The MCIRCC Catalyst | October 2015


News for MCIRCC Members, Insiders and the U-M Critical Care Community

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IN THIS ISSUE

Research Spotlight

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT


Massey TBI Summit
A Meeting of the MindsMasseySummit
Leading scientists and key opinion leaders from across the country discuss the future of TBI research at the Joyce Massey TBI Summit

Last month, U-M hosted its inaugural Joyce Massey TBI Summit, which was made possible thanks to the support and generosity of the Joyce and Don Massey Family Foundation. On Friday, September 25 we welcomed leading scientists and key opinion leaders from across the country to present their research and to share their thoughts on the future of TBI research.

For the keynote address, attendees learned about the present and future state of TBI research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) from its Director Walter Koroshetz, MD. His presentation highlighted critical scientific knowledge gaps for TBI researchers:
  • What is the "dose" required to cause a concussion, post-concussion syndrome or chronic traumatic encephalopathy?
  • How does a concussion affect the brain in the short- and long-term?
  • How can we reliably and objectively detect when the brain is injured and when it is fully recovered?
  • How does the brain recover from TBI? How can we harness discoveries in neuroplasticity to improve recovery?
TBI Projects
Dr. Koroshetz also spoke about the importance of "target engagement" in order to advance clinical science, as well as the importance of plotting project milestones to avoid the mirage of a quick cure.

The day was then divided into laboratory science, technology development and clinical science presentations and panel discussions. The unique format of the Summit had the prot�g�es of influential key opinion leaders (KOLs) and U-M research teams deliver 10-minute presentations on their cutting-edge research, followed by a Q&A session. KOLs formed panels, to coincide with the three research categories, to discuss the research and to exchange thoughts on topics including reliable animal TBI models, promising strategies for non-invasive brain monitoring, and the efficacy of using the Glasgow Coma Scale to select patients for TBI clinical trials, to name a few.

The day ended with the highly anticipated $10 million panel question: How would you use $10 million to further TBI research? The panel largely agreed that $10 million was not enough to change the face of TBI, and that it would be best used to provide seed grants to researchers looking to provide proof of concept for grant applications, or to simply allow researchers to explore novel ideas. Other notable ideas included:
  • an XPRIZE-style competition specifically for TBI;
  • investing in coordination and communication between TBI researchers and institutions to aid collaboration;
  • creating TBI advocacy/lobby groups to highlight the need for TBI disease centers, similar to what exists for cardiology and cancer;
  • focusing funding on developing outcome assessments of TBI in order to progress clinical trials.
The KOLs weren't the only ones with some unique ideas on spending the $10 million-when opened up to the floor, the prot�g�es and U-M researchers had some equally impressive thoughts including:
  • investing in a mentoring program for young faculty to become leaders in TBI;
  • bringing together computer programmers, engineers and other fields to develop new technologies;
  • creating a national TBI Society by joining forces with the National Neurotrauma Society.
The KOL panel also touched on navigating industry partnerships, highlighting that researchers need a better understanding of the FDA process in order to attract investment. They also discussed the trend in companies using universities for their research and development, and how researchers can leverage this by charging a fee for study development, and even seek assistance to help pay for expensive clinical trials.

While it was an honor to hear from this impressive group of researchers from across the country, it was also an opportunity for U-M to showcase its contribution to TBI research by highlighting the work we have undertaken so far, thanks to the Massey family, and the exciting projects we have in store. Video recordings of all four panel discussions are forthcoming, so stay tuned.

The next phase of the Massey Foundation TBI Innovation Fund is the Grand Challenge: TBI which will be held in January 2016. The Grand Challenge will fund multidisciplinary teams to develop diagnostic, device, therapeutic, or health information technology solutions that impact severe TBI during the first 48 hours of care.

More detailed information about the Grand Challenge will be available soon.

Grand Challenge: TBI Event

ANNOUNCEMENTS


U-M Big Data Initiative
U-M Launches $100 million Data Science Initiativebigdata
Targeted application areas to include transportation, health, social science

The University of Michigan plans to invest $100 million over the next five years in a new Data Science Initiative that will enhance opportunities for student and faculty researchers across the university to tap into the enormous potential of big data.
 
