Academic Research Institutions Research Articles

Forming a national community of practice of food system planning initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

IntroductionThis paper is designed to identify key factors informing the process of developing a United States-based national community of practice of state and regional food system planning efforts aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.MethodsGrounded in an extensive literature review, we employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to assess the needs, functions, challenges, and likelihood for participation in a national community of practice aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Data drawn by a series of semi-structured interviews with 25 leading experts, complemented by a set of self-administered online surveys of 35 practitioners of food planning efforts across the nation.ResultsOur integrative findings revealed overwhelmingly interest and need for the development of a national community of practice aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The findings further indicate that in the process of developing a national community of practice, the principles and functions of shared governance, mutual trust and collective fundraising are essential to supporting credible and coordinated activities that promote equity, reinforce capacity building, promote research on food system measurements, and strengthen advocacy for systemic transformation aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, our study revealed a rampant interest in collaboration and knowledge sharing in various stages of the formation of a national community of practice. The majority of the participants appear to be familiar, yet only a small fraction of their organizations appear to be formally aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.DiscussionOur integrative findings emerge with Wenger’s conceptual framework offering a suitable theoretical grounding in the process of developing a community of practice in food systems planning. The implication of this study denotes the importance of collaboration among academic research institutions, legislators and FPEs within the community that can spur adaptation, innovation, and integration in food system planning, policy, implementation, and monitoring. Coordination in pooling resources and aligning efforts can lead to more efficient use and allocation of funds, ensuring that investments are directed toward the most impactful practices aligned with state and regional food system initiatives and planning efforts.

Evaluation of a mentorship matchmaking event at an academic research institution to reinforce the scientific workforce pathway for underrepresented minority groups

BackgroundMentorship and research experiences are crucial for STEMM career entry and advancement. However, systemic barriers have excluded people from historically underrepresented groups.MethodsIn 2021, a virtual “matchmaking event” was held to connect NIH-funded research mentors with historically underrepresented trainees and initiate mentored research experiences. Survey data collected over 12 months was analyzed to evaluate the program’s success considering the number of mentor-trainee connections, mentor-trainee research experience matches, and NIH diversity supplement application status. Statistical tests, including student’s t-test, ANCOVAs, and chi-square tests, evaluated differences between attendee groups and survey time points.ResultsOut of 314 mentors contacted and 99 registered trainees, 113 mentors and 92 trainees participated. Among mentors (n = 73), 53% identified as women, 56% as non-Hispanic white, and a majority (81%) reported being the first in their family to attend college. Among trainees (n = 79), about two-thirds (67%) identified as women, 47% identified as Hispanic/Latinx, and 15% identified as Black/African American. Both mentors and trainees were extremely satisfied with the overall event (57% and 69%, respectively) and would recommend it to others (74% and 90%, respectively). Most mentor participants established at least one mentor-trainee connection after the event (n = 64, 57%), a mentor-trainee research experience match (n = 40, 35%), and planned to submit an NIH diversity supplement (n = 31, 27%). Many trainees obtained paid positions through the mentor-trainee research experience. One year after the event, 11 trainees secured NIH diversity supplement funding with their mentors.ConclusionsThe matchmaking event began bridging a much-needed gap in the research pathway by creating opportunities for trainees to connect with mentors and obtain funded research opportunities.

The Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity (SCMHE): a multisector multifaceted community-based approach to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality in the Gulf South

