive. To register, visit the website at http://www.uweb.engr.washington.edu/NIBIB/ NIBIB Increased Its Investment in Interdisciplinary Graduate Research TrainingPhase II of the HHMI-NIBIB Interfaces Initiative for Interdisciplinary Graduate Research TrainingNIBIB has awarded ten Phase II interdisciplinary research training grants totaling $16 million over five years. These training grants will provide sustained support for interdisciplinary research training that integrates the biomedical sciences with the physical sciences and engineering. The awards represent the second phase of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-NIBIB Interfaces Initiative for Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Training, a collaborative training program that was developed jointly by both institutions with the goal of increasing interdisciplinary training opportunities. Funding for Phase I of the Interfaces Initiative was provided by HHMI, which awarded $10 million in three-year grants to ten institutions to jump-start the development of new and innovative ways to train interdisciplinary scientists. These awards provided flexible support for faculty recruitment, administrative staff, curriculum development, and program evaluation activities. The present Phase II awards provide support for research training of predoctoral students in interdisciplinary research. Read the full release, visit http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2009/nibib-17.htm. Funding Opportunities & UpdatesBioengineering Research Grants (BRG)(R01)Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) [R21]Notice of Intent to Publish a Request for Applications for NIBIB Quantum Projects: Implementation Phase II (U01)Notice of Intent to Publish a Request for Applications for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (R25)Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative (STTR [R41/R42])Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative (SBIR [R43/R44])2010 NIH Director's New Innovator Award Program (DP2)2010 NIH Director's Pioneer Award Program (DP1)Advanced Neural Prosthetics Research and Development (U01)Small Business Innovation Research to Develop New Therapeutics and Monitoring Technologies for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Towards an Artificial Pancreas (SBIR) [R43/R44]Development and Translation of Medical Technologies that Reduce Health Disparities (SBIR [R43/R44])Innovation in Molecular Imaging Probes (R01)Predictive Multiscale Models of the Physiome in Health and Disease (R01)NIH Roadmap for Medical ResearchNIH Roadmap funding opportunities available at nihroadmap.nih.gov/grants/index.asp.
Roadmap Transformative Research Projects Program (R01)NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience ResearchNIH Blueprint funding opportunities available at neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/blueprint_funding/index.htm.
Spotlight on PeopleFeatured Scientist - William J. Heetderks, M.D., Ph.D.
William J. Heetderks, M.D., Ph.D.
"The key thing to realize is that when it comes to chemistry, biology, physics, math, or engineering, there are no lines; they all interface seamlessly. I truly believe that this philosophy of the nature of matter and the life that springs from it will be the foundation for the next explosion of interventions that heal and cure." As a child, William Heetderks was fascinated with gadgets, especially radios. He says, "In those days, they had these little crystal radios. They had an antenna and a little diode that could take enough power out of the air to drive your earphone without a battery. It really amazed me that there was this energy all around us that you could actually hear if you had the proper instrumentation." Growing up in a time when children's lives were much less structured than today, instead of spending all his time on the soccer field or processing ever-growing mounds of homework, Heetderks was very content to spend much of his free time tinkering in the basement of his parents' home. His father, who was an accountant by trade, frequently reminded his family how much he regretted not choosing a profession in the field of engineering. It's obvious those lamentations had a strong impact on the family when Heetderks reports that his strongest role models during his formative years were two older brothers who became engineers. True to the family plan, Heetderks steered toward an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering in a program that was almost devoid of biological studies. He recalls, "I hadn't taken biology since tenth grade, but during my senior year at college, I took a course in bioelectricity that looked at electricity of the nervous system." That single course pushed Heetderks out of the engineering nest and into the bigger multidisciplinary world, stirring an unforeseen new interest that motivated his application to graduate school in bioengineering. Click here to read more about Dr. Heetderks Names in the NewsNIBIB Staff Members Receive NIH Director's Award
Two members of the NIBIB family recently received NIH Director Awards. The NIH Director's Award recognizes employees who exhibit superior performance or special efforts significantly beyond their regular duty requirements but directly related to fulfilling the NIH mission. The recipients were David George, Ph.D., and Stacy Wallick, M.P.H. Dr. George received his award for his service on the "Enhancing Peer Review Team: In recognition of their dedication to the goals of the Enhancing Peer Review Initiative as well as their enthusiasm for the ideals of peer review." Ms. Wallick received her award for participation on the "NIH Health Disparities Summit-Leadership Team: In recognition of contributions made in planning and coordinating the first NIH Summit: The Science of Eliminating Health Disparities." New Faces at NIBIB
Leah Baskin has joined the NIBIB's Office of Administrative Management as an Administrative Fellow in the Administrative Officer track. Shawn Chen, Ph.D., has joined NIBIB's Intramural Research Program as the Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine. Richard Conroy, Ph.D., recently joined NIBIB as the Nuclear Medicine Program Officer in the Division of Applied Science and Technology.
George Patterson, Ph.D., has joined NIBIB's Intramural Science Program as the Head of the Biophotonics Section. Mary Pitonak joined the NIBIB Office of Administrative Management as an Administrative Fellow in the Ethics Specialist track. Jessica Ryan has returned to NIBIB after recently completing the NIH Management Intern program. She is a Management Analyst in the Office of Administrative Management.
