On May 18, the Endocrine Society attended the 201st meeting of the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Advisory Council. Society members Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD, Alan Saltiel, PhD, and Joel Elmquist, PhD, DVM, are members of the NIDDK Council, which advises the director of the NIDDK on research, support activities, and functions of the Institute.
During the open session of the meeting the director of the Fogarty International Center (FIC), Roger Glass, MD, PhD, joined the Council to provide an update on the activities of the FIC. Glass discussed how global research priorities often end up impacting domestic treatments, and highlighted the success of international training and research programs for young investigators. He also noted that diabetes and other endocrine diseases rank among the most compelling around the world. For example, the prevalence of diabetes is increasing tremendously in southeast Asia as age structures and average body weights are changing rapidly. He predicted that the fastest growth in diabetes will be in the African continent over the next 20 years.
The NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, Michael Lauer, MD, then gave a presentation on Evidence-Based Funding: Thoughts About Extramural Research, which examined how research is currently evaluated and supported in an era where the U.S.’s research budget as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is decreasing. He noted that there is currently no “gold standard” for assessing value in biomedical research, and that publication records are not a perfect metric because different fields cite papers at different rates. Council then discussed how to understand all the components and parties that contribute to drug development, and how to evaluate projects in light of the unpredictable nature of biomedical research.
During the open session of the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism Subcouncil, Endocrine Society member and NIDDK program director Corinne Silva, PhD, delivered an update on large, interdisciplinary team-science projects where she described how applications using the R24 grant mechanism would be transitioned to an RC2 mechanism and highlighted some specifics for the RC2 mechanisms, including expected budgets larger than $500,000 per year; opportunity for two submission dates per year; pre-approval process through NIDDK divisions; and a two level editorial board type review.
On June 9, the Endocrine Society participated in the 160th meeting of the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council. During the open session of the meeting, Vesna Kutlesic, PhD, the director of the NICHD Office of Global Health joined the council to provide an overview of NICHD programs to advance global maternal and child health. NICHD’s total international funding related to global health research includes 286 funded projects in 138 countries totaling over $115 million. Kutlesic described several recent advances from these projects, including a study in South Africa on the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and also a study in Denmark on the determinants and health implications of diabetes in pregnancy on women and their children.
Building on the global health presentation, Nahida Chakhtoura, MD, then joined the council to deliver a presentation on the Zika virus and NICHD research efforts against Zika. Chakhtoura gave an overview of the history of the Zika virus and the recent outbreak, including modes of transmission and adverse outcomes. Importantly, it was noted that adverse outcomes are not limited to the widely reported cases of microcephaly, but include a spectrum of effects such as miscarriage and eye abnormalities. Additionally, the risk of serious effects may span the first through third trimester of pregnancy.
As part of NICHD efforts to advance the science related to preventing and treating patients infected with the Zika virus, the Institute is participating in the R21 funding opportunity “Rapid Assessment of Zika Virus (ZKV) Complications.” The NICHD, along with the other participating institutes, will be accepting applications on a rolling basis given the urgent need to learn more about the Zika virus and prevent further harm to pregnant women and their children. Additionally, a multi-site, multi-country prospective observational cohort study including 10,000 women is currently in the planning phases. The objective of the study will be to “determine the risks of Zika infection during pregnancy on maternal and fetal outcomes while controlling for potential confounders.” In addition to NICHD, the study is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies, and the Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz.
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