IntroductionThe maternal mortality crisis in the United States disproportionately affects women who are Black, especially those living in the Gulf South. These disparities result from a confluence of healthcare, policy, and social factors that systematically place Black women at greater risk of maternal morbidities and mortality. This study protocol describes the Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity (SCMHE), a research center funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2023 to reduce preventable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality while improving health equity. This is a seven year program with pilot and implementation phases. SCMHE is co-led by three organizations: Reproductive Health Impact (a fiscally sponsored project of the Praxis Project), an advocacy community-based organization; Tulane University, an academic research institute; and Ochsner Health, a large regional nonprofit health system.MethodsSCMHE applies a multilevel life course approach based on the Social Ecological Model to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality with interventions at individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and societal levels. This community-focused research center uses an intersectional lens and the Reproductive Justice framework in its aims to improve maternal health and strengthen community-based maternal health research capacity in Louisiana and Mississippi.DiscussionTo advance the field of maternal health using participatory, community-centered, and radically equity-focused approaches previously underutilized and under-evaluated, the Center will lead three R01 projects to assess the implementation of existing evidence-based strategies and build the evidence base for translational research strategies.Ethics and disseminationBy leveraging our team's existing network with local, regional, and national partners while continuing to build new, unique interdisciplinary partnerships, we will build upon our distinctive interdisciplinary strengths and community connections to bring our outreach and technical assistance efforts to diverse audiences.

Corncob :A comfort to laboratory rodents or A risk to research objectives ?

Corncob has been the most common choice of bedding material for laboratory animals in many countries due to its ready availability, low cost and better absorbance properties. However, corncob has been reported to have estrogenic, endocrine disruption and mitogenic properties by few authors. Animal facilities need to make a wise decision while selecting a particular bedding type, such that the unwanted effects associated with bedding like corncob, may not interfere with the research objectives. Chip bedding made from hardwood is one of the most common choices of bedding by most international animal facilities for commercial breeders, academic research institutes, pharmaceutical industry and pre clinical contract research organisations.

Religiosity and Scientificity: The Transformation of Missionary Anthropology in the West China Border Research Society (1922–1950)

Religiosity and scientificity have long been intertwined in missionary anthropology. Since the 20th century, there has been a shift from religious missionary anthropology to scientific anthropology worldwide. Reviewing published materials and archives, this paper provides a case study of this transformation. It focuses on how the foreign missionary-founded West China Border Research Society transformed from a relatively closed and fixed local Christian academic research institution into a more open, international, and purely scientific research institution disciplined by Christian rationality. It sheds some new light into the Society’s roles and its transformation process. Contrary to the views of many scholars who assert that the Society “died” in 1937 and subsequently engaged in China’s state service and nation-building efforts, we contend that after 1937, the Society sought greater independence and a more scientific approach. Christianity dominated the Society in the early stages after its inception in 1922 in Chengdu, China, and its research results could not be objective or scientific. Although the Society later became more open and globalized, missionary anthropologists still mainly controlled it. After 1937, missionary anthropologists returned to religious rationality under the pressure of being connected to global academia. The Society eventually adopted “salvage anthropology” and tried to develop into a scientific research institution aimed at objective recording, while this somewhat rigid research approach also disciplined and suppressed the nationalist research orientation of Chinese colleagues and scholars. In response, Chinese researchers established other institutions and journals with stronger nationalism and undertook the “border construction work” that the Society could not accomplish.

Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance: Innovative Drugs in Antibacterial Research.

In the fight against bacterial infections, particularly those caused by multi-resistant pathogens, the need for new antibacterials is undoubted in scientific communities. and is by now also widely perceived by the general population. However, the antibacterial research landscape has changed considerably over the past years. The majority of big pharma companies has left the field and thus, the decline in R&D on antibacterials severely impacts the drug pipeline. In past years, antibacterial research increasingly relies on smaller companies or academic research institutions, which mostly have only limited financial resources, to carry a drug discovery and development process from the beginning and through the clinical phases. This review formulates the requirements for an antibacterial in regard of targeted pathogens and resistance mechanisms. Strategies are shown for the discovery of new antibacterial structures originating from natural sources, chemical synthesis and more recent AI approaches. This is complemented by principles for the computer-aided design of antibacterials and the refinement of a lead structure. The second part of the article comprises a compilation of promising antibacterial molecules classified according to bacterial target areas. Aspects of the origin, the antibacterial spectrum, resistance and the current development status of the presented drug molecules are highlighted.

