A new needle-free flu vaccine patch developed by University researchers revved up the immune system much like a traditional flu shot without any negative side effects, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Though the research is in the early stages (the patch hasn’t been tested in humans), it’s an important step toward a technology that could replace needle-based vaccination methods that require administration by health care workers and involve biohazard waste removal.

“Scientists have been studying needle-free vaccine approaches for nearly two decades, but none of the technologies have lived up to the hype,” says Benjamin L. Miller, corresponding author and Dean’s Professor of Dermatology at the Medical Center. “Our patch overcomes a lot of the challenges faced by microneedle patches for vaccine delivery, the main method that’s been tested over the years, and our efficacy and lack of toxicity make me excited about the prospect of a product that could have huge implications for global health.”

Transporting big molecules like flu vaccine proteins across the skin is difficult to do, as the skin is intended to keep things out of the body, not to let them in. The study team took lessons learned from the research and treatment of a common inflammatory skin disease to overcome this hurdle and inform their flu vaccine patch strategy.

In patients with eczema, or atopic dermatitis, the skin barrier is leaky, allowing pollens, molds and a host of other allergens to enter through the skin and be sensed by the immune system. Lisa A. Beck, corresponding author and Dean’s Professor of Dermatology at the Medical Center, discovered in past research that decreasing the expression of a protein called claudin-1 made the skin more permeable. Beck, Miller, and first author Matthew Brewer, wondered if they could use this induced permeability to get a flu vaccine virus through the skin. Miller, a chemist, and Brewer, who was trained in vaccine biology and immunology, developed synthetic peptides that bind to and inhibit claudin-1 and identified one that disrupted the barrier without any toxic effects.

Next, they designed a patch containing the synthetic peptide and a recombinant flu vaccine, and tested it with mice. 

There’s a lot more work to be done on the flu vaccine patch, including additional animal studies to help the team optimize the amount of time the patch must remain on the skin to appropriately boost the immune response. The team hopes to conduct human trials in the future, and believes that if the patch is effective in people it could work for diseases for which there’s already a needle-based vaccine.

The research was funded by a Technology Development grant from UR Ventures (see item below about deadline to apply for next round of funding) and grants from the National Institutes of Health. In addition to Miller, Beck and Brewer, Elizabeth Anderson, Radha Pandya, Anna DeBenedetto, Takeshi Yoshida, Tom Hilimire and Luis Martinez-Sobrido contributed to the study. Two of the synthetic peptides developed by the team are patented and two are under a provisional patent.

Read more here.

Wilmot Cancer Institute is continuing its practice-changing research into cancer side-effects and symptom management with a coveted $29 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.

The award is the largest single grant currently funded at the Medical Center.

The NCI selected Wilmot’s Cancer Control and Supportive Care research program as a hub for the National Community Oncology Research Program or NCORP. As such, the Wilmot team is charged with designing and managing clinical studies to be carried out at oncology clinics at more than 1,000 NCORP affiliates in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

The co-principal investigators are Gary Morrow and Karen Mustian. Both are Dean’s Professors in the Department of Surgery, and leaders at Wilmot.

The grant not only honors longstanding research strength, but assures that the Wilmot Cancer Control program remains a leader for tackling issues of great concern to patients — nausea and chemo brain, neuropathy, fatigue, fitness, and the use of supplements to quell common chemotherapy side effects and symptoms related to cancer and its treatments.

There are nearly 17 million cancer survivors in the U.S., which is an estimated 5 percent of the entire population.

The field of “cancer control,” a term dating to the 1970s, is about helping people live better with cancer. Researchers focus on chemotherapy side effects, biological factors such as inflammation that may impact any type of cancer treatment, reducing risks, and innovative ways to manage symptoms. One important goal is to help patients boost their chances of survival — by allowing patients to complete their prescribed cancer treatments with as few side effects as possible.

For more than 35 years, Morrow has mentored dozens of researchers, including Mustian, as he built the thriving Cancer Control and Supportive Care research program. Morrow also became a nationally and internationally recognized research leader in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, pioneering the concept that when these problems are adequately controlled, patients are more likely to finish a full course of cancer treatment.

