Director's Report to Council: January 2004

Since the last meeting of the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council, NIDCR Director Lawrence Tabak has met with professional organizations, research groups, and dental schools to promote collaborative research and to discuss efforts in areas of extraordinary scientific promise. He also has continued to be actively involved on several NIH-level committees. In addition to serving on the newly established NIH Steering Committee that handles governance issues at NIH, he is co-chairing the NIH Information Technology Working Group. Dr. Tabak is also a member of the Search Committee for the Deputy Director for Management of NIH.

The NIDCR Director also spoke at several international meetings, including the Federation Dentaire Internationale Annual World Dental Congress held in Sydney, Australia, which he addressed via teleconference on the topic of "Future Directions of Salivary Research." In November he attended the international medical conference, "Building A Better World Through Medicine," held in Jerusalem. While in Israel, he also gave presentations on "The Post-Genomic Era Enters the Mouth" and "Saliva As a Diagnostic Fluid" at Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Research and Tel Aviv University School of Dental Medicine. Other discussions with dental schools included an introductory meeting with Dr. Leo Rouse, Interim Dean of the Howard University College of Dentistry, and senior faculty members from Howard's graduate school. Dr. Tabak provided an overview of advances in oral health research and NIDCR collaborative activities. Dr. Sharon Gordon, Special Assistant for Research Training, Career Development and Education, Dr. James Lipton, Special Assistant for Research Infrastructure and Curriculum Development, and Ms. Lorrayne Jackson, Extramural Research Analyst and Outreach Specialist, also attended the meeting. Dr. Tabak also attended the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Minneapolis, MN, where he presented an overview and update on the NIDCR, and he addressed the ADA Board of Trustees in Chicago.

Since the last Council meeting, Dr. Dushanka Kleinman, Chief Dental Officer, has participated and contributed to meetings and discussions of the National Health Service Corps (HRSA), emergency preparedness, and Medicaid dental programs (American Dental Association). She served as the PHS delegate to the ADA House of Delegates and was joined by CAPT Dave Clemens, Bureau of Prisons, and alternate delegates Susan Runner, Food and Drug Administration, and CAPT Carolyn Tylenda, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CAPT Isabel Garcia represented the PHS at the ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Institutional Relations. As the Chair of the Chief Professional Officers Board, Dr. Kleinman participated in discussions of the policy changes for both promotion and deployment readiness. This fall Dr. Kleinman received the American Public Health Association's John W. Knutson Distinguished Service Award for Dental Public Health and the Carl A. Schlack Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States.

In her role as Deputy Director, Dr. Kleinman continued to work closely with the NIDCR training, career development, dental school infrastructure and outreach program directors in the development of new initiatives and program evaluation plans. She was actively involved in the technical assistance workshops sponsored by NIDCR for potential U24 applicants (see p. 11—"Technical Assistance Meetings Held for Enhancing Research Infrastructure and Capacity Building for U.S. Dental Institutions U24)." She also attended the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and participated in the annual meetings of the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, and the American Association for Dental Research leadership group. In addition, she continued to serve as a liaison to the Friends of the NIDCR and worked with Research!America on their public opinion survey. She also serves as the NIH-CDC liaison and is participating in CDC's Future's Initiative, an effort to ensure that CDC remains an effective, proactive public health agency for protecting and improving the health of the American people. She recently received the Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity Achievement Award for 2003.

Including the effect of administrative reductions, NIDCR's final appropriation was $371.6 million.

Funding for research project grants was $211.6 million, in support of 632 awards. The Centers program was funded at a level of $21.1 million, which will support 12 center awards. Fifteen phase I Dental School Infrastructure Development grants were awarded. Additionally, 107 Research Career Development Award (RCDA) positions and 321 full-time training positions were funded.

A House and Senate conference committee approved a budget that would provide $383.3 million for NIDCR after taking into account the effect of any administrative reductions. This translates to a 3.1 percent increase over the FY 2003 actual level. Research project grant funding would increase to $229.7 million to support an estimated 642 awards. The research centers program would be maintained at 12 awards; 3 phase II infrastructure awards would be awarded, and an estimated 107 RCDA and 321 full-time training positions would be funded. NIDCR has reserved $1.3 million of its FY 2004 budget to fund "NIH Roadmap" initiatives; all of the NIH Institutes and Centers will contribute towards this effort.

