Abstract
NHLBI’s New Head: “Unprecedented” Chance to Advance Science to Clinic As the new director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, hopes to continue what she considers the important work already supported by the institute, while adding new approaches to keep the NHLBI on the cutting edge of scientific discovery. Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD (Photo credit: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/NIH) “I’m very passionate about promoting biomedical research as well as new interventions and therapeutics that can benefit patients and public health,” said Nabel, a cardiologist who served as the institute’s scientific director of Clinical Research before her appointment on February 1. She was also chief of the institute’s Vascular Biology Section, directing research on the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms that cause vascular disorders. Nabel’s predecessor, Claude Lenfant, MD, retired in 2003 after 22 years as director. Lenfant, who recruited Nabel to the institute in 1999, called her appointment “very positive” for the research community. “I honestly believe the institute could not have done better,” said Lenfant. Nabel’s laboratory, which has published more than 200 articles, has studied factors involved in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell growth and vascular inflammation—research that opened new avenues of therapeutic targets for vascular diseases. Nabel will maintain her laboratory, which will be housed at the National Human Genome Research Institute beginning this fall. Setting priorities Setting priorities As director of the NHLBI and its almost $3 billion budget, Nabel plans to focus on four points. Setting priorities First, “we want to stimulate the discovery of the causes of disease, because those discoveries will lead to critically needed new treatments,” Nabel said. “So within that purview, I’m a very strong advocate for investigator-initiated research.” Setting priorities Nabel cited the importance of maintaining the training pipeline to ensure that young investigators with fresh ideas are available to produce breakthrough discoveries. “I want us to think about ways in which we can support high-risk, innovative, and creative research,” she said. Setting priorities Her second area of interest is speeding the translation of basic science discoveries to clinical applications. Tied to this effort is a need to bring the patient community into the research arena. Setting priorities “I’d like to build upon the NHLBI’s rich history of clinical research networks and develop new partnerships among organized patient communities, community-based physicians, and academic researchers,” she said. Such research will require a variety of new tool sets, including improved bioinformatics and clinical databases, as well as better standards for clinical research protocols. Setting priorities Nabel’s third priority centers on improving interdisciplinary research. “We want to look at ways in which we can acknowledge the contributions of many individuals who participate on clinical research teams,” Nabel said. One option might be giving primary investigator status to more than one investigator, or even to all key members of the team, “so they’re recognized and get the support they need from their own institutions,” she added. Setting priorities Finally, Nabel wants the NHLBI to educate the public about scientific advances. “We simply have to do our best to effectively communicate the importance of research advances to the public so that they understand this and, in turn, can advocate for the biomedical research enterprise in this country.” Real-world efficacy Real-world efficacy Nabel highlighted certain concerns that demand the attention of scientists and administrators of clinical research. “We still have an incomplete understanding of the genetic contribution to complex heart, lung, and blood disease,” Nabel said, including understanding genetic susceptibility to those diseases and how it interacts with environmental factors to produce disease. Real-world efficacy She also wants to promote research that examines the real-world efficacy of therapeutic interventions. “There’s much that we can do in terms of health services outcomes as well as cost-effectiveness research to know whether our interventions really make a difference.” Another research goal is to discover new ways to address preclinical illness to prevent or delay disease development. Real-world efficacy Nabel predicts “really exciting times” ahead for her institute. “The opportunity for advancing science to clinical treatment as unprecedented,” she said.
Journal
JAMA
– American Medical Association
Published: Jun 15, 2005
Keywords: lung,vascular diseases,genetic predisposition to disease,hematological diseases,heart,therapeutic intervention,biomedical research,genetics,inflammation
