News

NIH recently updated policies regarding application submissions.  That update allowed resubmission of an A1 application as an A0.  One of the restrictions outlined in the policy update states that the second A0 submission can not reference any previous reviews.  NIH is rejecting any application making reference to previous reviews.  To read more of the policy, click here.  For questions, contact your GPS.

[From NIH eSubmission Items of Interest - September 18, 2014]

Systematic Application Compliance Checking – What It Is and What It’s Not 

Automated enforcement of business rules by NIH eRA systems plays an important role in the application submission process – it helps you and it helps NIH. Understanding what that role covers can be the difference between your application moving forward to review and not. 

System-enforced application validations are what they are – nothing more, nothing less. 

In response to the third cycle of NCI Alliance activity, we are organizing a team to work on a proposal for  “NCI Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence”. The UK proposal is entitled  “RNA Nanotechnology Center for Cancer Therapy".   We strongly encourage UK faculties to participate in this proposal.  Please contact Peixuan Guo (peixuan.guo@uky.edu) for a recommendation to a project leader.  The deadline is the beginning of November.

Two independent groups of researchers led by Sidney "Wally" Whiteheart, PhD, at the University of Kentucky, and Dr. Charles Lowenstein, at the University of Rochester, have published important studies exploring the role that a gene called STXBP5 plays in the development of cardiovascular disease. According to Whiteheart, previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified a gene called STXBP5 as a factor that regulates a protein called Von Willebrand factor (VWF). VWF is an important contributor to normal blood clotting.

As a reminder, an Internal Approval Form (IAF) is no longer routinely required for non-competing progress reports. This change primarily effects multiple year awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). An IAF will still be required for significant changes (for instance, if there is a 25% or greater change in budget from the proposal that was originally routed, if a co-Investigator is added or if the Enrichment distribution changes). 

You are probably aware that the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has made a major change to the underlying guidance by which university recipients of federal awards have operated for decades. OMB combined eight separate circulars, applicable to different types of grantee organizations, into a single document, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” commonly referred to as the Uniform Guidance (UG).

Starting in October 2014 (just a few weeks away!) eRA Commons Usernames for graduate and undergraduate student project roles will be required for both the PHS 2590 Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report and Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR).

Public Law 110-81: Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007  imposes stringent requirements on universities and other organizations engaged in lobbying. The University of Kentucky, as a registered lobbying entity, must exercise comprehensive oversight over all lobbying activities undertaken on behalf of the University and must file quarterly disclosure reports with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers has identified a novel molecule named Arylquin 1 as a potent inducer of Par-4 secretion from normal cells. Par-4 is a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor, killing cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. Normal cells secrete small amounts of Par-4 on their own, but this amount is not enough to kill cancer cells.

Did you know that you can help others by participating in research? Health-focused research affects every aspect of our lives, from the medications we take to the health of our environment. Researchers are working hard to identify new treatments and strategies to improve the health of our communities, but research needs healthy volunteers and volunteers with medical conditions in order to succeed.

[From Rebecca Dutch, Associate Dean for Biomedical Education]

Dear Chairs and Center Directors,

The University of Kentucky Center for Health Services Research (CHSR), which serves as a connector, catalyst and creator at UK and UK HealthCare, announces the launch of its new website and seeks membership applicants for its efforts in applying research to optimize health care delivery. The CHSR is focused on creating, testing, and scaling next-generation health services research solutions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health delivery within Kentucky and beyond.

A team of investigators has made a thought-provoking discovery about a type of cholesterol previously believed to be a "bad guy" in the development of heart disease and other conditions. Jason Meyer, a University of Kentucky M.D.-Ph.D.

SRAS News -- eIAFs for Clinical Trials can now be initiated by the Grant Proposal Specialist (GPS) for your department/center.  Please contact your GPS directly for assistance.  You can find a list of SRAS department assignments here. 

The University of Kentucky's Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on the Molecular Basis of Human Disease was recently awarded a third phase of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for a program to develop its research community and center dedicated to human disease. With this new $1.25 million annual grant, UK's COBRE will build upon achievements of a research development program that initially received NIH support in 2004.

[From NIH website]

Attention PIs with NIH awards --  OSPA recently delegated to you the ability in eRA Commons to submit your annual progress reports, known as RPPRs, to NIH directly.   (NIH allows this delegation for SNAP awards only).  The SRAS staff remains available and more than willing to assist you with this process.  We are currently working on revising the RPPR SOP, which will be posted soon.  In the meantime, you are strongly encouraged to contact your GPS/pre-award support person directly for guidance w

Public Workshop – Pediatric Clinical Investigator Training

Studies show that adults who received corrective surgery for the most common serious form of congenital heart disease as infants are susceptible to heart failure in adulthood. Researchers at the University of Kentucky are using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to better understand the cause of heart failure in these patients, with the goal of eventually developing new therapies to reduce mortality. The team, led by University of Kentucky professor Dr.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Directors of the NIH grant Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women' Health (BIRCWH) at the University of Kentucky are seeking applications from outstanding junior faculty interested in participating in this research training program focused on either

1) women’s health
2) sex/gender differences in health risk and/or disease.