The House has voted to concur with the conference committee; it is anticipated that the Senate will also concur and that the President will sign this bill into law.

However, since the bill has not yet become law, NIH and many Federal agencies continue to operate under a continuing resolution. NIDCR will continue to follow more restrictive funding policies until the bill is passed by the Senate and signed into law.

Details of the FY 2005 budget for NIDCR will not be available until public release, currently scheduled for February 1.

The federal government's new Grants.gov web site was unveiled on December 9. The site provides a single, centralized source of information on government-sponsored grant opportunities as well as the ability to apply for grants online. Funding opportunities were submitted by five agencies—the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Commerce, Education, Energy, and Justice. The goal is to have 50 grant packages posted on the site and 15,000 applications processed through the portal by the end of FY 2004. HHS, which is the federal government's largest grantor (awarding 36 percent of all federal grants), spearheads Grants.gov. Synopses of 242 grants listed under HHS on the web site include grants sponsored by NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Trends in the Health of Americans
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the latest edition of "Health, United States, 2003 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans." This document contains valuable information on the state of Americans' health (including dental health).

CDC has launched a peer-reviewed electronic journal focused on prevention, screening, surveillance and population-based programs that address chronic disease. Unveiled December 15, Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy (PCD) , will be targeted primarily to researchers in chronic disease prevention and intervention, as well as health professionals who deal with chronic conditions and population health. The electronic journal will provide a forum for public health researchers and practitioners to share both study results and practical experience. PCD will be published by CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Soon after becoming Director of the NIH, Dr. Elias Zerhouni convened a series of meetings to chart a "roadmap" for medical research in the 21 st century. The purpose was to identify major opportunities and gaps in biomedical research that no single institute at NIH could tackle alone but that the agency as a whole must address to make the biggest impact on the progress of medical research. NIDCR has been heavily involved in all aspects of the Roadmap planning and implementation. Dr. Tabak serves as co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Research Implementation Group, and NIDCR staff members have broad representation on Roadmap committees. See a full description of the NIH Roadmap Initiative.

NIDCR also is participating in all of the newly established Trans-NIH Roadmap Initiatives. See the Roadmap RFAs. Many of the RFAs are relevant to NIDCR activities, and the Institute is encouraging researchers to take advantage of these opportunities and respond to appropriate RFAs.

NIH awarded student loan repayment contracts to 1,200 researchers across the nation in Fiscal Year 2003, a 66 percent increase in the number of awards over FY 2002, the first year NIH implemented the programs. The 1,197 new contracts for FY 2003 totaled $63.3 million. Over half of the awards were to researchers who completed their doctoral degree within the past five years. More than half of the awardees hold M.D. degrees; more than a third, Ph.D. degrees; 8 percent have M.D./Ph.D. degrees, and 5 percent have other doctoral degrees. NIH can repay up to $35,000 annually of their qualified loans and also covers all taxes related to the payments.

Dr. Norka Ruiz Bravo has been named the NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research. Previously she was Associate Director for Extramural Activities in the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. In her new position, Dr. Ruiz Bravo will advise the NIH Director on extramural policy issues and be responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures for extramural research and training programs funded by NIH.

NIH Director Elias Zerhouni has appointed Richard Turman as the new Associate Director for Budget. He replaces Don Poppke, who retired in September. Turman previously was with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget where he supervised staff in the Health Programs and Services Branch and helped formulate the budgetary, legislative, regulatory, performance and management policies of the Public Health Service and the Health and Human Services Secretary's office. Most recently he was director of federal relations for the Association of American Universities.

Dr. Zerhouni was the keynote speaker at the Friends of the NIDCR 2003 Gala Annual Awards Dinner held November 3, 2003 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. At the dinner, the Friends of the NIDCR presented the Lifetime Achievement award to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D.-NM); the Public Advocacy Award to Surgeon General Richard Carmona; the Media Award of Excellence to Sam Champion, broadcaster, WABC-TV, NY; and the DENTSPLY Harold Slavkin Oral Health Science Education Award to Sue Maguire, principal, Mount Anthony Union High School, Vermont.

SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES

Scientists Report Early Progress in Tissue Engineering Mandibular Condyle

Researchers have long dreamed of engineering new knees, hips and other body joints in the laboratory from a person's own bone and cartilage producing adult stem cells. The challenge has been to figure out how to manipulate these cells and get them to form tissues that precisely mirror the natural three-dimensional structure and mechanical strength of our normal, healthy joints. Now, in an important first step toward realizing this goal, scientists report in the Journal of Dental Research that they have created a mandibular condyle from rat adult stem cells that is the precise three-dimensional shape of the human joint. A mandibular condyle is the knobbed ending of the lower jaw; it joins the lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull on both sides of the head at the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. Stressing that their findings are preliminary and significant scientific challenges lie ahead, the researchers said the results are hopeful because they produced their structure from a single population of stem cells and prompted them to form two distinct layers of bone and cartilage, a characteristic feature of a condyle and a first in the field of tissue engineering. The study was conducted by Drs. J. J. Mao and A. Alhadlaq at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
 
Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Sjogren's Syndrome in an Animal Model
Researchers have reported the first successful use of gene therapy to limit salivary gland inflammation and preserve saliva flow in a mouse model of Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can render people unable to produce saliva or tears. The scientists found that transferring the gene for human interleukin-10 (IL-10) via an adeno-associated virus into the animals' salivary glands reduced salivary gland inflammation and preserved saliva flow. The treatment worked whether it was started before or after the onset of salivary dysfunction. The scientists describe their findings in the November 20 issue of Human Gene Therapy . Collaborating on the study were Drs. Bruce Baum, Marc Kok, Seichii Yamano, Beatrijs Lodde, Jianghua Wang, Antony Voutetakis, Michael Schmidt, Sandra Afione, Stanley Pillemer, Marjorie Tsutsui and John Chiorini from NIDCR; Ross Couwenhoven from the University of Maryland Dental School; Derek Leroith and Shoshana Yakar from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders; and Paul-Peter Tak from the University of Amsterdam.

Complete Genome Sequence of P. Gingivalis Strain W83
P. gingivalis, a gram negative anaerobic bacterium, is frequently isolated from patients with severe forms of adult periodontitis. In September 1997, NIDCR made a commitment to support the sequencing of the entire genome of this microbe to learn more about the ways it causes disease and how we can effectively attack it. Following release of the raw sequence on the Internet in the summer of 2002, the investigators began a thorough search for important genes. In the September 2003 issue of the Journal of Bacteriology , Drs. Karen Nelson et. al report that the microbe contains at least six genes for adherence to human tissues, 36 previously unidentified genes for protein-degrading enzymes, and the capacity to metabolize many amino acids and produce toxic metabolic endproducts. These findings implicate many new ways this microbe can damage gingival tissues and contribute to the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. The sequence data, available at TIGR, GenBank, and the Los Alamos Oral Pathogen Database websites, continue to be a long-lasting resource for microbiologists and immunologists as they study the role P. gingivalis in infection and its relationship to other medically important bacteria.

Study Sheds Light on Chronic Pain Processing in TMJ Disorders
The discovery of the neuronal circuitry involved in pain sensation is important for the development of successful therapeutic strategies. Understanding the peripheral, spinal cord, and brain areas that are active in pain sensation will help scientists understand how pain is sensed in the periphery, modified in the central nervous system, and integrated with other psychosocial influences in cortical brain areas. Reporting in the October 2003 issue of the Journal of Comparative Neurology , NIDCR-supported researchers describe the neuronal circuitry that is activated after inflammation of the masseter muscle, a masticatory muscle of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The significance of their work lies in the identification of pathways and brain regions important in processing deep tissue pain derived from the TMJ. Moreover, the results help formulate an integrated picture of chronic pain processing in TMJ disorders. The scientists found that the processing of TMJ pain proceeded through two specific areas of the trigeminal nucleus and that these areas projected rostrally to the nucleus submedius of the thalamus and the parabrachial areas of the brain. These areas of the brain are thought to play an important role in the integration of nociceptive behavior, including the motivational and affective aspects of pain, as well as emotional and autonomic responses, since these areas also are activated by other aversive stimuli. The research was conducted by Drs. Ke Ren, Ronald Dubner, Tetsuya Ikeda, Ryuji Terayama, Seong-Suk Jue, and Shinichi Sugiyo at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Iowa Study Helps Identify Genes Important for Bone Development
Increasing evidence suggests that genetic factors play a critical role in bone accrual in childhood and adolescence. NIDCR-supported researchers at the University of Iowa analyzed the relationship between genotypes at candidate gene loci and bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in 428 healthy, non-Hispanic white children participating in the Iowa Bone Development Study. BMD and BMC were measured in the hip, spine and whole body of 288 girls and 200 boys, ages 4.5 - 6.5 years old. The investigators included genotypes at 14 loci representing eight candidate genes [type 1 collagen genes (COL1A1 and COLLaA2), osteocalcin, osteonectin, osteopontin) and vitamin D receptor (VDR), estrogen receptor (ER), and androgen receptor (AR]. COL1A2 and osteocalcin genotypes were identified as having the strongest and most consistent association with BMD/BMC measures. Data from the study suggest that genetic variation at multiple genetic loci is important in bone accrual in children. Moreover, the gene-by-gene interaction effects observed between ER, VDR and osteocalcin suggest that the combination of genotypes at several loci may be just as important as a single genotype in determining BMD/BMD in children. The study appeared in Osteoporosis International and was conducted by Marcia Willing, James Torner, Trudy Burns, Kathleen Janz, Teresa Marshall, Julie Gilmore, Sachi Deschenes, John Warren, and Steven Levy.

