FEATURED RESEARCH

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) supports a broad portfolio of basic research with exciting discoveries in the areas of heart, lung, and blood diseases. For these discoveries to be translated into improved patient care, novel drugs and therapies must be identified and moved through a complex preclinical production and testing process. To support and accelerate this translational phase, the NHLBI created the Science Moving towArds Research Translation and Therapy (SMARTT) program.

SMARTT supports and hastens the translation of novel discoveries into new therapies for heart, lung, and blood diseases by providing confidential and rapid preclinical development services at no cost to investigators from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. Preclinical development—readying products for testing in humans—is the first step in turning discoveries into treatments. All materials must be manufactured consistently, using standard operating procedures and carefully controlled conditions. Materials and data must comply with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) in order for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve the new therapy. These processes can be expensive and baffling to many academic scientists.

SMARTT provides tailored services and support to investigators to speed up the transition of their discoveries to the clinic. Available services include:

SMARTT connects researchers with clinical studies by providing services that support the development and testing of potential therapies.

Learn more about SMARTT, including how to submit an application.

There is increasing demand to justify biomedical research investments. Some metrics traditionally applied to individuals for performance evaluation and promotion, such as numbers of publications and citations, are now being applied to research projects.

Both investigator-initiated and National Institutes of Health (NIH)-initiated studies face increased pressure to show that they are worth the investment. Do we know how to define and create metrics to measure the value of these research investments? What are the appropriate productivity metrics for general biomedical research, and in particular epidemiology studies? What are the potential benefits and pitfalls? Because results-based accountability is increasingly being applied to biomedical research, what is the best approach?

President Obama recently announced the recipients of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE is the highest honor the U.S. Government bestows on scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers.

This year’s awardees include Justin Taraska, Ph.D., principal investigator in the NHLBI’s Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Imaging (photo on left) and Ervin Fox, M.D., cardiologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and an investigator with the Jackson Heart Study (photo on right).

Health professionals have an important role to play in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. This bookmark-sized reference tool provides health professionals with clear information on risk factors, symptoms, how to differentiate between COPD and asthma, and more. Early detection and effective treatment of COPD depend on accurate diagnosis. The bookmark is available online, as a PDF, or as a laminated bookmark.