Author: Ali

Today, people use their phones for almost everything: ordering food, organizing finances or scheduling out their day-to-day tasks. Mobile devices are becoming the most used tool in people’s lives. But there is one area where mobile devices may be underused: research studies.

It can be challenging to get accurate and real-time data when conducting a population-based research study in a hospital or lab setting. Many studies rely on patient self-reporting – which in turns relies on a patient’s ability to recall details precisely and accurately. Using a phone as a data collection tool could give the patient the ability to log their symptoms, activities and more in real time. But secure, research-oriented tools for doing so can be hard to find.

At a recent Brigham Research Institute’s Research Connection Live Lunch, Yvonne Lee, MD, director of pain research in the BWH Division of Rheumatology, touched on these challenges. Lee and her team had been struggling to get daily data from patients in a secure, HIPAA-compliant fashion for their research projects on rheumatoid arthritis.

Read the full article in Clinical & Research News

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]We would like to announce a Call for Nominations for FOUR elected members of the BRI Research Oversight Committee to serve from October 2017-September 2020. The available positions and terms are:

BACKGROUND:  The Brigham Research Institute (BRI) is governed by the ROC. The ROC is made up of department representatives, BRI Center and Program Co-Chairs, and the BRI Executive Committee. The ROC was established to foster transparency and accountability in the decision making process for the research enterprise and to plan new strategic initiatives. Please visit the BRI website to learn more about the BRI and the composition of the ROC.

PURPOSE:  Representatives will participate in discussions, promote the interests of their community within the BRI and report back to their respective communities on items of interest. The representatives will gain valuable experience and exposure to the oversight and management of a large research enterprise. This is a great opportunity to get involved with the research leadership and strategic direction of the research agenda at BWH.

REQUIREMENTS:  Representatives are expected to attend monthly ROC meetings held in the Zinner Boardroom from 7:30-9:00am on the fourth Thursday of each month.

ELIGIBILITY: Instructors and Assistant Professors are eligible for the junior faculty positions and Associate Professors and Professors are eligible for the senior faculty position.

TERMS/TIMEFRAME: Representatives should plan to serve one three-year term on the ROC, with the possibility of a renewal. Nominations will be accepted until August 22. Elections will conclude in October 2017 and terms will be from October 2017 – September 2020.

PROCESS:  A call for nominations issued to the entire BWH community – nominations accepted at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BRI_ROC_nom_2017

• Nominees will be contacted and asked to accept or decline their candidacy
• Candidates will be asked to write a brief statement of intent to be posted (along with a photo)
• An election will be held to choose the representatives

NOMINATIONS:  BWH employees may nominate themselves or their peers by Monday August 22 by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BRI_ROC_nom_2017

QUESTIONS:  Further questions can be directed to the BRI, at bwhbri@partners.org[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an extremely aggressive brain cancer, is a very complex disease. It is characterized by a fast-growing tumor in the brain composed of many subpopulations of cells, including glioblastoma stem cells, which play a crucial role in glioblastoma initiation, expansion and therapy-resistance. GBM’s diverse make up – termed heterogeneity – is of clinical importance because it is a key factor that leads to treatment failure, allowing the tumor to become resistant to treatment or for cancer to recur.

One way to identify different glioblastoma subtypes is by looking at the specific microRNA expressed in the patient derived GBM stem cells. In several types of cancer cells, including glioblastoma cells, microRNA expression isn’t regulated properly. In a new study published in Cell Reports, BWH researchers examined a specific microRNA, miR-128, to help identify glioblastoma subtypes and to determine if altering the microRNA’s presence in glioblastoma cells could change the tumor’s subtype.

“RNA is increasingly recognized as a snapshot of a cell at a given moment in time and therefore gives unique insight into the disease biology,” said lead author Arun Kumar Rooj, PhD, of the Department of Neurosurgery at BWH. “Understanding the dynamic spectrum of cells and their non-coding RNA signatures is critical for advancing therapeutic strategies that will be capable of overcoming the complexity of this disease.”

The researchers looked at miR-128 expression in diverse populations of glioblastoma cells. They identified the “proneural” subtype as having high levels of miR-128 compared to the mesenchymal tumors, which had significantly lower levels of this particular microRNA. Interestingly, they also found that if they raised or lowered the levels of miR-128, they could induce one subtype of tumor to transition into a new subtype.

Read more about Using a microRNA to Shift the Makeup of Glioblastoma Subtypes and other new research stories at BWH Clinical and Research News[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]