Oral Cavity May Provide Accessible Model for Studying HIV-1 Shedding
NIDCR-supported investigators found that the oral cavity may serve as an easily accessible surrogate model for studying the dynamics of HIV-1 shedding at mucosal sites. They compared and characterized the virus strains shed in saliva to those isolated from blood from the same individuals. Their findings indicate that the virus strains identified in both fluids had similar characteristics. The relatively homogenous viral populations detected in plasma and saliva prior to seroconversion suggests that HIV-1 is disseminated to oral fluids early in infection. The research team included Diane Shugars, Stephanie Freel, Susan Fiscus, Christopher Pilcher, Prema Menezes, Julieta Giner, Ericka Patrick, Jeffrey Lennox, Charles Hicks, and Joseph Eron who are from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University Medical Center, Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were reported in the September 26 issue of AIDS.

MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS

NIDCR To Sponsor Training Conference
NIDCR will host a meeting for trainees, fellows, and training program directors on the NIH campus on April 19-20, 2004. The conference is designed to provide scientific professional development training that is important for achieving scientific independence and productivity. Among the topics to be covered are: an overview of the NIH grants process and grant writing; a training grant technical assistance workshop for program directors and staff; and a session on developing skills for an academic career. In addition, the conference will provide a forum for training directors and trainees to interact with one another and with NIH staff, and for participants to obtain information about the resources and research initiatives of NIDCR and NIH.
 
NIDCR To Host Workshop on Clinical Trials
NIDCR will host a workshop on "Methods for Enhancing the Efficiency of Dental/Oral Health Clinical Trials: Current Status, Future Possibilities," May 6-7, 2004 on the NIH campus. The primary focus of the workshop is to assess the state-of-the-science and identify future research needs for biomarkers, surrogate endpoints, and technologies for clinical trials in oral diseases. The workshop will lead to the identification of research opportunities to enhance the efficiency of dental/oral health clinical trials. It also will consider ways in which clinical trials of other diseases have benefited from the use of new methods and technologies and might serve as an example for new approaches to dental/oral health studies. In addition, regulatory considerations from the Food and Drug Administration will be discussed. A reactor panel will provide an assessment of those research opportunities that have the most promise for application to oral diseases and conditions.

American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
During the annual American Public Health Association meeting held in San Francisco in November 2003, a scientific session was held on reducing disparities in early childhood caries. The panel was comprised of directors of the NIDCR Centers for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities and included Drs. Raul Garcia from Boston University, Jane Weintraub from the University of California at San Francisco, and Peter Milgrom from the University of Washington. In addition, Dr. Ruth Nowjack-Raymer, director of the NIDCR Health Disparities Research Program, gave the opening presentation on "Research to Eliminate Oral Health Disparities" that provided contextual information about NIDCR's "Plan to Eliminate Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Health Disparities," the Institute's cross-cutting health disparities initiatives, and current scientific opportunities.Biofilms 2003

NIDCR provided support for the 3 rd American Society for Microbiology conference on microbial biofilms—"Biofilms 2003"—held in Victoria, British Columbia, on November 1-6, 2003. As in the past, the oral infectious diseases community was well represented at the meeting. A consistent topic was the unique opportunity to use the oral cavity as a model system for the study of multispecies biofilms. NIDCR-supported investigators presented papers demonstrating state-of-the-art methods for studying complex microbial interactions in the pathogenesis of disease.