An exercise physiologist, Mustian has logged 20 years of research into the value of exercise for cancer patients before, during, and after treatment. She conducted the first-ever exercise studies at Wilmot years ago, and then created two copyrighted and patented intervention programs, known as EXCAP and YOCAS, for patients to use in their homes.

YOCAS is a gentle yoga program; EXCAP boosts strength with resistance bands and tracks steps with walking programs.

“It’s always been our mantra to help good people through lousy times,” Morrow says. “This new funding allows us to seamlessly continue our work while extending the mission to reach even more people on a national scale and throughout Rochester and the upstate New York region.”

Read more here.

Gaston Chaumont joins the Department of Economics as an assistant professor, after receiving his PhD in economics from Pennsylvania State University.

Chaumont’s research interests are in the areas of macroeconomics, labor economics, international macroeconomics, and monetary economics. His current work explores the relationships between the default risk of government bonds and the liquidity of secondary markets for these assets and interactions between households’ wealth accumulation and job search decisions, and their implications for inequalities in income, wealth, and consumption.

Previously, Chaumont studied the evolution of Chile’s vulnerability to external shocks after the introduction of structural reforms in monetary and fiscal policies.

The fall 2019 round of the University’s Technology Development Fund has started.

Eligible projects propose the development of a technology to a commercial endpoint. Awards are up to $100,000 and support animal testing, prototyping, and other proof-of-concept studies.

The fund is open to all faculty, staff, and students. A submitted invention disclosure to UR Ventures is required with an application.

Pre-proposals are due Thursday, October 31, and should be submitted to omar.bakht@rochester.edu.

Mario Cabrera, physics and astronomy, “Development of 15 μm Cutoff Wavelength HgCdTe Detector Arrays for Astronomy.” 2 p.m. October 9, 2019. Bausch and Lomb 372. Advisors:  William Forrest and Judith Pipher.

Today: Letters of intent due for UR CTSI Career Development Award (KL2), which provides two years of support for the early career development of multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists. View the request for applications.

Oct. 7: Initial abstracts due for two URCTSI funding opportunities.

• The Pilot Studies Program supports translational and clinical research that moves new discoveries along the translational continuum to humans and the community. There are three award categories: Faculty, Trainee and UNYTE Translational Research Network. Learn more and view the RFA.
• The Incubator Program supports the development of promising clinical and translational research in a collaborative fashion within the institution, where substantial, carefully targeted investments can accelerate progress and create stand-alone research programs. Learn more and view the RFA.

Oct. 10: Overview of grant opportunities and research services available to junior biomedical faculty members. Presented by the Junior Faculty Biomedical Association at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.  4 to 5 p.m. Natapow Conference Room (1.9545) followed by a networking session from 5 to 6 p.m. with JFBRA members. Click here to register.

Oct. 10: Third annual Translational Biomedical Science Symposium Poster Session. Trainees from the UR CTSI PhD in Translational Biomedical Science program present their research. 1-2 p.m., Flaum Atrium.

Oct. 10: Humanities Center Rosenberger Works-in-Progress lecture. Brianna Theobald,assistant professor of history – “Bringing Back Woman-Knowledge: Indigenous Women and the Modern Midwifery Movement.” 12:30 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library.

Oct. 11-12: Red Cell Club conference. Speakers from US, Canada and Europe address all aspects of erythrocyte (red blood cell) biology, Saunders Research Building. View more details and register online.

Oct. 16: Work-in-Progress seminar: “Contextualizing Paradigm Shifts in Spatial Identities: Iconography and Street Art in Mumbai,” presented by Swapna Gobinath, Fulbright scholar-in-residence in Art and Art History/Visual and Cultural Studies. 12:30-2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush-Rhees Library.

Oct. 16: “Best Practices for Being Prepared for an FDA Inspection,” presented by Karen Kosar, Public Health Service investigator,  and Joanne Schlossin, consumer safety officer, both with the FDA. Hosted by SCORE — the Study Coordinators Organization for Research and Education. 3-4:30 p.m., Upper Auditorium, Room 3-7619. Open to all UR staff, faculty and students, who are invited to attend in person or on Zoom. 