Academic vs. industry-sponsored trials: A global survey on differences, similarities, and future improvements.

Clinical research is marked by its multifaceted nature, presenting a multitude of different approaches, designs, and objectives that can complicate the planning, initiation, and conduct of clinical trials. The role and organisation of the sponsor institution are pivotal in this context. We aimed to investigate possible challenges and needs, including their underlying factors, for academia and industry during the set-up and conduct of clinical trials. We conducted a cross-sectional survey-based study within an international network of highly qualified academic research institutions (ARIs). The main outcome measures were the regulatory framework for clinical trials, scope and organisation of academic and industry-sponsored trials, funding sources of academic clinical trials, submission and approval process, as well as study conduct of academic vs. industry-sponsored trials. We surveyed employees of ARIs with extensive experience in phase I-IV clinical trials. All ARIs participated in academic clinical trials and 90% were involved in industry-sponsored trials. Respondents reported that academic trials faced greater challenges in communication with relevant institutional review boards/ethics committees and competent authorities compared to industry-sponsored trials. Additionally, academic trials were found to have significantly less financial support during their conduct. Specific challenges for academia vs. industry included 'insufficient personnel resources' (60% vs. 50%), 'recruitment problems' (60% vs. 78%) and 'lack of knowledge/experience' (35% vs. 11%). Our findings indicate that industry-sponsored trials encounter fewer issues in set-up, funding, and trial conduct compared to academic trials. Improving collaboration between academic sponsors and ARIs is essential to address these challenges. ARIs provide critical support and guidance for academic researchers, not only in planning and implementing projects, but also in assessing feasibility and securing funding.

Scaling up Solid State Battery Research at Fraunhofer FFB

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) hold immense promise for revolutionizing the future of energy storage due to their enhanced safety and higher potential energy density. Within the context of the federally funded FoFeBat project dedicated to production research for batteries, this abstract outlines the overarching goals and collaborative strategies of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB in advancing ASSB production.In five designated so-called innovation laboratories, which are run in close collaboration with some of the leading academic battery research institutions in Germany, including Universities of Muenster, Giessen and Aachen, as well as Research Center Juelich (FZJ), Fraunhofer FFB addresses the problems in scaling up solid state battery and solid electrolyte production. The planned research activities include upscaling the synthesis of polymer-, oxide- and thiophosphate-based solid electrolytes to the kg-scale. The in-house produced materials are used to study the production process of ASSB electrodes with different cathode active materials and how different forms of pressure application (warm-isostatic pressing, calendaring) influence the resulting electrode composite. This includes the evaluation of the influence of different binder materials and solvents on the production process of the electrodes. For the cell assembly, a prototype-scale production line will be established, where the different sheets (electrodes, separator) will be combined, and environmental influences can be studied by the application of sealed mini environments at the different assembly steps. The finalized cells are electrochemically characterized to study the influence of different operating conditions (temperature, pressure) on the cell performance. In addition to this, safety evaluation of the different materials and the fully assembled cells is part of this project. The establishment of the innovation laboratories for ASSB research provide the unique opportunity to test the acquired parameters on the pilot scale production line of the Fraunhofer FFB, which will help to evaluate the transferability of the different production steps into a full-scale lithium-ion-battery production line at FFB.Scaling up these processing steps will produce challenges that are currently being investigated by various companies without the possibility of accessing the acquired knowledge. Solving these challenges and making the obtained knowledge publicly available through scientific journal publications, will help speed up the development of solid-state batteries.

THE NONSINGULAR PARADIGM OF ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE: ENSURING QUALITY THROUGH RATIONALITY, NEGOTIABILITY, COMMUNICABILITY, AND SHAREABILITY

Academic enterprises, encompassing universities, colleges, and research institutions, play a pivotal role in advancing knowledge, fostering intellectual growth, and contributing to societal progress. Unlike monolithic organizations, academic institutions operate within a nonsingular paradigm, characterized by diversity in thought, disciplines, and methodologies. The quality of these institutions is ensured by practicing four key principles: rationality, negotiability, communicability, and shareability. This essay explores these principles and how they collectively sustain and enhance the quality of academic enterprises.

