Join the Biomedical Research Core Facilities (BRCF) for the fourth-annual Technology & Services Showcase as the Cores and their partner vendors highlight the latest advancements and equipment offerings in biomedical research.

Speaking sessions featuring top experts in research will be held in Forum Hall, across the hall from the vendor area, including:

For more information on participating units and vendors, please visit the event website.

On Monday, June 22 (7 weeks from now) the University of Michigan will have the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) conduct a site visit of our animal research program.

U-M will host eight site visitors for the full week; they will visit all housing locations on every campus and many laboratories. AAALAC accreditation is an important check to assure we have high standards for animal care and use, and is instrumental for building research collaborations and for seeking funding.

The site visit is an important opportunity to prove our commitment to responsible conduct of animal research.

You will be invited to opportunities for in-person "Meetings for Action: AAALAC" hosted around campus where we hope laboratory staff working with animals will come to build upon knowledge to assist in answering questions from our AAALAC site visit team.

We appreciate all of the efforts by our faculty and staff thus far; please help us spread the word to our U-M research community.

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 allowed Medicare payment of the routine costs of care furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in certain categories of Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) studies.

As of January 1, 2015, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made changes to the process of obtaining coverage approval for standard of care items and services in a device trial. Previously handled by local Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), this process is now managed centrally by CMS.

Investigators should note the following changes as a result of this new process:

• Study teams submitting IDE studies for approval AFTER January 1, 2015 must now go through the central CMS office to obtain CMS Approval Letters. Detailed submission requirements are available here.
• IDE studies approved by MACs PRIOR to January 1, 2015 will continue to be administered by the MAC. Study sponsors should continue to follow the process established by the MAC for any site additions or protocol changes.
• Study sponsors do NOT have to submit their protocol to CMS if the participating study investigator sites have already received approval from their MAC.
• CMS will post information on their website each week for IDE studies approved after January 1, 2015. Study teams are encouraged to check the CMS website to see if their site has already been approved prior to submitting a new application.

To speed up the submission process, CMS has released a Checklist and Sample Crosswalk. Submitters are encouraged to submit the crosswalk along with the request packet to facilitate CMS' review. CMS will review each complete submission within approximately 30 days, and e-submissions (emails and/or electronic documents) are preferred over hardcopies.

Questions?

Please contact the Clinical Research Calendar Review & Analysis Office via email or phone at (734) 998-6880, or visit the CMS website for more information. 

The University of Michigan Depression Center is requesting proposals for the 2015 Rachel Upjohn Clinical Scholars Award Program.

The purpose of this program is to support early career faculty at the

U-M who are members of the Depression Center and are interested in engaging in clinical research on mood disorders.

2015 Rachel Upjohn Clinical Scholars Award Program

Additional details, including proposal guidelines, are available here. Proposals should be submitted electronically via UMMS Competition Space.

Questions?

Please contact Kim Weber in the Depression Center via email with questions about the application process.

IVAC technicians Wendy Rosebury-Smith and Florin Timpau create a scanned image of a soft tissue tumor on an H&E stained slide.

The In-Vivo Animal Core (IVAC), part of the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), recently acquired an Aperio AT2® high volume, digital whole slide scanner. The Aperio has the ability to perform precise slide digital capture and analysis, and will be used by IVAC to support research staff in their animal research studies.

The scanned images are captured as eSlides, which may be shared with the requestor quickly and efficiently. In turn, the requestor may capture their own image for publication or choose to simultaneously view images with others. This ability is invaluable for investigators who collaborate globally.

"Our investigators will have immediate access to collaborate with colleagues around the world and have improved decision-support tools, [increased] efficiency, and assistance in the drug development process," explains IVAC Manager Carrie Schray.
"We also have the ability to create an IVAC digital slide library for veterinary pathology teaching and training purposes." 

The scanner utilizes software algorithms to vary image magnification from less than 2x to as much as 40x. This feature shortens the time spent by IVAC's in-house pathologists, choosing a region for the photo or the best representation of a sample section, so that the veterinary pathologist may focus their expertise and trained eyes on analysis and interpretation. 

To assure privacy and security when sharing patient-level data

or specimens with a collaborator external to the University of Michigan, a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) may be required.

The DSA process has been greatly simplified: Log in to the eResearch Proposal Management System and create an Unfunded Agreement (UFA).

When a UFA is submitted, the appropriate office will determine whether a DSA is required for your project and you will be provided the appropriate documentation and next steps to finalize your agreement. These activities take place within the UFA system.

Visit the Honest Broker Office website for more information. 

The U-M Depression Center is currently seeking proposals for its Strategic Translational Research Awards (STAR Awards) Program. STAR Awards are specifically designed for exploring and testing research ideas pertaining to depression-related research.

Strategic Translational Research Awards Program 

Proposals should be submitted via UMMS Competition Space. Please contact Kim Weber in the Depression Center via email with questions about the application process. 

Click image to view and download event flyer.

Join U-M Procurement Services at their upcoming Life Science Suppliers Show for lunch and to learn more about how key research supply vendors can help your unit save money! 

The show will feature a number of research supply vendors ready to discuss your needs, as well as the most cost-effective way to purchase supplies with representatives from Procurement Services. Vendors will also be showcasing some of their new instruments and products. 

Participating research supply vendors:

• Bio-Rad
• Dot Scientific, Inc.
• EMD Millipore
• Harlan Laboratories®
• Life Technologies
• Sigma-Aldrich
• Qiagen 

 And don't forget to enter a drawing to win one of six U-M coolers!

For more information, please contact Life Science Procurement Agent Kelly Pavlica via email or phone at (734) 615-8767.

A few times a year, Medical School Information Services (MSIS) runs an anonymous survey to ask what you think of the work they do. That survey is now open, so please share your opinions by following this link.

Only the first question is required and it takes a few seconds to complete. Any additional questions are optional and should only take a few minutes if you choose to tackle them. What you share will help direct MSIS improvement efforts, and this survey will be reissued periodically to help track the effectiveness of those efforts over time. If you're curious, feel free to read more about their survey methods or browse previous results reports. 

Take a moment to make yourself heard and, if you have any questions, just send us a note.