6/15/2014 Volume 6 Issue 12

Research TipsVice Chancellor for Research: RJ Traystman

DR. T'S CORNER

DARPA Carves Out New Division to EnticeBiotech Talent

The U.S. Department of Defense's researcharm is making a concerted grasp at biotechnology.On 1 April, the Defense Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (DARPA) announced a newdivision that will consolidate biology researchscattered across its existing six divisions andpossibly expand the arsenal of projects. Researchers should see thismove as a recognition of the enormous potential of biologicaltechnologies. Whether the agency will devote a larger chunk of theroughly $2.9 billion in its requested 2015 budget to biotech programs isnot yet clear.

DARPA has been applying its high-risk, high-reward funding modelto projects in the life sciences for years. In 1997, it announced the firstbig push into research on fighting biological hazards. More recently, itlaunched the Living Foundries program to use cells as molecularfactories for making new materials. And its Defense Sciences Office(DSO) has aligned with President Barack Obama's Brain Researchthrough Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, calling forgrant applications on projects to design therapeutic devices forneurological disorders and to repair brain damage in military servicemembers. A key player in those brain-focused programs, former DSOdeputy director and neurologist Geoffrey Ling, will direct the newdivision.

Those disparate biology projects percolating throughout DARPAhave now reached critical mass. The agency has transplanted 23in-progress programs from other divisions to seed the BiologicalTechnologics Office, and it could decide to fund new biotech effort asothers age out.

DARPA's biology research may be more centralized now, but itsinterests are still broad. The three broad focus areas includetechnology to support service members (including prosthetics andneurological therapies) and synthetic biology research such as theLiving Foundries program. There is also a more recent foray into thestudy of complex biological systems, from the population-widedynamics of a disease outbreak to the way human bodies align theirfunctions to a biological clock.

The restructuring is also meant to send a message to researchers inbiotech who may not have considered working with DARPA. They wantto focus on recruiting new program managers-who normally serve 3- to5-year stints-and reach out to young researchers and start-ups whomay have little idea of how to interact with DARPA or that DARPA existsat all.

OFFICE OF GRANTS AND CONTRACTS (OGC)

Helpful m-Fin ReportsCU Reporting Systems now has some newer M-Fin reports that

can help you look for payments. New reports are m-FinRECEIVABLE ACTIVITY and m-Fin RECEIVABLES TRANSACTIONFINDER.

The m-Fin RECEIVABLE ACTIVITY report is like m-Fin PAYMENTSRECEIVED but casts a wider net and so will show unusualaccounting transactions that are left out of that report. The coreidea is to show any source code that is not from the revenuerecognition process. You might use m-Fin PAYMENTS RECEIVEDwhen you know all of your receivables are nice and clean, and usem-Fin RECEIVABLES ACTIVITY when you know (or suspect) that theyare not.

The m-Fin RECEIVABLES TRANSACTION FINDER report can behelpful when looking for a payment that might have been bookedto the wrong FOPPS. You can query by SPONSOR ID and/or DollarAmount for all projects. If you find something booked you believemay be incorrect please contact OGC.4payments@ucdenver.edu toinquire.

For questions or comments about this announcement pleasecontact Ginger Acierno at ginger.acierno@ucdenver.edu.

ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE(IACUC) LIBRARY SEARCH

In collaboration with the IACUC and OLAR, the HealthSciences Library offers assistance to researchers to help themcomply with the legal requirement to perform and describe aliterature search for alternatives to the use of animals inresearch and/or methods to reduce the potential for pain ordistress in the animals used in research. Researchers areencouraged to schedule a free consultation with a librarian forone-on-one assistance. Additionally, the Health SciencesLibrary is developing a resource guide that will suggesttechniques for conducting and describing effective literaturesearches. For more information about how the library can helpresearchers, contact Leslie Williams atleslie.williams@ucdenver.edu or (303) 724-2128. If you haveany questions regarding this new service, please do nothesitate to contact mark.douse@ucdenver.edu.

RESEARCH CORNER

Dr. Maki Nakayama is an AssistantProfessor in the Department of Pediatricsand the Integrated Department ofImmunology. After receiving her MD andPhD from Kobe University School ofMedicine in Japan, she joinedDr. Eisenbarth's laboratory at the Maki Nakayama, MDBarbara Davis Center and was engaged in a research projectpursuing insulin as a primary autoantigen for type 1 diabetes.During her postdoctoral training, she had been supported byfellowships from JDRF and NIDDK including a K99/R00 award. In2010, she started her own research independent of Dr.Eisenbarth, and since then her laboratory has been supportedby several grants from JDRF, NIDDK, and others.