Gordon Research Conference on Craniofacial Morphogenesis and Tissue Regeneration
NIDCR provided support for the newly established Gordon Research Conference on Craniofacial Morphogenesis and Tissue Regeneration. The international meeting, held in Ventura, CA in January 2004, provided a forum for the exchange of information about the latest progress in craniofacial research. Sessions topics included: neural crest, ectoderm and endoderm interactions; craniofacial patterning, signaling interactions and gene regulation; functional significance of placodes to craniofacial development; suture biology; human syndromes involving craniofacial defects; and tissue engineering. In addition to advancing the understanding of regulatory mechanisms of craniofacial development and tissue regeneration, the conference sparks new scientific collaborations and fosters the growth of young scientists. Dr. Rochelle Small, program director of the NIDCR Developmental Biology and Mammalian Genetics Program, participated in the meeting. Future meetings will take place every two years.

Other Meetings Attended by NIDCR Staff:
Academy of General Dentistry's Task Force on Health Literacy
ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics
AIDS Vaccine 2003 Conference
Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students
Annual Meeting of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience
Bioinformatics of Brains: From Genes and Proteins to Behaviors
Department of Defense Joint Medical Technology Workshop
Gerontological Society of America
Mechanics of Biological and Biologically Inspired Materials and Systems
Microbial Genomes 2003
NASA Tech Briefs Nanotech 2003 Conference
National Center for Research Resources Research Centers in Minority Institutions
National Science Foundation and NIH Workshop on Nanobiotechnology
NCI's Tobacco Research Opportunities Retreat
Oral Immunology and Microbiology Research Group Annual Meeting
Polymicrobial Diseases Conference
Skin Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee and the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee
Society for Women's Health Research
Testing Interventions to Improve Adherence to Pharmacological Treatment Regimens
21 st Annual Symposium on Non-Human Primate Models for AIDS
Women's Interagency HIV Study

RESEARCH TRAINING, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND EDUCATION UPDATE

Notices
The following Notice was recently issued:

Mentored Career Development Awards: Change in NIH Policy Concerning Concurrent Support from Career Development Award and a Research Grant

AIDS International Training and Research Program
NIDCR is supporting the AIDS International Training and Research Program (D43) (PA-03-018) that provides HIV/AIDS-related research training to strengthen the capacity of institutions in developing countries and newly independent states. The program aims to build multidisciplinary biomedical and behavioral research capacity for the prevention of HIV/AIDS-related infections and for the integration of prevention with therapy and care for those adults and children affected by HIV/AIDS in the collaborating country.

NIDCR is supporting programs for foreign dentists and other health care providers to learn about and research the oral manifestations and mucosal transmission of HIV/AIDS. The NIDCR-supported programs are located at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington.

National Research Council (NRC) Report
Staff is working with the Institute of Medicine, the American Dental Education Association, the American Dental Association, and the American Association for Dental Research to provide input into the National Research Council report on "Monitoring the Changing Needs for Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Research Personnel." NIDCR-derived data pertaining to training and career development awards was provided to the Dental Panel for the "Committee on Monitoring the Changing Needs for Biomedical, Behavioral, and Clinical Research Personnel."

Dr. Sharon Gordon, Special Assistant for Research Training, Career Development and Education, presented information about NIDCR research training opportunities to: the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry; University of Washington School of Dentistry; A.T. Still University Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health; the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Dentistry; Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry; the New York University College of Dentistry; and at the Annual Meeting of the Hispanic Dental Association. In addition, she spoke about preparation for dental school—including research-related activities—when she met with pre-dental interns on the NIH campus on September 26.

On October 30 and November 5, 2003, NIDCR held technical assistance meetings at NIH for potential U24 applicants. A total of 30 institutions participated in these sessions, either in person or via videoconference. Participants included institutions that had received an R24 award, as well as those that had not.

FAQs for U24 and Annotated RFA
Based in part on the questions and concerns raised at the two U24 technical assistance sessions, staff prepared a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which are available on the NIDCR website.
Staff has developed an "annotated" U24 RFA that contains modifications and additions included in the FAQs.  In addition, the guidelines for completing a U24 application were updated. 

Copies of the FAQs, annotated RFA, and updated guidelines were sent via e-mail to each technical assistance meeting attendee and associate deans for research at all U.S. dental schools. The annotated RFA also will be forwarded to members of the U24 review panel.

