SPOTLIGHT
Guest Director’s Letter: Driving Toward Quadruple Diversity in the All of Us℠Research Program
Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to introduce Eric Dishman, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program. Mr. Dishman is leading the effort to build the PMI landmark longitudinal research study of one million or more U.S. volunteers to expand our ability to improve health and treat disease through precision medicine.
If you have comments or questions, please send them to Anita Linde, M.P.P., at lindea@mail.nih.gov.
Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dear Colleagues:
Since its inception, the Precision Medicine Initiative® (PMI) Cohort Program—recently renamed the All of Us℠ Research Program—has been deeply committed to diversity. This commitment was inherent in the President’s vision when he announced the program in January 2015, with the goal that this massive new effort scale the benefits of precision medicine across health statuses and across populations. It’s a commitment that was also woven deeply into the fabric of the blueprint for the Cohort Program, as presented in the report of the PMI Working Group to the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director: The Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program—Building a Research Foundation for 21st Century Medicine [PDF – 1.04 MB].
Image: Eric Dishman, Director, NIH Precision Medicine Initiative All of Us℠ Research Program.
NEWS
HHS Takes Steps To Provide More Information About Clinical Trials to the Public
In an effort to make information about clinical trials widely available to the public, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule [PDF – 2.92 MB] that specifies requirements for registering certain clinical trials and submitting summary results information to clinicaltrials.gov. The new rule expands legal requirements for submitting registration and results information for clinical trials involving U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated drug, biological and device products. At the same time, the NIH has issued a complementary policy [PDF – 452 KB] for registering and submitting summary results information to clinicaltrials.gov for all NIH-funded trials, including those not subject to the final rule.
Image: NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., discusses the new clinical trials policy.
NIH Awards More Than $150 Million for Research on Environmental Influences on Child Health: ECHO Program To Investigate Exposures From Conception Through Early Childhood
The NIH announced $157 million in awards in fiscal year 2016 to launch a seven-year initiative called Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO).The ECHO program will investigate how exposure to a range of environmental factors in early development—from conception through early childhood—influences the health of children and adolescents.
Image: ECHO Program Director Matthew Gillman, M.D., describes the new initiative.
Rare Autoinflammatory Diseases Research: Saving Lives, Giving Hope to Families
The NIH Stories of Impact highlight important NIH scientific discoveries and their impact on our health today. This recent addition to the website describes how NIAMS research clinicians, along with researchers from other parts of the NIH and from around the globe, played a vital role in understanding autoinflammatory diseases [PDF – 3.25 MB], differentiating them from autoimmune diseases and identifying treatments.
Image: NIAMS Clinical Director Richard Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., consults with postdoctoral fellow Martin Pelletier, Ph.D. Photo credit: Bill Branson.
Finding Treatments for Rare Bone Diseases
Fibrous dysplasia is a skeletal disorder in which bone-forming cells fail to mature and produce too much fibrous, or connective, tissue. A feature article about Andrea Burke, M.D., an NIH clinical research fellow, describes her research at the NIH and articulates her vision for a future in which treatments for rare bone diseases are individualized and based on precise, molecular evaluations of a patient’s unique biology.
Image: Dental clinical research fellow Andrea Burke, M.D., (left) works with clinical research nurse Padmasree Veeraraghavan at the NIH. Photo credit: Ernie Branson.
Feed a Virus, Starve a Bacterium?
Researchers supported in part by the NIAMS found that there may be a scientific basis for the adage, “feed a cold, starve a fever.” Providing nutrition to mice infected with the influenza virus significantly improved their survival, and the opposite proved true in mice infected with Listeria, a fever-inducing bacterium.
FDA Approves Erelzi, a Biosimilar to Enbrel
The FDA approved Erelzi (etanercept-szzs) for multiple inflammatory diseases. Erelzi is a biosimilar to Enbrel (etanercept), which was originally licensed in 1998.
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to First Drug for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
The FDA approved Exondys 51 (eteplirsen) injection, the first drug approved to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Exondys 51 is specifically indicated for patients who have a confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene amenable to exon 51 skipping, which affects about 13 percent of the population with DMD.
Antibacterial Soap? You Can Skip It—Use Plain Soap and Water
The FDA issued a final rule for consumer antiseptic wash products (including liquid, foam, gel hand soaps, bar soaps and body washes) containing the majority of the antibacterial active ingredients—including triclosan and triclocarban. The rule states that manufacturers will no longer be able to market these products because they have not proven that those ingredients are safe for daily use over a long period of time. This rule covers only consumer antibacterial soaps and body washes that are used with water. It does not apply to hand sanitizers or hand wipes. It also does not apply to antibacterial soaps that are used in health care settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes.
RESOURCES
Spotlight on Scientific Imagery: Bone Structure
More than just a rigid organ, bone is porous and has living cells. Knowing the structure of bone is critical for understanding how nutrients are supplied and signals are being transmitted between bone cells. Using fluorescence, the bone cell network is imaged under a microscope. Bone cells form a solar-system-like structure, following pink tracks of collagen in cross-sectional cuts. This image is courtesy of Shaopeng Pei, M.S., and Liyun Wang, Ph.D., of the University of Delaware.
Complementary Health Approaches for Chronic Pain
The NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) summarizes current scientific evidence about complementary health approaches most often used by people for chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, low-back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
EVENTS
Unraveling Vascular Inflammation: From Immunology to Imaging
October 24–25, 2016
NIH Campus, Natcher Conference Center (Building 45)
Registration
Agenda
The event will be videocast.
18th Annual Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Conference
November 15–17, 2016
Orlando, Florida 32821
Registration
Agenda
Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
The NIH’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series offers weekly lectures every Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Building 10, NIH Campus. Renowned scientists from around the globe present research on a variety of topics. The lectures are Continuing Medical Education-certified, open to the public and available live via webcast.
November 2, 2016
Astute Clinician Lecture
Ronald J. Falk, M.D., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
“Perspective on Autoimmunity: A View from the ANCA Vasculitis Looking Glass”
NIH Science Lectures and Events Available via Internet
The NIH hosts a number of science seminars and events that are available online through real-time streaming video (videocast). The NIH calendar notes these videocast events with a video icon 
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Funding Announcements
If you would like information about funding opportunities, please view the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, the primary source for information about NIH funding opportunities. You can also request a weekly Table of Contents from the NIH Guide. In addition, the NIAMS website provides comprehensive information on NIAMS-related grants and processes.