RTI International, UNC collaborators awarded NC TraCS pilot program grants

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute announced the funding of six pilot grant awards to support researchers at RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to collaborate on clinical and translational research.

NC TraCS pilot grants are designed to stimulate research initiatives by enabling investigators to obtain preliminary data to support new applications for research funding, with the ultimate goal of reducing the often lengthy gap between research findings and ultimate benefits for patients.

Collaborators for the pilot grants include researchers from UNC School of Medicine, UNC Gillings School for Global Public Health, UNC School of Dentistry, and RTI.

Two of the six awards addressed issues of dissemination and implementation science, studying the most effective ways of disseminating and implementing effective interventions, programs and policies. These awards were established in response to a special request for applications by the Consortium for Implementation Science, a joint effort of RTI and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

In 2013, RTI joined UNC's NC TraCS as a formal research partner, as part of an effort to advance translational research by increasing resource availability to researchers at both institutions and encouraging cross-institutional collaboration.

NC TraCS Pilot grant projects include:

• Integrating HIV phylogenetics and sexual networks to inform HIV prevention
• Taste texting: a behavioral economics-based mobile technology for improving high school lunch participation
• Development of a novel antimicrobial dental composite
• Neurostensin receptor 2 signaling and role in alcohol reinforcement

TraCS Dissemination & Implementation Science Awards include the following projects:

• Applying a novel, simulation-based dissemination approach to increase evidence-based intervention adoption interest
• A feasibility study of demand for diabetes prevention evidence-based interventions

The NC TraCS is a part of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program from the National Institute of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). NC TraCS combines the research strengths, resources, and opportunities of UNC, its partner RTI, and planning partner North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to accelerate clinical and translational research from health science discovery to dissemination to patients and communities.