Progress in a wide spectrum of fields ranging from medicine to transportation relies critically on the ability to gather, store, search and analyze big data-collections of information so vast and complex that they challenge traditional approaches to data processing and analysis.
 
"Big data can provide dramatic insights into the nature of disease, climate change, social behavior, business and economics, engineering, and the basic biological and physical sciences," said U-M President Mark Schlissel. "With our widely recognized strengths across all of these areas and our longstanding culture of collaboration across disciplines, U-M is in a unique position to leverage this investment in data science for the good of society."

Following the October 6 inaugural symposium to launch the Data Science Initiative, the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) announced the first project competition for MIDAS Challenge Thrust funding awards.
 
Virtual Institute Communications

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES


Brain Research
Brain Research Foundation Fay/Frank Seed Program 2016BrainResearch

Internal Deadline: October 26, 2015 
Sponsor Deadline: January 7, 2016
Institutional Nominees Allowed: 1
Funding Available: $80,000 for two years.
Sponsor Guidelines: Brain Research Foundation-Seed Grant Program


The Brain Research Foundation Fay/Frank Seed Grant Program provides start-up monies for new research projects in the field of neuroscience that will likely lead to extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other outside funding sources.

Eligibility and Research Focus
The PI must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor working in the area of studies of brain function. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources.

For additional information, please visit the UMMS Competition Space page

For questions, please contact Camille Mrozowski, 734-615-8802, [email protected]


MIDAS Project Funding
MIDAS Competition for Data Science Project FundingMIDAS

Categories: Learning Analytics & Data Science for Transportation
White Paper (Pre-proposal) Deadline: November 30, 2015
Full Proposal Deadline: January 18, 2016
Number of Awards: 2 projects; 1 in each category (thrust area)
Funding Amount: approximately $1.25 million each
Award Announcement: February 15, 2016
RFP Details: MIDAS Request for Proposals

The Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) has announced the first competition for MIDAS Challenge Thrust awards, intended to stimulate research in key areas identified at the recent MIDAS inaugural symposium. They will lay the foundation for future funding from government, private foundations or industry.
 
Successful research projects will cut across disciplines, have the potential for disruptive impact in the field, and hold promise for advancing the methodological foundations of data science.
 
Interested researchers can learn more about the two MIDAS Challenge Thrust areas and connect with potential collaborators at four upcoming town hall meetings:
  • Learning Analytics, 5:00-6:30pm Oct. 21, 1109 Fran�ois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Building
  • Learning Analytics, 5:00-6:30pm Nov. 17, Kalamazoo Room, Michigan League
  • Data Science for Transportation, 5:00-6:30pm Oct. 22, 1311 EECS
  • Data Science for Transportation, 5:00-6:30pm Nov. 10, Rackham Amphitheater
In all, the thrusts will focus on four areas: Learning Analytics, Data Science for Transportation, Social Science and Health Science. RFPs for the Social Science and Health Science areas will be released in early 2016.
 
The MIDAS Challenge Thrusts are part of the university's $100 million investment in data science announced in September.
 
For additional information or questions, please visit the MIDAS Requests for Proposals page or email [email protected].


MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS

MCIRCC salutes the achievements of it members in their pursuit of academic excellence, industry thought leadership, and initiatives of personal passion. Because together, leveraging each of our individual triumphs as a team, we have the power to transform critical care medicine. If you have a recent achievement, award, or accolade to brag about contact [email protected] with details.


William Barsan, MD
William Barsan Honored for Emergency Training Work in GhanaBarsan
 
William Barsan, MD was among 20 individuals honored for contributions to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Emergency Training Center in Ghana. Over the last five years, the center has supported the training of 15 emergency physicians and 80 nurses.  KATH aims to increase capacity for provision of emergency medical care in the country through innovative and sustainable training for physicians as well as medical and nursing students. Click here to learn more.

Shu Takayama, PhD
Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund Invests in Shuichi Takayama's Healthcare Startup PHASIQTakayama
 
The University of Michigan's Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund has invested in PHASIQ, a proteomics startup founded by Shuichi Takayama, PhD, that provides a cheaper, faster, and more accurate solution to test for multiple proteins on a single patient sample.

