Crash course in control theory for neuroscientists and biologists
India hopes for patriotic return of neuroscientists
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1222 NATURE MEDICINE • VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 11 • NOVEMBER 1999 NEWS ernment regulations, which make it pos- sible to send reagents across borders; im- proved communication systems, and the globalization of scientific research. Belfast will also pilot the NCI’s multi- million dollar clinical trials information system, which will become available to all academic institutions in 2001. “Ireland has just the right size popula- tion—around 5 million—to benefit from this,” says Liu, “France and Germany, for example, would be too big in terms of population for clinical trials to progress quickly. And real value only comes from quick implementation of clinical trial knowledge into medical practice.” KAREN BIRMINGHAM, LONDON The NIH has made good its promise issued this May to award $130 million for re- search designed to bring tolerance induction for organ transplants into clinical trials (Nature Med. 5, 470; 1999). The award, which is one of the largest grants ever from the NIH for clinical research, will fund research aimed at training the immune sys- tem to ignore transplanted organs, yet still attack invading pathogens. The proce- dure has proven successful in laboratory animals, and many transplant immunologists felt the time was right to bring the procedure to the clinic. The project, known as the Collaborative Network for Clinical Research on Immune Tolerance, will be headed by Jeffrey Bluestone from the University of Chicago, and will involve nearly 40 research institutions from the US, Australia, Germany and the UK. Tolerogenic approaches will be tested on recipients of kidney transplants, as well as those receiving transplanted human islet cells to treat type I diabetes. The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation will contribute an additional $14 million to the project. KRIS NOVAK, NEW YORK NIH backs large transplant tolerance project India is to invest $17 million over five years in its new National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), which was formally opened on 1 October, to make it a world class neuroscience facility. The NBRC is now trying to foster links with interna- tional neuroscience institutes and is ap- pealing to expatriate Indian scientists to take part in the venture. Richard Nakamura, deputy director of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), who led a delega- tion to the NBRC in New Delhi last month, has signed a collaborative agreement with the center, as has the Brain Science Institute at Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN). A similar agreement with the UK Medical Research Council is anticipated. “These deals will focus primarily on the training of Indian scientists for joint re- search projects,” Manju Sharma, secretary to the Department of Biotechnology, which is funding the center, told Nature Medicine. Specific protocols will be de- signed at a joint workshop later this year. “Our aim,” says NBRC program coordi- nator Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, who is slated to become its director, “is to catch up with the international neuroscience field.” In next five years she envisions the NBRC as a state-of-art institute with a sci- entific staff of 200. T.R. Raju, head of neu- rophysiology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, whose division is networked with the NBRC, says that the NBRC concept is an excellent one, because no single group in India can afford to buy the necessary re- search equipment. The NBRC expects to spend around $2 million on extramural research programs. But repatriating scientists to senior po- sitions could prove problematic. NBRC president, Prakash Tandon, says that salary will be on a par with that received by other government scientists. “We can- not create two salary structures, one for locals and another for expatriates, as this dampens morale,” he says. Vijayalakshmi hopes that some researchers could be in- vited back as visiting faculty “for short time on attractive terms.” But Prandon believes that “top scientists, who have earned enough money abroad will want to return and work for their motherland.” K.S. JAYARAMAN, NEW DELHI Joanne French India hopes for patriotic return of neuroscientists In a step towards output-targeted uni- versity funding, the Italian Ministry of Research has elected a special advisory board to monitor all national research projects. Historically, the use of public funds by universities has never been subjected to rigorous examination—a factor that has contributed to improper use of those funds. The 42-member advisory board, with three individuals dedicated to each research discipline, met for the first time in mid-October to outline appropriate assessment criteria. In the field of medicine and biology, guide- lines will focus on the relationship between results and the declared aims of a project, whether or not ma- terials and methods used are state- of-the-art, the effectiveness of inter- university collaborations and publica- tion output. Enrico Solcia, Pavia University, and Mario Sangiorgi, Tor Vergata University, Rome, are both members of the new medicine advisory board and claim, “[T]his strongly signals that Italy is ready to adopt an investment- oriented culture as the engine of scientific progress in its academic community.” Modena University’s Fabio Benfenati, who has been ap- pointed to the biology board, adds, “the Research Ministry’s decision to implement sound control over spend- ing represents a significant change in the way national funding priorities in biomedicine are defined.” The move is believed to go far be- yond the reforms launched in 1997 (Nature 387, 538; 1997). “Since the beginning of the reform, the budget for national research projects has in- creased three-fold,” says Jacopo Meldolesi, director of DIBIT, the re- search institute of the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, head of the biology medicine funding distribution com- mittee. Furthermore, officials from the Research Ministry told Nature Medicine that a large infrastructure fund will also be made available by the end of the year to reward the universities that have been most effi- cient in spending public money. MARTINA BALLMAIER, MILAN New groups created to monitor university spending © 1999 Nature America Inc. • http://medicine.nature.com © 1999 Nature America Inc. • http://medicine.nature.com
Transcript of India hopes for patriotic return of neuroscientists
1222 NATURE MEDICINE • VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 11 • NOVEMBER 1999
NEWS
ernment regulations, which make it pos-sible to send reagents across borders; im-proved communication systems, and theglobalization of scientific research.
