NeuroNEXT

We are very excited to announce the first ever NINDS podcast for trainees!

The vision for the podcast is threefold: provide an introduction to the grant cycle with an emphasis on what is unique about the way NINDS does things, address some commonly-asked questions; and personal advice from staff across the NINDS including Senior Leadership, Program Officials, Scientific Review Officers, and Grants Management Specialists. We have found that many trainees are missing fundamental information on what to expect during the process of submitting an application and where to find answers to their questions, and hopefully this podcast can provide a central place to start them out. We want to make the unknown known in an engaging and informative format.

The podcast will be released every other week beginning October 18, but you can listen to the trailer now and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The 2019 Clinical Trials Methodology Course was held in Iowa City in July. See below for an informational video from the University of Iowa on how the course helps investigators design large scale neurological studies.

The AAN is collaborating with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to offer The TRANSCENDS (Training in Research for Academic Neurologists to Sustain Careers and Enhance the Numbers of Diverse Scholars) Scholars program. This program is funded by a NINDS R25. The TRANSCENDS program is designed to train promising early-career neurologists to conduct high-quality neurologic research and achieve a successful academic career. 

Program Details

Interested individuals must apply for the program. Up to six will be selected to participate in 2019, with more positions available in subsequent years. Selected participants will receive:

• A Master of Science degree in clinical research (preferred) through the Medical University of South Carolina by completing a primarily online two-year course curriculum (38 credit hours) OR a certificate in clinical research through the Medical University of South Carolina by completing a primarily online one-year course curriculum (19 credit hours)
• Mentoring and support in the development of their current research portfolio
• Preparation, review (by a Mock Study Section), and submission of K-type grant application (required)
• AAN member benefits
• Opportunities to present research and network with leadership at the AAN Annual Meeting

Eligibility 

Eligibility is limited to US citizens/permanent US residents who are disabled and/or belong to an  underrepresented minority in neurology including Black/African American, Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, Native Alaskan, or  Hawaiian, and are in any of the following career stages:

• Fellows in a formal neurology sub-specialty training program
• Neurology faculty three years or less from first academic appointment (academic appointment must be in the US), or
• Neurologists five years or less from completion of residency (residency training must have been completed in the US)

Please contact us if you have questions about your eligibility.

Applications are open from July 15-October 15, 2019.

NeuroNEXT was well-represented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) this week. The meeting – hosted in New Orleans, LA, May 19-22, 2019 – featured two invited sessions by NeuroNEXT personnel:

• “Switching Boats Mid-Stream: Maintaining Continuity in a Large Clinical Trials Network in the Face of Change” by Chris Coffey, Angela Molloy, Dixie Ecklund, Jeri Sieren, Julie Qidwai, Krista Valladares and Marianne Kearney Chase
• “Preparing and Submitting Data to Open and Limited-Access Repositories” by Janel Barnes, Sharon Yeatts, Chris Coffey and Carolina Mendoza-Puccini

One contributed session also featured NeuroNEXT:

• “The NeuroNEXT Mode: Efficiencies Gained by Deploying an Embedded Research Administrator” by Krista Valladares and Maggie Spencer

And one poster session:

• “Utilizing cloud-based software to increase efficiency and reduce errors in communication during the conduct of multi-site clinical trials” presented by David Klements. 

Thanks to everyone for for promoting the excellent work of the Network!

NIH is soliciting for Pain Research Centers to join a clinical trial network.  NIH has mounted a major effort to improve pain management as a part of its response to the opioid crisis in America.  One cornerstone of that effort is an phase 2 clinical trial network to test new, non-addictive pain therapies in well-phenotyped patients.  This is part of a public-private partnership with academia, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology and device companies. The initial call did not get the number of needed participating sites and the call is now out for a second and final time.  Please consider applying to join what will be an innovative, and very exciting project.  To learn more see https://www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/heal-initiative/early-phase-pain-investigation-clinical-network-eppic-net

Applications are due June 3^rd so don’t hesitate. 

Dr. Robert Fox, PI of the NN102 SPRINT-MS study was the 2019 recipient of Cleveland Clinic’s Sones Innovation Award for the advances in progressive multiple sclerosis made by the NN102 study. This award recognizes advances in innovation in the service of improved patient care. Congratulations to Dr. Fox and the NN102 SPRINT-MS team!

The dataset from the NN102 SPRINT-MS project is now publicly available from the NINDS repository. Researchers interested in accessing this data should complete the NINDS Data Request Form and send it via email to the NINDS Clinical Research Liaison at: CRLiaison@ninds.nih.gov. 

Applications for the NINDS-funded Clinical Trials Methodology Course (CTMC) 2019 are due February 28, 2019 at midnight. Application forms and additional details are available at http://neurotrials.training. Early applications may be considered for early acceptance. 

The NN104 RHAPSODY primary manuscript has been published in the January 2019 print issue of Annals of Neurology. As the abstract notes, this trial was important for three reasons:

• It was the first trial of a neuroprotectant for acute ischemic stroke in a trial design allowing thrombectomy, thrombolysis, or both
• It demonstrated that all four doses of 3K3A-APC considered in the trial met the definition for safety and tolerability
• It demonstrated a trend towards lower hemorrhage rate, which was consistent with trends observed in prior animal studies. This trend requires confirmation in a larger study

Congratulations to Dr. Lyden and the NN104 RHAPSODY team. The success of this academic/industry partnership is another major statement of the many benefits that NeuroNEXT brings to the conduct of high-quality phase II studies in the neurosciences.

NN101 SMA was recently featured in the Cure SMA newsletter, highlighting the recently-published Recruitment & Retention paper.