Jean-Louis Mergny’s Post

F1000Research 2024, 11:961 Last updated: 21 MAR 2024   OPINION ARTICLE ‘Science by consensus’ impedes scientific creativity and progress: A simple alternative to funding biomedical research [version 3; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations] Previous title: ‘Science by consensus’ impedes scientific creativity and progress: An alternative to funding biomedical research Nejat Düzgüneş Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of the Pacific - San Francisco Campus, San Francisco, CA, 94103, USA v3  First published:  19 Aug 2022, 11:961 https://lnkd.in/gPwsJHUy Second version: 04 Dec 2023, 11:961 https://lnkd.in/gZDgGPKN Latest published: 21 Feb 2024, 11:961 https://lnkd.in/gajZX-m2 Abstract The very low success rates of grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are highly detrimental to the progress of science and the careers of scientists. The peer review process that evaluates proposals has been claimed arbitrarily to be the best there is. This consensus system, however, has never been evaluated scientifically against an alternative. Here we delineate the 15 major problems with the peer review process. We challenge the Science Advisor to the President, and the leadership of NIH, NSF, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and other funding agencies throughout the world to refute each of these criticisms. We call for the implementation of more equitable alternatives that will not constrain the progress of science. We propose a system that will fund at least 80,000 principal investigators, including young scientists, with about half the current NIH budget, seven-times as many as the current number of NIH “research project grants,” and that will forego the cumbersome, expensive, and counterproductive “peer” review stage. Further, we propose that the success of the two systems over 5–10 years be compared scientifically.

Today, we take another important step towards applying quantum technologies for the benefit of human health by a major investment in quantum sensing – with an aim to transform the future of disease diagnostics and prevention. This grant complements the recent investments the Novo Nordisk Foundation has in quantum technologies, these including a major grant to the NNF Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP) and establishment of Quantum Foundry Copenhagen.   The grant of DKK150 million which we are thrilled to announce today is for the establishment of the Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing. Under this new ambitious research project, headed by Prof. Eugene Polzik, researchers at the Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen, DTU - Technical University of Denmark and The University of Texas at Austin will collaborate to advance quantum sensing and imaging technologies in medical diagnostics and healthcare. The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Pointsman Foundation which intends to contribute funding in a second phase.   The primary goal of the new research collaboration is to develop and use novel quantum sensing principles and techniques for biomedical diagnostics that can operate near and beyond standard quantum limits of sensitivity, providing ultra-sensitive platforms for early detection of disease and facilitating profound investigations into cellular systems at an unprecedented scale and precision.   The international quantum sensing research collaboration will consolidate and significantly strengthen the quantum sensing activities in Denmark, foster international synergy and promote translation into clinical applications.   Read more about the exciting research project here: https://lnkd.in/d9fMrXUW   #quantumtech #quantumsensing #research #innovation #dkpol

Today we are proud to announce funding of Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing. With a grant of DKK 150 million over 6 years from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, researchers from three universities aim to advance quantum sensing and imaging technologies for use in medical diagnostics and healthcare. Quantum sensing and imaging were among the first breakthrough results I worked on as a postdoc back in the day. We reported that quantum "ghost" imaging could equally well be done classical states, and that "quantum advantage" was an elusive target, requiring significant effort to reach. It therefore pleases me immensely to observe how this exciting technology has improved 2 decades later. In fact, of all the quantum technologies, this is the most mature. In the past year I have therefore been leading the Novo Nordisk Foundation's effort in developing a new research centre within quantum sensing. The Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing will have 3 strong quantum optics labs joining forces 👉Eugene Polzik at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen 👉Ulrik L. Andersen at DTU Physics, DTU - Technical University of Denmark 👉Mark Raizen, The University of Texas at Austin. In collaboration with hospitals and biomedical experts, the vision is to develop novel atomic and quantum-enabled methods that can be applied to some of the most urgent health problems, such as early diagnosis of heart and brain anomalies, detecting metabolic changes in the body, preventing malnutrition, nerve degeneration and the response to antibiotics. The primary goals of the Center are ✔️ to develop and use novel quantum sensing principles and techniques for biomedical diagnostics that can operate near and beyond standard quantum limits of sensitivity ✔️ to provide ultrasensitive platforms for early detection of disease ✔️ to enable investigations into cellular systems at an unprecedented scale and precision. The international quantum sensing research collaboration will consolidate and significantly strengthen the quantum sensing activities in Denmark, educate tomorrow's talent, and enable translation into clinical applications. The Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing will join the Novo Nordisk Foundation's recent substantial investments in quantum technologies, including a grant to the NNF Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP) and Quantum Foundry Copenhagen. The new Center is in the first phase funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and phase 2 funding will be sought in partnership with the Pointsman Foundation, an independent non-profit foundation based in Austin, Texas. Stefania Xella, Karin Hultman, Rikke Vibeke Nielsen, Cathal J. Mahon, Lene B. Oddershede, Mikkel Bülow Skovborg, Henrik Barslund Fosse, Rikke Stefansen, Jakob Stein, Christian Mostrup, Sabina Askholm Larsen #QuantumSensing #quantumtechnologies #MedicalDiagnostics #HealthcareInnovation #QuantumEnabledMethods #HealthResearch #CollaborativeScience #dkforsk

