National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

We’re hosting a virtual question-and-answer “office hour” on Thursday, January 9, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET, for our basic biomedical and medical scientist T32 programs: - NIGMS Predoctoral Basic Biomedical Sciences Research Training Program (PAR-23-228). Next application due date is January 25, 2025. - Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) (PAR-24-128). Next application due date is January 25, 2025. - Leading Equity and Diversity in the Medical Scientist Training Program (LEAD MSTP) (PAR-23-030). Next application due date is January 27, 2025. During the meeting, we’ll provide a brief update on each funding opportunity, including how updates to NIH training grant applications will impact the next receipt date, and answer your programmatic, scientific review, and budget questions. Find more details in the #NIGMSFeedbackLoop blog through the link in the comments.

Check out this model of the H1N1 influenza virus in a winter wonderland! Scientists at UC San Diego added a festive twist with hemagglutinin and neuraminidase glycoproteins in green and red, respectively. The outer envelope is shown in white, matrix protein in gray, and ribonucleoprotein particles inside the virus in red and green. Download this image from the NIGMS gallery—link in comments.

We’re accepting applications for administrative supplements through PA-20-272, Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional), and any subsequent reissuances. Requests must be within the scope of the approved grant award and must be in response to something that was unanticipated when the competing application was submitted. In addition, the award to be supplemented must be active and cannot be in a no-cost extension. We anticipate a limited amount of funds for these supplements in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). Our priority areas for funding include: - Replacement of broken or obsolete equipment - Acquisition of significantly superior equipment in rare circumstances, only if the equipment wasn’t available when the competing application was submitted and it clearly provides capability that’s otherwise unavailable (note this type of supplement cannot be made in the first year of a new competing award and generally will not be made in the final year of an award) - Consolidation of core facilities supported by Institutional Development Award (IDeA) COBRE (phases 2 and 3), INBRE, and CTR grants to enable economies of scale and other efficiencies, expand user access and service, and increase sustainability - Enhancements of the IDeA CTR practice-based research networks (PBRNs), particularly those related to electronic health record systems, needed to better engage PBRN sites in clinical research opportunities that have become available during the course of the parent award For consideration in FY25, applicants are encouraged to submit supplement requests by March 31, 2025. Find more details in the #NIGMSFeedbackLoop blog through the link in the comments.

“I think, fundamentally, that’s what being a scientist is: being curious about how the world works,” says Dr. Bil Clemons, a professor of biochemistry at the Caltech and a Virginia Tech and University of Utah alum. His lab studies a variety of topics, including how tail-anchored proteins are made and shuttled to the cell membrane and how bacteria build peptidoglycan. Learn more about Dr. Clemons’ path to research and his NIGMS-supported work in our Biomedical Beat blog (link in the comments). #ScientificCareers #Biochemistry #BasicResearch

Dr. Bil Clemons has built a lab at the Caltech studying a wide variety of topics, from understanding how cells move proteins to characterizing bacterial enzymes that future antibiotics could target. He says that this eclectic mix of interests results from following questions that excite him and his lab members. We spoke with Dr. Clemons about his path to research, his ever-evolving lab, and his aspiration to positively impact the future of his students for our latest Biomedical Beat blog post. Head over to the link in the comments to read the full post. #ScientificCareers #Biochemistry #BasicResearch

Follow the lives of New York City’s smallest residents—microbes! This video was inspired by the exhibition, "The Secret World Inside You," at the American Museum of Natural History. The five featured organisms were identified through PathoMap, an NIH SEPA-funded project designed to map the urban microbiome by collecting genetic samples all over the city. Researchers aimed to monitor local levels of microbes, including those that may cause disease. Visit the link in the comments to learn more. #NIHSEPA #Microbe #HumanMicrobiome

NIGMS is pleased to have supported the research of Drs. Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who were awarded a The Nobel Prize for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation in the roundworm C. elegans. Their groundbreaking discovery unveiled a new dimension to gene regulation that is critical for all complex life forms. Visit the link in the comments for more information about Nobel laureates supported by NIGMS. #NobelPrize #MicroRNA #BiomedicalResearch

UPDATE: The MIRA office hour on December 12 has reached its capacity and registration is closed. For additional sessions, visit the Navigating NIGMS Grants webpage: https://go.nih.gov/KDWoG5j.  

The newest edition of the the NIGMS Feedback Loop LinkedIn newsletter is now live. Read about funding opportunities, a virtual office hour for G-RISE/IMSD program applicants, and the new director of Division of Training and Workforce Development.

Check out this time-lapse movie by researchers at Princeton University showing how bacterial communities called biofilms can create blockages in medical devices such as stents and catheters, causing them to fail. Read more about this video through the link in the comments. #CoolScienceVideo #Biofilms #BasicResearch