PHASIQ is developing a multiplex assay that's meant to quickly and inexpensively identify several proteins in a sample. It could be used in multiple disease diagnostics and for drug development. This pre-seed funding will be used to automate its manufacturing process to make production scalable for its assay.

The company, founded in 2012, plans to launch its assay commercially next year. Click here to learn more about PHASIQ and its multiplexing technology.

Critical Care Team
Cooke, Iwashyna, Sjoding and Valley Published in JAMAJAMAteam
 
According to research published in the new issue of JAMA by MCIRCC members Colin R. Cooke, MDTheodore J. Iwashyna, MD, PhDMichael W. Sjoding, MD, and Thomas S. Valley, MD, seniors with pneumonia had a better chance of surviving if they went to an intensive care unit rather than a general hospital bed. And despite the ICU's reputation as a high-cost place to care for patients, the costs to Medicare and hospitals were the same for both groups. The new research focuses on those patients on the "bubble" -- those who doctors could send to either an ICU bed or a general bed depending on their judgment.

Sardar Ansari, PhD
Sardar Ansari to Present his Award-Winning Trauma Abstract at the ReSuscitation Science SymposiumAnsari
 
Sardar Ansari, PhD will present his abstract titled A Novel Portable Polyvinylidene Fluoride Based Sensor for Detection of Hemorrhage at the ReSuscitation Science Symposium, part of the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, November 7-9 in Orlando, FL.
 
In addition, Dr. Ansari's abstract is one of four selected to receive the Best Abstract Award (Trauma), which recognizes the top scoring abstracts in Cardiac Resuscitation Science and Trauma Resuscitation Science.

Fred Korley, MD, PhD
Frederick Korley Published in Journal of Head Trauma RehabilitationKorley
 
According to research published ahead-of-print in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation by Frederick K. Korley, MD, PhD and team, the emergency department (ED) is the main gateway to medical care for millions of patients evaluated for traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. This means novel diagnostic tests are needed to improve ED diagnosis and management of TBI. Click here to learn more about the study.


DON'T FORGET YOUR MCIRCC AFFILIATION
If you are speaking with the media about your work in critical care research or are working with the U-M News Service or U-M Health System Public Relations on a health care related press release, article, or other news item, please mention your affiliation with the U-M Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care.


EVENTS, TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We Make Health Fest

October 25, 2015
11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Palmer Commons

The second annual We #MakeHealth Fest at the University of Michigan is a collaborative event focused on participatory design, innovation, and the creation of a Maker Movement for health. You are invited to share your projects and creations as an exhibitor or a presenter, or to just come and be inspired by the community in the room and our keynote speakers Susannah Fox, Chief Technology Officer of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and Jose Gomez-Marquez and Anna Young of the Little Devices Lab and MakerNurse.

Click here for more information and event registration.

Device Ideas

October 29, 2015
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

BSRB, Seminar Rooms

Do you have an idea for a medical device?  This informal and interactive educational session sponsored by Fast Forward Medical Innovation is designed to highlight the stages of the medical device development process, share details on resources, and help push forward existing concepts.

Click here for more information and to register for this FREE event.

K-Writing Workshop

November 4, 18 and December 9
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

NCRC, Building 520

MICHR offers a structured, three-part workshop designed to assist junior faculty and fellows who are preparing competitive career development grant applications (NIH K and VA CDA) for 2016 submission.

Participants will exchange drafts of proposal sections and receive peer critique and feedback from senior faculty experienced in NIH study section thinking. The workshop only "works" if participants have drafts to discuss.

Registrants MUST attend all three sessions. Your mentor is expected to attend Session 1 (November 4) or Session 2 (November 18).

Registration is required and closes on October 19.

Click here for more information and to register.

MCIRCC Membership

ABOUT MCIRCC
The U-M Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care (MCIRCC) is one of the world's first comprehensive research enterprises devoted to transforming critical care medicine by accelerating science and moving it from bench to bedside. To do this, MCIRCC brings together integrative teams comprised of world-class U-M scientists, clinicians, and engineers with industry partners and funding sources to develop and deploy cutting-edge solutions that elevate the care, outcomes, and quality of life of critically ill and injured patients and their families.