CSR Realignment Schneider 11032008

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PEER REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE Update on New CSR
Realignments Don Schneider, Ph.D.
November 3, 2008
National Institutes of HealthU.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
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Reality checks are sometimes necessary

• Gene Therapy and Inborn Errors Special Emphasis
  Panel - started in 2003
• Nuclear Dynamics and Transport - chartered in
  2005
• Current NIH Enhancing Peer Review efforts
  implications for study section organization

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Gene Transfer and Inborn Errors survived planned
closing

• Created as interim review home for inborn errors
  applications
• Reorganization completed 2005
• In 2008, GTIE reviewed 30-35 applications a cycle
• Rule of thumb, after one year, special emphasis
  panel should be chartered or discontinued

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GTIE Working Group met August 18, 2008

• ROSTER
• Gerard Berry, Childrens Hospital, Boston
• Katherine High, Childrens Hospital, Philadelphia
• Mark Kay, Stanford U
• Blake Roessler, U Michigan
• Mendel Tuchman, Childrens Nat Med Ctr
• Stephen Warren, Emory U
• NIH Rebecca Link, NHLBI Catherine McKeon,
  NIDDK Richard Panniers, CSR Don Schneider, CSR

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Working Group strongly favors chartering

• Broaden guidelines
• Molecular mechanisms of genetic diseases
• Development of genetic disease therapies
• Preclinical and initial clinical studies of
  genetic disease therapies
• Shared interests
• Gene Drug Delivery (basic)
• Genetics of Health Disease (complex genetics)
• Broaden name
• Genetic Disease Mechanisms and Therapies (GDMT)

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Cell Biology study sections have grown slowly

• Nuclear Dynamics Transport (NDT) 40-45
  applications/cycle
• Cell Structure Function (CSF) 60
  applications/cycle
• Cellular Signaling Regulatory Systems (CSRS) 65
  applications/cycle

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Cell Biology-Nanotechnology Working Group met
September 18, 2008

• ROSTER
• Ashutosh Chilkoti, Duke U
• Joseph Gall, Carnegie Inst
• Ian Macara, U Virginia
• Paul Matsudaira, MIT
• Timothy Mitchison, Harvard Med
• Michele Pagano, New York U
• Peter Rubenstein, U Iowa
• Pamela Silver, Dana Farber
• NIH Ravi Basavappa, NIGMS Lori Henderson,
  NIBIB Jeff Schloss, NHGRI Bert Shapiro, NIGMS
  Noni Byrnes, CSR George Chacko, CSR Don
  Schneider, CSR

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Working Group agreed to disband NDT

• Reassign applications and members to existing
  study sections
• Cell cycle regulation, mitosis, and checkpoints
  to CSRS
• Nuclear membrane, matrix, and architecture, pore
  development and function, nucleo-cytoplasmic
  transport to CSF, fit well with cytoskeleton,
  trafficking, and multiprotein assemblies
• CSRS CSF increase to 70-80 applications/cycle
• Rename CSF Nuclear Cytoplasmic
  Structure/Function Dynamics (NCSD)

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Working Group considered Nanotechnology

• Nanotechnology (NANO) study section diverse,
  more than 100 applications/cycle
• Applied Nanotechnology (NANA) appropriate for
  cell biology, with basic applications remaining
  in NANO
• Complications number trend unclear,
  bioengineers not comfortable (including James
  Baker, U Michigan)
• Cell Biology does have a handful of
  technology-driven applications every cycle

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NIH Enhancing Peer Review will drive study
section changes

• Likely changes
• Shorter applications, 12 page R01
• Shorter written critiques, 1-2 pages
• Likely result on study sections
• Enhanced quality of review outcomes
• Enhanced efficiency of review process
• If 20 gain in efficiency, ideal workload may
  shift from 60-80 to 80-100 applications/study
  section
• This may not be a good time to charter small
  study sections.

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PRAC approval soughtto finalize realignments

• Gene Therapy Inborn Errors
• Expand as Genetic Disease Mechanisms and
  Therapies (GDMT)?
• Charter, or special emphasis panel for now?
• Nuclear Transport Dynamics
• Split between Cell Structure Function (CSF) and
  Cellular Signaling Regulatory Systems (CSRS)?
• Rename CSF as Nuclear Cytoplasmic
  Structure/Function Dynamics (NCSD)?
• Nanotechnology (NANO)
• With divided opinions and number decline,
  postpone splitting for now?
• Meanwhile, for technology-driven R01s in Cell
  Biology, run special emphasis panel?

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The End