The Medical School Office of Research is pleased to announce its newest core facility, the Epigenomics Core, managed by the Biomedical Research Core Facilities.

The Epigenomics Core provides resources and services to prepare samples for analysis in epigenetic regulation in both genome-wide and locus-specific manners. The Core is located in MSRB II 2568 (next to the DNA Sequencing Sample drop-off center and the Proteomics & Peptide Synthesis Core).

Epigenetics was identified as one of the priority initiatives by external reviewers and in the Personalized Medicine Fast Forward Proposal.

"We're thrilled to be able to offer these important resources to researchers," said Maria Figueroa, M.D., Epigenomics Core Director and Assistant Professor of Pathology. "Epigenetics is a crucial emerging field, and we're looking forward to becoming one of the recognized leaders in the discipline."

What is Epigenetics?

Epigenetic regulation refers to DNA sequence independent regulation of heritable traits that impacts gene expression. In recent years the term has broadened to also encompass processes that control gene expression and genomic functions beyond DNA sequence but which may be more transient or facultative in nature. Epigenetic information is contained and mediated by the genomic distribution of cytosine modifications such as methylation (5mC) and hydroxymethylation (5hmC), and post-translational modifications of histones and other proteins.

For more information, visit the Core website.

IRBMED has revised its Standard Adverse Event (AE) Reporting Guidelines for reporting AEs occurring at the U-M (Internal AEs), effective Friday, April 3, 2015.

The new IRBMED AE Reporting Guidance will reduce study team burden by limiting which types of internal adverse events must be submitted to the IRBMED.

Below are examples of what no longer requires reporting:

Obligations for reporting internal AEs to sponsors and regulatory agencies DID NOT change; this updated guidance ONLY modifies reporting obligations for internal AEs to IRBMED. 

Reporting procedures for external AEs (AEs occurring at sites other than the U-M) DID NOT change. The new guidance is not applicable to Study-Specific AE reporting plans.

Click here to review the revised guidance.

Please contact IRBMED at (734) 763-4768 if you have any questions.

The Biomedical Research Core Facilities (BRCF) have launched MiCores, an online core management system from iLab Solutions, designed to streamline ordering and billing for core service requests.

Currently, the following BRCF Cores are in the system:

• Bioinformatics Core
• Biosafety Containment Core
• Flow Cytometry Core
• Metabolomics Core
• Microscopy & Image Analysis Laboratory
• Proteomics & Peptide Synthesis Core
• Sample Preservation Freezer Farm Facility
• Transgenic Animal Model Core
• Vector Core

The Biomedical Research Store, DNA Sequencing Core, and new Epigenomics Core are on target to implement MiCores by the end of 2015. The BRCF is excited to offer this as a resource to our customers, and all core users are invited to use the system. 

How to Access MiCores

Users may set up an account at https://umich.corefacilities.org
and will simply need their uniqname and Level-1 (Kerberos) password to login. Once you complete the one-time registration process and are approved by your PI or Lab Manager, the system will enable you to place service requests, provide required approvals, and monitor progress.

Need Assistance with MiCores? 

This challenge offers a great opportunity for our investigators to submit a drug discovery concept for collaboration, as well as a chance to work with GSK scientists to help turn novel drug development concepts into new medicines.

Visit the Challenge website to learn more about this opportunity, including application instructions and proposal selection criteria.

Please contact Stephanie Morley on the Fast Forward Medical Innovation Business Development team via email if you have additional questions.

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the U-M Medical School was recently selected as an American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Milestones in Microbiology Designated Site. This designation, awarded to only a handful of sites across the country, recognizes institutions and the scientists who worked there for the significant contributions they have made toward advancing the science of microbiology.

Microbiology at the U-M Medical School (UMMS) has a rich history, tracing its roots back to the appointment of Dr. Frederick G. Novy as assistant professor of Hygiene and Physiological Chemistry in 1891. Novy offered a three-month intensive course, Practical Bacteriology, which is credited as being the first lecture-lab course in the United States. The following year, Novy's class was made a required part of the medical school curriculum, making UMMS one of the first medical schools to require formal training in microbiology.

