The National Advisory General Medical Sciences (NAGMS) Council convened in person for its 185th meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Jon R. Lorsch, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), presided as meeting chair. After an open session from 9:30 a.m. to 12:09 p.m., the closed session convened from 1:05 p.m. to 2:49 p.m.
Eric Alani, Ph.D. Angela Byars-Winston, Ph.D. Angela DePace, Ph.D. Ron G. King, Ph.D., M.B.A. Terri Goss Kinzy, Ph.D. David H. Mathews, M.D., Ph.D. Lesilee Rose, Ph.D. Amy Rosenzweig, Ph.D. Pamela Stacks, Ph.D. Jeffrey Sun, Ph.D. Wendy Young, Ph.D.
Ronald M. Przygodzki, M.D. Director, Genomic Medicine U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development Washington, DC 20420
Lucy Erin O'Brien, Ph.D. Associate ProfessorDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305-5305
Leyte Winfield, Ph.D. Professor Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Division Chair Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Spelman College Atlanta, GA 30314-4395
Jeffrey Mugridge, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of DelawareNewark, DE 19716
Justus C. Ndukaife, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringVanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN 37212
Council roster (available from NIGMS)
Yvette R. Seger, Ph.D.Associate Director of Science Policy Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)6120 Executive Boulevard, Suite 230Rockville, MD 20852
Dr. Lorsch welcomed Council members and guests. Council members approved the minutes from the February 1, 2024, meeting.
Council confirmed the following dates for future meetings:
Dr. Lorsch explained policies and procedures regarding confidentiality and avoidance of conflict-of-interest situations to Council members.
Dr. Lorsch announced the retirement of Council members Amy Rosensweig, Ph.D.; Melanie Sanford, Ph.D.; and Pamela Stacks, Ph.D. He also announced NIGMS staff changes, job vacancies, and changes to NIH leadership.
Dr. Lorsch described two congressional outreach activities:
He announced NIGMS’ Judith H. Greenberg Early Career Investigator Lecture on October 7 and the Stetten Lecture on November 20 and updated Council on STEM education outreach activities. Dr. Lorsch highlighted two notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs):
Application and Funding Trends in Fiscal Year 2023 (NIH Videocast @ 24:28)
Dr. Lorsch announced that the NIGMS budget for fiscal year 2024 is $3.245 billion with a $5 million increase over last year specifically for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program. He presented data on trends over the last several fiscal years showing increases in NIGMS research project grant success rates, increasing award rates of the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) to early stage investigators, and consistently high MIRA grant renewal rates.
Fiscal Year 2024 NRSA Stipend Increases (NIH Videocast @ 32:40)
Dr. Lorsch presented a summary of changes in stipend- and training-related expenses in the notice for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) stipends, tuition/fees, and other budgetary levels. Changes will be effective in fiscal year 2024.
NIH Initiative to Enhance the Nation’s Clinical Trials Capacity (NIH Videocast @ 36:40)
Dr. Lorsch announced that the NIH Office of the Director (OD) is planning an OD Common Fund Program to expand clinical research opportunities into primary care settings. The initiative plans partnerships with existing clinical research networks and resources (including IDeA clinical and translational research networks), expanding with new sites, capabilities, and collaborations as the network grows. Research questions will arise from within the communities. Listening sessions and public workshops have begun, and the program launched in 2024.
Council members discussed how changes in NRSA stipends could have cascading effects on lab size, lab composition (staff scientists vs. trainees), training programs, and career opportunities for research trainees Also, how labs, institutions, and the job market might adjust to those changes. They also discussed how best to support technologies involved in drug discovery within NIGMS’ mission, which can reduce the high cost of synthesizing, refining, and testing new molecules.
Dr. Lauer discussed the history of data fabrication in biomedical research. He presented several examples of research papers that reputable medical journals retracted when the papers revealed doctored images and/or falsified data. He also mentioned supervisor malfeasance as a continuing problem in biomedical research. This issue occurs when supervisors allow young investigator misconduct in the lab, resulting in that culture transferring to laboratories at other institutions.
Dr. Lauer highlighted the NIH Notice of Responsibilities of Recipient Institutions in Communicating Research Misconduct to the NIH (NOT-OD-19-020) that instructs grant recipients of their responsibilities in handling suspected or confirmed research misconduct in NIH-funded research.
Discussion Council members discussed the impact of ethics training to increase the understanding of research misconduct beyond simple plagiarism and the role of the institution in promoting a culture of integrity. They also suggested wider access to machine learning software that detects image and data plotting irregularities—as well as training on how to use it—would be helpful.
Support for the cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) program will transition to NIGMS as support from the Common Fund expires in 2026. The intent is to support centers that provide the research community with training in and access to sample preparation and tomographic data collection, especially since cryo-ET has additional benefits beyond what the related cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) technology can offer. NIGMS had previously received clearance for transitioning cryo-EM support from the Common Fund, and this would consolidate both technologies within NIGMS.
Council members discussed the hub and spoke model for the cryo-ET and concerns about the fragility of the samples that must travel to the hub for analysis.
NIGMS received Council approval for this concept.
The National and Regional Resources Program supports resources that enable access to mature NIGMS mission-relevant technologies and provides them to a substantial number of users at national or regional levels. In drafting a new NOFO, NIGMS will consider adding training resources to the program.
NIGMS received Council approval to reissue the program.
Dr. Seger presented highlights from FASEB’s annual scientific policy symposium. Two diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have been developed:
FASEB is also creating a series of webinars about NIGMS’ IDeA program for FASEB investigators.
This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with the determination that it was concerned with matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., and section 1009(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. §§ 1001-1014).
Members exited the meeting during the discussion and voting process on applications from their own institutions or other applications that presented a potential conflict of interest, real or apparent. Members signed a statement to this effect at the beginning of the meeting.
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences considered 1,272 research and training applications requesting $397,782,791 in total costs. The Council recommended 1,272 applications with a total cost of $397,782,791.
The meeting adjourned at 2:49 p.m. on May 16, 2024.
I hereby certify that, to my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.
Jon R. Lorsch, Ph.D. Chair National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council
Erica Brown, Ph.D. Executive Secretary National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council