Stephanie Sabourin recently joined NIBIB as a Biomedical Engineer in the Division of Discovery Science and Technology. Hari Shroff, Ph.D., has joined NIBIB's Intramural Science Program as the Head of the High-Resolution Optical Imaging Section. Kwesi Wright recently joined NIBIB as a Grants Management Specialist in the Office of Grants Management. GranteesPATH Awarded Hilton Humanitarian Prize—World's Largest Humanitarian Prize  PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), an international nonprofit organization that uses innovative technologies and solutions to solve global health problems, has been selected to receive the 2009 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1.5 million. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation presents the annual award, the world's largest humanitarian prize, to an organization that is significantly alleviating human suffering worldwide. The prize will be presented on September 21 in Washington, D.C. PATH was one of more than 200 nominees for the 2009 Hilton Humanitarian Prize. The 2009 Hilton Humanitarian Prize will help promote PATH's mission and new initiatives to improve the health of people around the world by advancing technologies, strengthening systems, and encouraging healthy behaviors. PATH currently works in more than 70 countries and is leading efforts in identifying, introducing, and scaling up affordable technology solutions to break long-standing cycles of poor health in developing countries. A Seattle-based organization, PATH has state-of-the-art laboratories and product development facilities, where more than 85 cutting-edge technologies have been developed in the areas of technology development, maternal and child health, reproductive health, vaccines and immunization, and emerging and epidemic diseases. Included in PATH's realm of technology development is the development of appropriate point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests designed for low-resource settings, especially in developing countries. Low-cost POC tools are needed in developing countries where diagnostic capabilities are minimal, inadequate, or even nonexistent. POC testing refers to the timely provision of diagnostic testing and therapy at the point-of-care that can reliably be used by a range of health care providers or by patients themselves in decentralized (i.e., non-hospital) settings. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) funds PATH's Center for Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Global Health (http://www.path.org/dxcenter Read more about the PATH Hilton Humanitarian Prize at: http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=72 Read more about the Center to Advance POC Diagnostics for Global Health at: http://www.nibib.nih.gov/Research/POCTRN/GlobalHealth. NIBIB Grantee Sangeeta Bhatia Featured on NOVA scienceNOW Sangeeta Bhatia, a biomedical engineer with a Ph.D. from MIT and an M.D. from Harvard, was recently featured on a program by NOVA scienceNOW. Dr. Bhatia, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT, is a pioneer in the field of tissue engineering and directs a lab focused on the applications of micro- and nanotechnology for tissue repair and regeneration. Using computer-chip technology, she has devised a way to craft "micro-livers" in her lab, an innovation that is helping pharmaceutical companies develop safer drugs and that one day could lead to entire artificial organs for transplant. Juggling the many demands of wife, mother, and scientist is not easy, but this brief glimpse into Dr. Bhatia's life and work demonstrates that she does it extremely well. She is a successful role model for young women wishing to become engineers. View the NOVA scienceNOW program at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0404/04.html Conferences & MeetingsAnnual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) NIBIB Grantsmanship Seminar 2009 RSNA The NIH CornerPresident Obama Visits NIH
President Obama at NIH
President Barack Obama spent about an hour at NIH on September 30, touring a Clinical Research Center laboratory with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and getting updates on scientific research before delivering a 15-minute address to a packed Masur Auditorium. He congratulated NIH for getting the first $5 billion of a $10.4 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriation out the door by the end of fiscal year 2009. "I'm here to talk about our nation's commitment to research," Obama said. "The work you do is not easy. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence. But it holds incredible promise for the health of our people and the future of our nation and our world…Today we're announcing that we've awarded $5 billion—that's with a ‘b'—in grants through the Recovery Act to conduct cutting-edge research all across America, to unlock treatments to diseases that have long plagued humanity, to save and enrich the lives of people all over the world. This represents the single largest boost to biomedical research in history." Click here to continue reading about President Obama's visit Restructured Application Forms and Instructions for FY 2011As part of the Peer Review Enhancement process that began in January 2009, NIH has announced a restructuring and shortening of applications submitted for fiscal year (FY) 2011 funding. All competing applications (new, renewal, resubmission, revision) must use the new forms and adhere to the new page limits and instructions. These changes affect applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2010. An NIH Guide notice was published on September 16, 2009, announcing the changes and providing detailed information. Read the Guide notice at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-149.html. Additional information on these changes is also available on the Enhancing Peer Review website at http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/restructured_applications.html. NIH Opens Web-Based Form for Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) RegistryThe NIH Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research, published on July 7, 2009, established the policy and procedures under which the NIH will fund extramural stem cell research and created a new NIH Registry of eligible human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines that comply with the Guideline standards. NIH is now accepting requests for hESC lines to be approved for use in NIH-funded research. Information may be submitted online through a web-based form, NIH Form 2890, available at http://stemcells.nih.gov/. Read the NIH Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research at http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines.htm. NIH Director Francis S. Collins Awarded National Medal of Science On September 17, 2009, President Obama named NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors. He received his award on October 7 at a White House ceremony. The National Medal of Science was created by statute in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. Awarded annually, the Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to science and engineering. Nominees are selected by a committee of Presidential appointees based on their advanced knowledge in, and contributions to, the biological, behavioral/social, and physical sciences, as well as chemistry, engineering, computing, and mathematics. Read the full announcement http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Honors-Nations-Top-Scientists-and-Innovators/ |
. Additional information or questions should be addressed to Stacy Wallick at 
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