TNMU Professor Оксана Боярчук (Oksana Boyarchuk) is Among the Scholarship Holders of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program Professor of Ternopil National Medical University Оксана Боярчук Oksana Boyarchuk received a scholarship under the Fulbright Program to conduct scientific research in American institutions in the 2024-2025 academic year. This is one of the most famous and prestigious international programs for exchanging scholars and students funded by the United States government. Oksana Boyarchuk’s research ”Improving Care for Patients with Inborn Errors Of Immunity” is on the Children’s Research Institute, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL basis. Her project aims to improve diagnosis and assist patients with inborn errors of immunity. The relevance of the work lies in the fact that early detection of primary immunodeficiencies is crucial for the prevention and treatment of complications; however, late and inadequate diagnosis of congenital immunodeficiencies remains a serious problem in Ukraine. Another aspect of Oksana Boyarchuk’s project is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune manifestations of inborn errors of immunity. The specific goals of Professor Boyarchuk’s research project are to study the key stages of diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity in the United States, starting from primary care physicians to specialized departments; study the path of newborns with a positive result of SCID; identification of potential risk groups of inborn errors of immunity among patients with systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases; study of advanced practices of helping children with primary immunodeficiencies, including those with autoimmune manifestations; development of diagnostic algorithms and care strategies for patients with inborn errors of immunity and autoimmune diseases. https://lnkd.in/eSrS6g9a

As I wrote about a few weeks ago, this problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. How long we let it drag out is going to be determined by leadership at the funding agencies (primarily HHS/NIH, DoD and VA in the US govt). Either they will need to develop an open and transparent plan to assess and address problems with the science of the past using the newer tools at our disposal or you are going to continue to piece by piece see outside groups and internal whistleblowers call out problems to be fixed - a slower process and one that damages the credibility of science and threatens funding in a much bigger way. We can do better in both retrospective assessment and prospective guardrails for science to avoid these mistakes. Key quote: "For the Science investigation, a team of neuroscientists and research integrity experts assembled a 300-page dossier supporting their claims of misconduct in papers published by Masliah. Eleven other neuroscientists then reviewed the dossier, Science says, and all agreed that the findings warranted investigations by the NIH, academic journals, funders and the University of California, San Diego, where Masliah previously ran a research lab." "These fields, both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, need a reset,” Matthew Schrag, M.D., Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who contributed to the dossier, told Fierce Biotech in an interview. “We need to look at this with an understanding that research integrity is a significant problem, and we need to come in and make sure that we are chasing the right targets and that we are universally committed to the well-being of our patients.” #science #research #metascience #neuroscience https://lnkd.in/eg3_pgWy

Please join us for breakfast on July 25 for our next IMS Research Rounds as we hear from graduate students on their exciting kidney research. Presenters: Joanna Cunanan – Joanna Cunanan is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, and the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute of the University Health Network, mentored by Dr. Moumita Barua. Joanna’s PhD research is on the role of PAX2 missense variants in impaired glomerular repair and regeneration in the pathogenesis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. David Ari Rubenstein – David is a 2nd year MSc student at the Hospital for Sick Children doing quantitative and qualitative clinical research on hospitalized children with acute kidney injury to better understand current AKI follow-up practice patterns and to identify barriers to follow-up. He likes cheese, but only the melted kind, like on pizza. He likes sports, and recently started boxing, bouldering, and dancing bachata and salsa. Slaghaniya N. – Slaghaniya’s research focuses on ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) which is a type of injury that the kidney experiences at the time of transplantation. In their previous study, they identified a potential target, hepatocyte nuclear factor four alpha (HNF4A), for repairing kidneys. Her goal is to study this repair mechanism and a drug called N-trans caffeoyltyramine (NCT) as a treatment to ameliorate IRI, which can be given to the kidney prior to transplantation. A fun fact about her is that she is classically trained in ballet and in kathak. Alexander Boshart – Alex’s research has been focused on modelling and investigating antibody-mediated rejection in the human kidney. The protein of interest for his PhD work is galectin-1, which his lab has previously found increased in antibody-mediated rejection and has potential immunomodulatory effects. A fun fact about him is that he has 3 siblings, but he bets you can't guess if he's the oldest or the youngest. Please register here: https://lnkd.in/gXn2zw5k