Belfast will also pilot the NCI’s multi-million dollar clinical trials informationsystem, which will become available toall academic institutions in 2001.“Ireland has just the right size popula-
tion—around 5 million—to benefit fromthis,” says Liu, “France and Germany,for example, would be too big in termsof population for clinical trials toprogress quickly. And real value onlycomes from quick implementation ofclinical trial knowledge into medicalpractice.”
KAREN BIRMINGHAM, LONDON
The NIH has made good its promise issued this May to award $130 million for re-search designed to bring tolerance induction for organ transplants into clinical trials(Nature Med. 5, 470; 1999). The award, which is one of the largest grants ever fromthe NIH for clinical research, will fund research aimed at training the immune sys-tem to ignore transplanted organs, yet still attack invading pathogens. The proce-dure has proven successful in laboratory animals, and many transplantimmunologists felt the time was right to bring the procedure to the clinic.
The project, known as the Collaborative Network for Clinical Research on ImmuneTolerance, will be headed by Jeffrey Bluestone from the University of Chicago, andwill involve nearly 40 research institutions from the US, Australia, Germany and theUK. Tolerogenic approaches will be tested on recipients of kidney transplants, as wellas those receiving transplanted human islet cells to treat type I diabetes. The JuvenileDiabetes Foundation will contribute an additional $14 million to the project.
KRIS NOVAK, NEW YORK
NIH backs large transplant tolerance project
India is to invest $17 million over fiveyears in its new National Brain ResearchCentre (NBRC), which was formallyopened on 1 October, to make it a worldclass neuroscience facility. The NBRC isnow trying to foster links with interna-tional neuroscience institutes and is ap-pealing to expatriate Indian scientiststo take part in the venture.
Richard Nakamura, deputydirector of the US NationalInstitute of Mental Health(NIMH), who led a delega-tion to the NBRC in NewDelhi last month, has signeda collaborative agreement withthe center, as has the Brain ScienceInstitute at Japan’s Institute of Physicaland Chemical Research (RIKEN). A similaragreement with the UK Medical ResearchCouncil is anticipated.
“These deals will focus primarily on thetraining of Indian scientists for joint re-search projects,” Manju Sharma, secretaryto the Department of Biotechnology,which is funding the center, told NatureMedicine. Specific protocols will be de-signed at a joint workshop later this year.
“Our aim,” says NBRC program coordi-nator Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, who isslated to become its director, “is to catch
up with the international neurosciencefield.” In next five years she envisions theNBRC as a state-of-art institute with a sci-entific staff of 200. T.R. Raju, head of neu-rophysiology at the National Institute ofMental Health and Neurosciences,Bangalore, whose division is networked
with the NBRC, says that theNBRC concept is an excellent
one, because no singlegroup in India can affordto buy the necessary re-search equipment. The
NBRC expects to spendaround $2 million on extramural
research programs.But repatriating scientists to senior po-
sitions could prove problematic. NBRCpresident, Prakash Tandon, says thatsalary will be on a par with that receivedby other government scientists. “We can-not create two salary structures, one forlocals and another for expatriates, as thisdampens morale,” he says. Vijayalakshmihopes that some researchers could be in-vited back as visiting faculty “for shorttime on attractive terms.” But Prandonbelieves that “top scientists, who haveearned enough money abroad will wantto return and work for their motherland.”
K.S. JAYARAMAN, NEW DELHI
Joan
ne F
renc
h
India hopes for patriotic return of neuroscientists
In a step towards output-targeted uni-versity funding, the Italian Ministry ofResearch has elected a special advisoryboard to monitor all national researchprojects. Historically, the use of publicfunds by universities has never beensubjected to rigorous examination—afactor that has contributed to improperuse of those funds.
The 42-member advisory board,with three individuals dedicated toeach research discipline, met for thefirst time in mid-October to outlineappropriate assessment criteria. In thefield of medicine and biology, guide-lines will focus on the relationshipbetween results and the declaredaims of a project, whether or not ma-terials and methods used are state-of-the-art, the effectiveness of inter-university collaborations and publica-tion output.
Enrico Solcia, Pavia University, andMario Sangiorgi, Tor VergataUniversity, Rome, are both membersof the new medicine advisory boardand claim, “[T]his strongly signals thatItaly is ready to adopt an investment-oriented culture as the engine ofscientific progress in its academiccommunity.” Modena University’sFabio Benfenati, who has been ap-pointed to the biology board, adds,“the Research Ministry’s decision toimplement sound control over spend-ing represents a significant change inthe way national funding priorities inbiomedicine are defined.”
The move is believed to go far be-yond the reforms launched in 1997(Nature 387, 538; 1997). “Since thebeginning of the reform, the budgetfor national research projects has in-creased three-fold,” says JacopoMeldolesi, director of DIBIT, the re-search institute of the San Raffaelehospital in Milan, head of the biologymedicine funding distribution com-mittee.
Furthermore, officials from theResearch Ministry told NatureMedicine that a large infrastructurefund will also be made available by theend of the year to reward the universities that have been most effi-cient in spending public money.
MARTINA BALLMAIER, MILAN
New groups created to monitoruniversity spending
© 1999 Nature America Inc. • http://medicine.nature.com©
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