The ultimate goal of Dr. Nakayama's laboratory is toprevent and cure type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is anorgan-specific autoimmune disease in which pancreatic betacells secreting insulin are destroyed by autoreactive T cells. Tounderstand the mechanism how anti-beta cell autoimmunity isinitiated, she focuses on the tri-molecular complex consisting ofantigen, major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and T cellreceptor (TCR) that could be a key component for thedevelopment of type 1 diabetes. Her laboratory currentlypursues 4 themes towards this goal using the high-throughputTCR sequencing technique. First, they explore antigenspecificity of autoreactive T cells having different functions (i.e.pathogenic vs regulatory T cells) that target pancreatic betacells. Second, given evidence from an animal model that thespecific TCR repertoire targets the essential insulin autoantigen,the role of T cells expressing the specific TCR in the developmentof type 1 diabetes is being determined. Third, they pursue thepotential of TCR sequences to be used as a T cell biomarker topredict the development of type 1 diabetes as well asrecurrence of hyperglycemia after pancreas transplantation orother clinical therapeutic trials. Lastly, they have just started anew project exploring the mechanism of transplantation failuredue to destruction by autoreactive T cells. For all of theseprojects, Dr. Nakayama has been collaborating with manyinvestigators inside and outside the university and is now incharge of organizing the JDRF nPOD-T, which is a group aimingto study T cells in the international tissue repository program fortype 1 diabetes research. She hopes that team science willfacilitate their developing robust immunotherapy for type 1diabetes.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY (EHS)

Summertime is upon us once again. As the mercury rises, EnvironmentalHealth and Safety would like to remind all the laboratory and clinical staff ofsome important policies to help maintain a safe work environment. Formore information regarding each of the topics below, please click on theURL at the end of each numbered paragraph.1. Proper attire is required at all times while working in the laboratory areas.While in the laboratory, workers must be wearing long pants or skirts andclosed toes shoes. Shorts and open toed shoes like sandals, flip-flops, balletstyle slippers, and Crocs are not allowed. Minimizing the amount of exposedskin will reduce the risk of potential contact with hazardous chemicals,biological or radioactive materials.(http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/research/AboutUs/healthsafety/services/safety/laboratory?safety/Pages/personal?protective?equipment.aspx)(cut/paste the url into your browser address window)2. Minors in laboratory areas. Over the next few months, several youngscientists will be entering the lab; special care must be taken to ensure thesafety of these individuals. All minors must go through Risk Management,and receive parental consent prior to working in the labs. Depending on thenature of the academic or research activity, individuals may be required tocomplete EHS training courses before beginning any lab work. Certainrestrictions will apply to the type of research activities a minor can engagein. Anyone under the age of 16 cannot work with recombinant DNA orradioactive materials. No minor may work with human or non-humanprimate blood, tissue, or bodily fluids. Contact EHS for information.(http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/research/AboutUs/health?safety/polices?procedures/Documents/pdf/Minors%20in%20Laboratories%20and%20Animal%20Facilities.pdf)3. Food and drink in the laboratory areas. Eating, drinking, or applyingcosmetics are strictly prohibited in areas where hazardous chemicals,radioactive or infectious materials are being used. Due to the open labdesign at the Anschutz Medical Campus food and drink are only allowed pastthe card access doors under certain preapproved conditions. Cups, waterbottles and other food and beverage items are not allowed in laboratorymodules, alcoves, and procedure rooms.(http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/research/AboutUs/health?safety/Documents/pdf/ECIH?FoodDrinkPolicy?AMC.pdf) (cut/paste the url into yourbrowser window)

Campus compliance staff and hazardous materials specialists willmonitor laboratory spaces for violations while conducting laboratoryinspections and safety spot-checks. Please contact EHS if you have questionsabout general safety policies. For questions, please contact the EHS Staff atwww.ucdenver.edu/ehs or at 303?724?0345. We appreciate your help inmaintaining a safe work environment and ensuring Everyone Home Safely.

KUDOS TO:

Congratulations to Jason Tregellas, PhD for being selected to submit his research proposal to the Brain Research Foundation, ScientificInnovations Award in Neuroscience. Jason's proposal will represent the University of Colorado | Anschutz Medical Campus for thiscompetition. His proposal, entitled "Ketogenic Diet Effects on Hippocampal Hyperactivity, Glutamate Metabolism, and Cognitive Systems inSchizophrenia", will be submitted to the Brain Research Foundation July 1, 2014. The hypothesis of his proposal is that treatment with aketogenic diet will reduce hippocampal hyperactivity and improve cognition in patients with schizophrenia. The diet will be associated withaltered glutamatergic activity.

Congratulations to Thomas DeLong, PhD for being selected to submit his research proposal to the American Diabetes Association Pathwayto Stop Diabetes. Tom's proposal will investigate the role of a new post-translational modification located on beta cell antigens that aretargeted to by autoreactive CD4 T cells in Type 1 diabetes. He will determine the role of hybrid insulin peptides in the development of anautoreactive T cell population in human Type 1 diabetes.