Centers for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation Consortium (CMCRC)

Annual Meeting 2023-2024

January 16-17, 2024

RNCP, NIAID, NIH

Location of in-person meeting:

  • NIAID Conference Center, Grand Hall – 1D13

  • 5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852

Virtual Attendance:

  • A Zoom link will be emailed to attendees.

Note: Participation by invite only.

Hotel accommodation nearby for out-of-town folks:

  • The Even Hotel (has a shuttle)

    • 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852

 

Map and Directions:

 

Security:

Visitors must enter the building through the front lobby entrance on Fishers Lane and present a valid, government-issued photo ID to the security guards. Security screenings are required for anyone not in possession of a valid HHS badge.

Non-US citizen visitor must complete an NIH visitor request form in advance of the meeting:

https://app.smartsheetgov.com/b/form/42e1947fddfe469f80f9b1bc1a25b0cb.

 

Parking:

 

  1. Free Parking on site: Free parking in the open lot of Fisher’s Lane. Attendees must reference the meeting name.

  2. A public parking garage is located at 5635 Fishers Lane, approximately one block from 5601. The cost is $4 for the first hour, $6 for the second hour or $8 a day. Note: The public garage accepts cash only.

Public Transportation:

NIAID (5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD) is serviced by Ride On Bus and Metro. The nearest Metro station is Twinbrook (Red Line), which is less than half a mile away from the building. Cross Twinbrook Parkway at the intersection with Fishers Lane and proceed down Fishers Lane. NIAID is the last building on the left.

 

Lunch for both days:

More details to come.

 

HAPPY HOUR – AT END OF DAY 1

Upon the end of Day 1 of the meeting, attendees are invited to a “Happy Hour” reception (self-pay) from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at Matchbox, 1699 Rockville Pike.

 

AGENDA (tentative)

 

Day 1:  Tuesday, January 16, 2024

8:15 am     Check-in & A/V testing

9:00 am     Welcome remarks from NIAID - Lanyn Taliaferro, PhD - NIAID CMCRC Project Scientist

 

CMCRC Program-Wide Cores

9:10 am     Overview of Consortium-wide Coordinating Core:  Yuji Zhang, PhD 

9:20 am     Overview of Opportunities Fund Management Core: Sally Amundson, PhD

9:30 am     Q&A

   

Duke University CMCRC – Nelson Chao, PI (9:35-11:20am)

9:35 am     Overview of Center & Project 1:  Nelson Chao, MD – Duke University School of Medicine

CaMKK2 a novel target to mitigate radiation-induced injury of the hematopoietic system and the gastrointestinal tract.

 

10:00 am   Project 2:  Benny (Jun) Chen, MD – Duke University School of Medicine

Endothelial Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Mitigation of the Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome.

 

10:20 am   Project 3:  Jenny Ting, PhD – University of North Carolina School of Medicine (presenting remotely)

                 Innate immune receptor ligand and the microbiota as countermeasures for radiation

 

10:40 am   Project 4:  David Kirsch, MD, PhD – University of Toronto (presenting remotely)

     Dissecting the Role of Revival Stem Cells in the Radiation-Induced Gastrointestinal   

     Syndrome to Define Targets for Mitigation.

11:00 am   Discussion/Q&A - External Advisors and Other Members

11:20 pm   BREAK

11:30 am   Gayle E Woloschak, PhD, FASTRO - Northwestern University 

     Studies on Radiological Exposures and Mitigation of Internal Exposures

12:25 am   Q&A

12:30 pm   LUNCH 

 

Columbia University CMCRC – David Brenner, PI (1:30-3:00pm)

1:30 pm     Overview of Center & Project 1:   David Brenner, PhD – Columbia University

                 Overview of Center, and Project 1 (high throughput cytogenetics)

2:00 pm     Project 2:   Sally Amundson, PhD – Columbia University

Radiation biodosimetry using gene expression signatures

2:20 pm     Project 3:   Evagelia C Laiakis, PhD – Georgetown University

                 Rapid non-invasive radiation biodosimetry through metabolomics 

2:40 pm     Discussion by External Advisors and Other Members:  Q & A

3:00 pm     BREAK

 

University of Maryland School of Medicine CMCRC – France Carrier, PI (3:15-5:05pm)

3:15 pm     Overview of Center & Project 4: France Carrier, PhD – University of Maryland School of Medicine

Overview: INTERACT: Inter-collaborative Radiation Countermeasures Consortium Accomplishment and Vision Beyond 2025 

 

                 Project 4 – “Characterizing senescence following Partial Body Irradiation”

3:45 pm     Project 1: Christie Orschell, PhD – Indiana University School of Medicine (presenting remotely)

                 Development of prostaglandins as medical countermeasures for H-ARS and DEARE

4:05 pm     Project 2: Sue Chin Lee (representing Gabor Tigyi, PhD – The University of Tennessee Health Science Center) (presenting remotely)

                 Advances in developing Radioprotectin-1

4:25 pm     Project 3: Paul Okunieff, MD – University of Florida College of Medicine

Evaluation of basic fibroblast growth factor mimetic peptide as a mitigator of GI-ARS and H-ARS in a Wistar Rat Model

4:45 pm     Discussion by External Advisors and Other Members:  Q & A

5:05 pm     Wrap-up – Andrea Dicarlo, PhD (Director of RNCP) 

5:15 pm     Day One Adjourned **

 

**Participants are invited to Happy Hour (self-pay) from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

 Matchbox, 1699 Rockville Pike

 

Day 2: Wednesday, January 17, 2024

9:00 am    NIAID Overview of CMCRC

9:15 am    Dave T. Yeung – NIAID Chemical Countermeasures Research Program

                 An Introduction to the Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP)

9:30 -11:30 am - Collaborative Projects Presentations 

 

Collaboration 1: First studies determining the efficacy of countermeasures against radiation doses delivered in microseconds 

9:30 am David Brenner, PhD – Columbia University

Nelson Chao, PhD – Duke University School of Medicine 

 

9:55 am Q&A

 

Collaboration 2: Evaluation of the Role of intestinal stem cell (ISC) subsets in promoting recovery from radiation injury underlying the acute gastrointestinal radiation syndrome (GI-ARS)

 

10:00 am    Sue Chin Lee (representing Gabor Tigyi, PhD – The University of Tennessee Health Science Center) (presenting remotely)

                Andrea Finholt-Daniel – Duke University School of Medicine (presenting remotely)

10:25 am Q&A

 

Collaboration 3: Investigating Neutron-induced Lung Injury

10:30 am David Brenner, Columbia University

    France Carrier, University of Maryland 

 

10:55 am Q&A

 

11:00 am  Wrap-up of Open Session & Break

 

CLOSED SESSION TO FOLLOW

Day 2 CMCRC Retreat - Closed Session

(PIs, Core Directors, NIAID Program Staff & External Advisors only)

11:40 am  Feedback from EAB Advisors 

12:30 pm  LUNCH Open Discussion (Areas for future collaborations or new ideas)

1:30 pm Wrap up of Closed Session

 

Many thanks to the members of the CMCRC External Advisory Board for their valuable contributions to the consortium: 

 

Jeffrey Buchsbaum, MD - NCI, NIH

Polly Chang, PhD - SRI

Nicholas Dainiak, MD - Yale School of Medicine

Daniela Stricklin, PhD - FDA/CDRH