Spring 2018

Alex M. Azar II Becomes HHS Secretary

On January 29, Alex M. Azar II was sworn in as the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, replacing Acting Secretary Eric D. Hargan. Azar has worked in both the public and private sectors as an attorney and in senior leadership roles focused on advancing health care reform, research, and innovation. Azar graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree from Yale University.

NIH Invites Public Input on Draft Strategic Plan for Data Science

On March 5, NIH issued a request for information seeking comments and suggestions on the first NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science. This plan describes NIH’s overarching goals, strategic objectives, and implementation tactics for promoting the modernization of the NIH-funded biomedical data science ecosystem. Submit responses by April 2.

NIH Investigator Co-Authors Gene Therapy Review in Science

In the January 12 issue of the journal Science, Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD, senior investigator at the Hematology Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, co-authored an in-depth review of the key developments that led to several successful gene therapy treatments for patients with serious medical conditions. The authors also described genome editing technologies, which could translate into broader and more effective gene therapy approaches. The authors discussed the future of gene therapies and the challenges of delivering these complex treatments to patients.

NIH Launches Genome Editing Research Program

On January 23, NIH announced the launch of the Somatic Cell Genome Editing program, funded by the NIH’s Common Fund. The effort, which is aimed at removing barriers that slow the adoption of genome editing for treating patients, will award scientists about $190 million over six years. Research teams will aim to improve delivery mechanisms for targeting gene-editing tools in patients, develop genome editors and assays for testing the safety and efficacy of editing tools, and assemble a genome-editing toolkit containing the resulting knowledge, methods, and tools to be shared with the scientific community.

2018 Rare Disease Day at NIH

On March 1, the NIH Clinical Center and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences sponsored the annual Rare Disease Day at NIH, which featured presentations, posters, exhibits, an art show, and Clinical Center tours. Rare Disease Day takes place worldwide each year to raise awareness among policymakers and the public about rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives.

New Tool Visualizes Employment Trends in Biomedical Science

Scientists looking for jobs after completing their training may soon have a new tool for evaluating various career paths. The tool uses a method that was developed by scientists at NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and is detailed in an article published in the February edition of Nature Biotechnology. The method differs from others in that it separates employment trends in biomedical science by sector, type, and job specifics. The creators developed the approach for use by the scientific community.

Roadmap for Replacing Animal Use in Toxicity Testing

Sixteen federal agencies partnered to develop a strategic roadmap that offers a new framework for testing the safety of drugs and chemicals while reducing the use of animals in such studies. The roadmap was published January 30 by the National Toxicology Program, a federal interagency program headquartered at NIEHS. The report aims to guide the application of new technologies—such as high-throughput screening, tissue chips, and computational models—to acquire more human-relevant toxicology data for chemicals and medical products.