Two other distinguished U-M investigators -- Thomas Francis Jr. and Frederick C. Neidhardt -- extended Novy's legacy of leadership with their contributions to both U-M and the larger microbiology field. Dr. Francis, an influenza virologist, founded the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Michigan, where he mentored Jonas Salk on vaccine development.

Dr. Neidhardt studied bacterial physiology and was among the earliest investigators to apply powerful systems-based approaches to understand physiological responses of the cell to specific environmental stresses. The department was also home to the first African-American faculty member at the U-M, Albert Wheeler, a syphilis researcher who was appointed as Assistant Professor in 1952.

This rich history has set the pattern for what is now the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, chaired by Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph.D., and home to over 30 faculty whose research into microbial physiology and genetics, and pathogenicity and immunity, is recognized as one of the leaders and best in the country. 

A ceremony to commemorate the designation is being scheduled for Fall 2015. More details to follow.

The U-M Office of the President is seeking nominations for the third recipient of the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health. The medal, established 10 years ago, "honors individuals who have made significant advancements toward global public health -- with a particular emphasis on those whose work has made a real-life impact on populations around the world," President Mark S. Schlissel said.

The medal is awarded every three to five years and the recipient will be asked to deliver a keynote address at a symposium on a major topic in world health. 

"Improving world health is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities that we face as a society, and it is my distinct pleasure to continue the University of Michigan's tradition of awarding the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health," Schlissel said.

The committee seeks a public health leader who has contributed to the field through:

• Major scientific discovery or invention.

• Leadership in development, implementation, or promotion of effective public health policy, nationally or internationally.

• Seminal support for the development or implementation of effective action that advances global public health.

• Distinguished service in the promotion of global public health.

Click here to learn more about the award and nomination process.

Nominations to be considered should be submitted no later than Friday, May 15.

Questions can be directed to francismedal@umich.edu. 

Sachin Kheterpal, M.D.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced a panel of experts that will steer President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative. The $215 million initiative seeks to leverage genomics, informatics, and health information technology to accelerate biomedical discoveries and enable personalized medicine approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., Associate Chair for Clinical Affairs and Quality in the U-M Department of Anesthesiology, will join the panel comprised of 18 other medical experts from across the country. 

The panel will seek input from stakeholders in the Precision Medicine Initiative and define the scope and scale of the initiative, the issues that need to be addressed, and what success would look like five and 10 years out, the NIH said.

Read more about the Precision Medicine Initiative.

Jessica O'Konek, Ph.D.

Jessica O'Konek, Ph.D., a research investigator at the U-M Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences, is the recipient of an inaugural Food Allergy Research & Education Investigator (FARE) in Food Allergy Award.

Dr. O'Konek is studying the modulation of food allergy responses with nanoemulsion-based allergy vaccines, exploring the possibility of providing protection against anaphylaxis, or acute allergic reactions, with intranasal administration of nanoemulsion combined with food allergens.

FARE is the world's largest private source of funding for food allergy research. Their funding supports investigators involved in education and basic and/or clinical research on the mechanisms and treatment of food allergic diseases. Dr. O'Konek was one of two recipients of the 2015 New Investigator Award. 

Scott Soleimanpour, M.D.

Scott Soleimanpour, M.D., whose research has been highlighted by the National Institutes of Health as a potential game-changer for diabetes treatment, earned the 2015 Early Career Development Award from the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research.

The Society scores the significance of research findings and honors those believed to have overall promise as an investigator. Soleimanpour is an assistant professor of endocrinology at UMHS and an investigator at the U-M Brehm Center for Diabetes Research. 

His research led to the discovery of the diabetes susceptibility gene Clec 16a. The type 1 diabetes gene appears to play a role in quality control of insulin-producing beta cells. Soleimanpour's finding sheds light on the genetic risk component of type 1 diabetes and a new approach for keeping beta cells strong.

Learn more about Dr. Soleimanpour's research in his Medicine at Michigan faculty profile.