Oct. 16: Training workshop for the TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1416. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Oct. 22: Deadline to apply for AS&E PumpPrimer II seed funding, typically up to $50,000 for up to one year, for innovative research projects to help the applicant establish a novel research direction and secure extramural funding. Submit proposal via the application portal. All eligibility criterion is enumerated in the guidelines. Direct questions to your respective AS&E assistant dean: Arts and Sciences – Debra Haring, debra.haring@rochester.edu; Engineering – Cindy Gary, cindy.gary@rochester.edu.

Oct. 23: Humanities Center Rosenberger Works-in-Progress lecture. Eduardo Herrera, Humanities Center fellow – “Making a Jewish Neighborhood: In-group/Out-group Sonic Dynamics in an Argentine Soccer Stadium.” 12:30 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library.

Oct. 24-26: “Manipulating Brain States” conference on neuromodulation, hosted by the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. More than 20 internationally-renowned speakers will attend. Memorial Art Gallery. Learn more here. Click here to register.

Oct. 25: Conference co-sponsored by UNYTE on opportunities and challenges in research and clinical collaboration, including regional clinical, biomedical and translational research and advances in psychosocial care in pediatric hematology/oncology. 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flaum Auditorium. Learn more.  Register now.

Oct. 30: Annual “Pediatrics Research Celebration Day” showcasing Medical Center pediatric research. Poster session and lecture by Robert M. Blum, the Emeritus William H. Gates, Sr. Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the immediate past director, Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Flaum Atrium and Class of ’62 Auditorium.

Oct. 30: Phelps Colloquium Series:

• How do we “fix” urban schools? Moving beyond tests, takeover, and other policy tools. Kara Finnigan, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Warner School of Education.
• Can we TRANSFORM our nation’s approach to preventing child abuse and neglect? Yes, by using evidence-based practice. Sheree Toth, professor of psychology and psychiatry and director of the Mt Hope Family Center.

4–5:30 p.m. Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library, River Campus. Reception preceding the talks. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at (585) 273-2571 or by email at adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

Oct. 31: Pre-proposals due for Technology Development Fund awards. Eligible projects propose the development of a technology to a commercial endpoint. Awards are up to $100,000 and support animal testing, prototyping, and other proof-of-concept studies. Open to all faculty, staff, and students. A submitted invention disclosure to UR Ventures is required. Pre-proposals should be submitted to omar.bakht@rochester.edu.

Nov. 2: Immune Imaging Symposium on newest developments in understanding immune function through visualizing immunity “in action.” International speakers, an interactive poster session and opportunities for oral presentations from students and postdoctoral fellows. 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Saunders Research Building. Registration is free, but preregistration is required. Learn more here.

Nov. 7: Humanities Center Rosenberger Works-in-Progress lecture. Chun Yi Sum,visiting assistant professor of anthropology – “Toast to Adulthood: Alcohol Consumption and Moral Personhood in Postreform China.” 12:30 p.m., Humanities Center Conference Room D, Rush Rhees Library.

Nov. 11: Initial abstracts due for URCTSI funding through the Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods Program, which supports the development of novel biostatistical and epidemiologic methods that help overcome specifically identified limitations and significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope or speed of clinical or translational research. Learn more and view the RFA.

Nov. 20: Training workshop for the TriNetX cohort discovery tool that will replace the current i2b2 tool. With TriNetX investigators can search a limited set of electronic medical record data to determine the feasibility of their clinical trials. Participants should have a basic understanding of the TriNetX interface and be able to build simple queries. 2-4 p.m. SRB 1412. Register now. Learn more about TriNetX here.

Nov. 21: Phelps Colloquium Series:

• From the bedside to the cloud: The digital revolution in behavioral health. Michael Hasselberg, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry.
• Emergence of cardiometabolic risk: The childbearing years. Susan Groth, associate professor, School of Nursing.

4–5:30 p.m., Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons, River Campus. Reception preceding the talks. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at (585) 273-2571 or by email at adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

Dec. 3: Annual CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, Keynote addresses will be presented in the Class of ’62 Auditorium (G-9425), Medical Center.  A poster session will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m .in Flaum Atrium.  Register your poster by November 1. Contact Laura Enders for more information.