• Staff visited the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry on November 24, 2003 to discuss the U24 award at that institution. Staff also visited two R24 awardees—at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery—in November to meet with their Internal Advisory Committees.

• Staff met with representatives from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine on October 3, 2003 and Howard University College of Dentistry on November 18, 2003 to discuss NIDCR programs in research infrastructure, curriculum development, recruitment, and outreach.

• Staff submitted a symposium workshop proposal on "Enhancing Research Capabilities of U.S. Dental Schools," that would be held during the annual meeting of the American Dental Education Association in March 2004. The proposal was accepted and the symposium will take place on March 8. Speakers will include Dr. Charles Bertolami, Dean of the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry, Dr. Timothy DeRouen, University of Washington School of Dentistry, Dr. Thomas Hart, Clinical Director, NIDCR, and Dr. James Lipton, NIDCR.

  DIVISION OF BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES
  

Requests for Applications (RFAs)

The following RFAs have been released since the last meeting of the NADCRC:

Multidisciplinary Approach for Research on Oral Complications of HIV Infection

Development of In Vitro Models of Human Oral Mucosa Relevant to AIDS and Mucosal Infections

AIDS-Related Oral Malignancies and Tumors

Regenerative Dental Medicine

Hyperaccelerated Award/Mechanisms in Immunomodulation Trials

Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS)-Approaches to Science and Engineering Research on Brain Function: NSF 04-514

The following PAs were recently released:

Bioengineering Research Partnerships

Research on Microbial Biofilms

Mechanisms in Nutrition and Infection

The following Notice was recently released:

Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository

In the first round of applications submitted November 15, NIDCR received 13 requests for Porphyromonas gingivalis DNA microarrays and 11 requests for Streptococcus mutans DNA microarrays. The applications were reviewed for programmatic relevance and the availability of adequate facilities to properly use the arrays. TIGR is now preparing the slides and will distribute them shortly with detailed information on the best methods to get superior results.

Los Alamos National Laboratories—Oral Pathogen Sequence Database
The Oral Pathogen Sequence Database now includes the sequence for two Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) strains and a Fn plasmid. This NIDCR-supported resource provides numerous tools for the analysis of the Fn genome and proteome. The database also contains the sequences for Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans . 


DIVISION OF POPULATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION SCIENCES

Requests for Applications (RFAs)

The following RFAs have been released since the last meeting of the NADCRC:

General Dental Practice-Based Research Network

NIDCR Exploratory and Developmental Grants in Clinical Research

New Program Announcements (PAs)

The following PAs were recently released:

Oral Health of Special Needs and Older Populations

Epidemiological and Behavioral Research in Oral Health

Phase III Clinical Trials in Oral Infectious Diseases

Reducing Preterm and Low Birth Weight in Minority Families

The following Notices were recently released:

Clarification of Program Announcements PAR-03-042 and PAR-03-043

Pre-Application Meeting for the RFA-RM-04-011: Dynamic Assessment of Patient-Reported Chronic Disease Outcomes

Practice-Based Research Network Technical Assistance Conference

The Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Resource Center (DRC) recently developed a catalogue of dental and oral health questions used in national and state health surveys. The catalogue is searchable both by topic and survey and will be available in CD ROM format. It also will be placed on the Data Query System (DQS) for public access.


DIVISION OF INTRAMURAL RESEARCH

Meeting of Board of Scientific Counselors
On December 4-5, 2003, the Board of Scientific Counselors reviewed the Craniofacial Developmental Biology and Regeneration Branch and Matrix Metalloprotease Unit. The review was highly successful and the board members praised participants in both groups for their outstanding scientific achievements.

The receptors for mammalian sweet and umani taste. 2003. G. Q. Zhao, V. Zhang, M. A. Hoon, J. Chandrashekar, I. Erlenbach, N. J. P. Ryba and C. S. Zuker. Cell , 115: 255-266.

MT1-MMP-dependent, apoptotic remodeling of unmineralized cartilage: a critical process in skeletal growth. 2003. K. Holmbeck, P. Bianco, K. Chrysovergis, S. Yamada and H. Birkedal-Hansen. J. Cell Biol ., 163: 661-669.