Huge breaking article from Science - Did a top NIH official manipulate Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s studies for decades? Here's the scoop: * Scores of papers by Eliezer Masliah, prominent neuroscientist and top NIH official, fall under suspicion of manipulation. As a federal ambassador and a chief adviser to NIA Director, Masliah has tremendous influence over the study and treatment of neurological conditions. * But over the past 2 years questions have arisen about some of Masliah’s research. A Science investigation has found that scores of his lab studies are riddled with falsified Western blots—images used to show the presence of proteins—and micrographs of brain tissue. * Neither Masliah nor the various drug companies, universities, or federal ­agencies that were provided Science's dossier have so far rejected any of its examples of misconduct. UCSD concluded that the dossier raised credible concerns of misconduct. * Given the NIH misconduct determination and the questions raised about more than 100 other papers, many scientists might question NIH’s vetting process and how Masliah retained stewardship of NIA’s billions of neuroscience dollars for so long.

💬 "If I had any advice for young scientists: utilize your strength. We all have weaknesses. Compensate for those weaknesses and once you define them and if you keep chipping away ..." — Dr. Lynne Maquat FRAXA has been funding Dr. Maquat's research on Fragile X since 2021. Her groundbreaking work on RNA biology has advanced our understanding of Fragile X syndrome. She was just honored with the 2024 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research; only 2 weeks ago, she also received the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of science, just like Dr. Maquat! 👏 #FragileX #FXResearch #RNA #BiomedicalResearch #WomenInScience #MedicalInnovation #RareDiseases #NeurologicalDisorders #CysticFibrosis #URMC #Perseverance

💊 ”Small benefits may have large public implications” 💊 As part of his research, Postdoc. Manan Pareek, MD, PhD, FAHA, FESC seeks to explore whether the simple intervention of changing the time of drug administration may improve clinical outcomes. The first study will focus on aspirin, since some pilot studies have suggested potential benefits of taking aspirin at bedtime rather than in the morning ⏰ Manan has recruited more than two-thirds of the participants for this important study, and although the benefit of altering the time of drug intake is expected to be small, this is essentially a non-intervention with no additional cost so even small benefits may have large public implications ↕️ Later in 2024, Manan hopes to publish an article on the methodology for these studies 📅 Manan is currently working at Center for Translational Cardiology and Pragmatic Randomized Trials, University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, and has clinical experience from Yale New Haven Hospital and research experience from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Currently, Manan is finishing his Msc in Clinical Trials at University of Oxford. He is a DCAcademy grant recipient from 2022. At DCAcademy, we are excited to see what Manan’s studies find 👏

On Friday May 24th, my brilliant doctoral student Ellie Dillon defended her doctoral dissertation “Model-based approaches to decision making in healthcare delivery”. We had the great privilege of having Prof. Alec Morton from the University of Strathclyde to act as her honored opponent. In the context of healthcare delivery, decision-making typically necessitates the consideration of many complicated aspects, including multiple objectives, large numbers of decision alternatives, and various uncertainties. In her thesis, Ellie argues that such complicated decisions can benefit from the use of mathematical modeling approaches. To illustrate this point, Ellie develops and applies (i) health economic evaluation methods to generate insights into improving the colorectal cancer screening programs in both Australia and Finland and (ii) two-stage stochastic programming methods to optimally manage the supply chain of blood products. In the context of colorectal cancer screening, Ellie’s dissertation shows how model-based approaches can be used to identify those population segments that should be prioritized when resources for carrying out colonoscopies are strictly limited (due to, e.g., healthcare professionals being urgently needed in other tasks, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic). Here, model-based approaches help accommodate uncertainties related to the results of fecal immunochemical tests (i.e., false positives and negatives), which are used to refer people to colonoscopies, and the impacts that different constraints on the capacity to carry our colonoscopies have on test positivity thresholds. In the context of the blood supply chain, model-based approaches can help develop optimal inventory management strategies under uncertain demand in view of minimizing operational costs, unmet demand, and expiry. The consideration of each of these objectives simultaneously is highly important in the case of blood products, which are not only highly important for maintaining people’s health (whereby unmet demand is highly problematic), but also voluntarily donated by ordinary people, whereby these products should not be wasted. In Ellie’s thesis, model-based approaches are used to generate optimal inventory strategies, and also to assess the impact of extending the shelf-life of platelets from five to seven days – a task which would be difficult without models. It was wonderful to see Ellie defend her dissertation in an intellectual, mature way. I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey with Ellie, who is not only a brilliant researcher, but also a kind, caring, and funny human being ❤️