National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the controversial plan of director Francis Collins to launch a new translational biomedical research center received a phone thumb today in a white House announcement on scientific initiatives. NIH also deployed a project early to planned center, promising up to $ 140 million over 5 years to develop a chip for predicting the toxicity of drugs.
The drug chip will be developed in a partnership to include NIH, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and DARPA - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - which is known for the financing of risky research. Collins said the first cooperation of this kind will try to combine types of human cells, such as cells of the liver and kidneys, which can represent physiological systems and "talk to each other" on a chip that will be used to predict whether a drug will be careful. Researchers will try to grow cells in three dimensions rather than a flat layer because it is a better way to model how a drug will act in human tissues. The project "is really ambitious," says Collins.
DARPA this week started soliciting proposals for its part, which will focus on engineering. Half of NIH funding, which can involving intramural and extramural researchers come from the joint director of the Fund.
the drug chip will be a project of the National Center for the advancement of translational sciences (NCATS), which got a mention when President Barack Obama signed a new law on patents. the white house has also touted a new low licensing agreement cost to help startup companies license the inventions of NIH and FDA research intramural.
Several senators asked whether NCATS is necessary, and representative Denny Rehberg (R-MT), chairman of a key spending committee House of representatives, said NIH should not seek the director of NCATS up Congress gave its approval. Undaunted, NIH this week has put an advertisement for the post. It is "a potential administrator of a potential center," says Collins. Failing to plan ahead, he said, "would not be responsible."
The NCATS funding remains uncertain, however. The new center is not in a draft law called home project continuing resolution that would extend funding for government agencies for 7 weeks after the end of fiscal 2011 on October 1. But the center could be included in a bill in 2012 spending a panel to examine the Senate Tuesday. Collins said NIH is also optimistic about an omnibus bill called the financing of all agencies in 2012, which could be adopted in the coming weeks. "I remain very optimistic that we will eventually be able to start NCATS beginning of fiscal 2012," said Collins.
Meanwhile, the uncertain fate of the National Center for Research Resources, which will dissolved if and when NCATS is created, left a lot to ask. the councilors were informed this week that they should be ready to return for the next meeting of the institute in February, said board member Mark lively Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. and NCRR staff members still do not know if they will change jobs in a few days. "It is a puzzle. In two weeks, in theory, they must report to a new boss, "said animated.
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