The opening of the new animal care facility was delayed until the beginning of 2004 to permit upgrading of new ventilation fans. The upgrade will maximize the utility of animal holding rooms. On the 4th floor, the Craniofacial Developmental Biology and Regeneration Branch will begin phase 3 renovations in January; the entire south wing is now complete. Renovations of the laboratories for the new Clinical Director on the 5th floor in Building 10 are under way with an expected completion date in early spring.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Meetings with Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Dr. Lois Cohen, Associate Director for International Health, was an invited guest at the Advisory Board meeting of the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in London, Ontario, on October 2-3, 2004. She gave a presentation on the oral health research mission and priorities of the NIDCR and discussed how the Institute engages in international collaborative research.

Staff from the Office of International Health met with Dr. John Frank, Scientific Director of the Institute for Population and Public Health within the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, when he visited NIH on October 28. Staff shared NIDCR's interest in international collaborative oral health research, described ongoing activities and available mechanisms (including the R21 International Collaborative Oral Health Research Planning Grant), and provided a list of Canadian institutions and principal investigators receiving NIDCR grant funding.

Next year's 8th GFHR will take place in Mexico City and will coincide with the World Summit for Health Research, affording a unique opportunity to raise the visibility of research on the 10/90 gap with Ministerial level officials.

The Office of Diversity Management coordinated and presented a trans-NIH workshop at the annual American Indian in Science and Engineering Society Conference on November 22, 2003. Through this collaborative effort with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the NIH Office of Education, students were provided with an overview of the NIH, intramural and extramural training and funding opportunities, a step-by-step review of the on-line application process, and a student's perspective from a Native American post-baccalaureate intern with the NIDCR Division of Intramural Research. A total of 29 students were reached through this effort and the Career Fair exhibition at the conference.

ODM staff continued to support the NIH Special Emphasis Program observances. Staff served on the planning committee for the NIH "Got Accessibility" Assistive Technology Expo held October 22, 2003. The Expo featured exhibits and workshops by vendors and Federal agencies offering state-of-the-art technology available in support of Section 508 accessibility requirements. In addition, staff support was provided for the NIH Native American Heritage Month program on November 13, 2003. Both programs provided a venue for NIH managers and employees to expand their understanding of the diverse issues that arise in the workplace.

The NIDCR Diversity Program Manager was an NIH representative at the 2003 Leadership Summit and Diversity Gala held October 14-15, 2003. The summit provided a unique opportunity for NIH to address Diversity Best Practices with private sector leaders. NIH Director Elias Zerhouni was honored with the Government Diversity Leadership Award. He also participated in a CEO Roundtable on Diversity Best Practices along with nine chief executive officers who also were honored for their outstanding efforts.

PERSONNEL

• With the NIH Roadmap now under way, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni has begun to assemble a team to coordinate the implementation of related activities. As part of this effort, Dr. Zerhouni asked Dr. Dushanka V. Kleinman, NIDCR Deputy Director, to serve in the new Office of Director position of Assistant Director for Roadmap Coordination, effective December 15, 2003. During this initial six-month detail, Dr. Kleinman will work closely with the NIH Roadmap Implementation Coordination Committee, designated Roadmap liaisons from the NIH Institutes and Centers, the to-be-named Senior Advisor for Clinical Research Re-engineering Activities, and OD Senior Staff to facilitate policy development and key decisions related to Roadmap implementation. In addition, a team of advisors will be formed to address key aspects such as monitoring, communication, and evaluation. Dr. Kleinman will continue her role as Chief Dental Officer, USPHS, during this detail.

• Dr. Henning Birkedal-Hansen, NIDCR Scientific Director, is serving as the NIDCR Acting Deputy Director during the period of Dr. Kleinman's detail. While the timeframe for Dr. Kleinman's return to NIDCR from her detail is unclear, it is expected that Dr. Birkedal-Hansen will remain in the NIDCR Office of the Director after Dr. Kleinman's return. A formal search will be initiated in the near future for a permanent Scientific Director.

• Effective January 2, 2004, Dr. Pamela Robey, chief of the NIDCR Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch, will serve as acting Scientific Director of NIDCR.

• The activities of the dental category of the U.S. Commissioned Corps have increased due to the changes resulting from Secretary Tommy Thompson's announced transformation of the Corps last July. To help with these activities, Dr. James Lipton will now be serving full-time as the senior advisor to the Chief Dental Officer (Dr. Dushanka Kleinman). Dr. Lipton is a senior officer who has had experience with both the regional and central offices of the PHS and has served as Chair of the Dental Professional Advisory Committee.

• In addition to his international activities, Dr. Kevin Hardwick will take on the responsibility for the NIDCR dental school infrastructure and curriculum development program. Dr. Hardwick has worked with dental schools both nationally and internationally at the Health Resources and Services Administration and at the National Institutes of Health.

• Dr. Ricardo Martinez, NIDCR Associate Director for Program Development, retired from government service on November 21. Dr. Martinez was recruited to the NIDCR as Director of the Extramural Program in 1998. In 2001, he took on the position of Associate Director to help establish long-range research priorities for the NIDCR. As part of this task, he convened a series of expert panels on a number of topics. These panels contributed greatly to the development of the Institute's Strategic Plan. Dr. Martinez also served as Executive Secretary of the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council and of the Institute's Board of Scientific Counselors. He co-chaired the NIH Hispanic Task Force and was a member of the NIH Diversity Council and the Board of the Extramural Associates Program. Dr. Martinez is relocating to Southern California where he plans to continue his efforts to enhance the participation of underrepresented minorities in the sciences and health professions.

• With the departure of Dr. Martinez from government service, Dr. Norman Braveman, Assistant to the NIDCR Director, is serving as the Executive Secretary of both the Board of Scientific Counselors and the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council. In addition, Dr. Braveman will take the lead in coordinating future ad hoc panels that NIDCR will convene to help advise the Institute on future scientific directions.

• Dr. Jack London, NIDCR Assistant Scientific Director, recently retired from Federal service. He had a long career with the NIDCR and NIH, beginning as a predoctoral and then postdoctoral fellow. In 1968 he became a research microbiologist in the Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology and later was named a section chief in the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology. In 1996, Dr. London was appointed as a Special Assistant to the Scientific Director. He served in that position until 1998 when he was asked to provide scientific and managerial assistance to the Scientific Director as Assistant Scientific Director.

• Dr. Lillian Shum recently joined the NIDCR as Director of the Physiology, Pharmacogenetics and Injury Program, Division of Basic and Translational Sciences. She will manage a portfolio of research grants in the areas of pharmacogenetics, tooth and bone physiology, craniofacial injury and wound healing. Previously she was a senior staff fellow in the Cartilage Biology and Orthopedics Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Dr. Shum earned her Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology at the University of North Carolina and was a postdoctoral fellow first at the University of Southern California with Dr. Harold Slavkin and then at the University of California at San Francisco with Dr. Rik Derynck.

• Dr. Sangeeta Bhargava recently joined the NIDCR Division of Basic and Translational Sciences as Director of the Immunology and Immunotherapy Program. She will provide management and oversight for research grants primarily in the areas of mucosal immunity and cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Previously Dr. Bhargava was a senior scientist at Wyeth where she was responsible for research on mucosal immunology with an emphasis on discovery and preclinical development of viral vaccines. Dr. Bhargava earned a Ph.D. in medical sciences from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and subsequently was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. John Cebra at the University of Pennsylvania.

• Gabrielle Cannick, a DMD/PhD student currently working on her dissertation research in oral cancer at NIDCR under the mentorship of Dr. Alice Horowitz, received the grand prize at the Hinman Student Research Symposium sponsored by the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Society (THDS) and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry. The symposium is held annually to recognize dental student efforts in clinical and basic science research. Ninety-four dental students from the U.S. and Canada competed in oral and poster presentations in Memphis, TN. The title of Gabrielle's oral presentation was "Oral Cancer Knowledge Among South Carolina Dental Students." She received a plaque from THDS for the "Most Outstanding Presentation in Clinical Research" and the President's Award for Excellence in Dental Research from the National Student Research Group of the American Association for Dental Research.

• Two fellows mentored by Dr. Sharon Wahl, chief, Oral Infection and Immunity Branch, won awards at recent professional and scientific meetings. Jennifer Swisher, Ph.D., won the Society for Leukocyte Biology Presidential ward at the 2003 Society for Leukocyte Biology Meeting for her work, "TGF-beta in the Mitochrondria; Potential Mechanisms for Its Import and Function." Gary Warburton, BDS, MD, won the Best Overall Scientific Poster at the 85th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons for his poster entitled, "Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor (SLPI) is a Proteasome Inhibitor in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Influences Apoptosis."