Vulnerable Research Participant Policies at U.S. Academic Institutions.

Background: Historically, some of the worst abuses of human research participants have involved populations which are vulnerable to coercion, harm, or exploitation, such as prisoners, children, and people with compromised decision-making abilities. Although there has been considerable philosophical and ethical debate about how to protect vulnerable populations, there have been only a handful of empirical studies on vulnerable population policies. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on vulnerable population policies from the 105 top funded U.S. academic research institutions. We used deductive and inductive methods to develop our framework for coding the policies. We tested for associations between policies and research and development expenditure rank, public vs. private status, geographic region, and Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs accreditation (AAHRRP). Results: U.S. academic institutions have a variety of policies for research with vulnerable populations. Every institution in our sample had at least 2 policies for research with vulnerable populations (including a general policy) and most had 8 or more. As expected, the most highly prevalent policies pertained to populations covered in subparts B, C, and D of the Common Rule (pregnant women, fetuses, neonates, prisoners, and children) but other groups were well-represented, including people with disabilities; people with impaired decision-making capacity; students/trainees; and people with limited English proficiency including illiteracy. AAHRRP accreditation was positively associated with eight different types of policies. Conclusion: U.S. academic institutions have a variety of policies for research with vulnerable populations. Additional research is needed to better understand the types of safeguards that institutions have adopted to protect vulnerable populations and the factors that influence policy development.

A scoping review on what constitutes a good research culture

Background The crisis in research culture is well documented, covering issues such as a tendency for quantity over quality, unhealthy competitive environments, and assessment based on publications, journal prestige and funding. In response, research institutions need to assess their own practices to promote and advocate for change in the current research ecosystem. The purpose of the scoping review was to explore ‘What does the evidence say about the ‘problem’ with ‘poor’ research culture, what are the benefits of ‘good’ research culture, and what does ‘good’ look like?’ Aims To examine the peer-reviewed and grey literature to explore the interplay between research culture, open research, career paths, recognition and rewards, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, as part of a larger programme of activity for a research institution. Methods A scoping review was undertaken. Six databases were searched along with grey literature. Eligible literature had relevance to academic research institutions, addressed research culture, and were published between January 2017 to May 2022. Evidence was mapped and themed to specific categories. The search strategy, screening and analysis took place between April-May 2022. Results 1666 titles and abstracts, and 924 full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 253 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A purposive sampling of relevant websites was drawn from to complement the review, resulting in 102 records included in the review. Key areas for consideration were identified across the four themes of job security, wellbeing and equality of opportunity, teamwork and interdisciplinary, and research quality and accountability. Conclusions There are opportunities for research institutions to improve their own practice, however institutional solutions cannot act in isolation. Research institutions and research funders need to work together to build a more sustainable and inclusive research culture that is diverse in nature and supports individuals’ well-being, career progression and performance.

Training and Developing Physician-Scientist Careers to Enhance Medical Research in Ghana

Summary A physician-scientist is a medical doctor who combines clinical practice with research. They often work in academic medical centers, research institutions, or hospitals, where they split their time between treating patients and conducting research to advance medical knowledge, develop new treatments, and improve public health. Their work is well recognized as they are reported to constitute 37% of Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine, and several prize winners in Chemistry. However, regardless of how inherently fulfilling this may be, in Ghana and many other regions of the world, increasingly fewer doctors aspire to become physician-scientists. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the path to becoming a physician-scientist in Ghana and other African nations. So, for the young doctor of today who wishes to embark on a research career, there are more questions than answers. The authors emphasize the need for structured programs, early commitment, and resource allocation to nurture the next generation of physician-scientists. They also examine the potential of integrating research-focused training into existing medical programs and the role of various stakeholders, such as universities and the Ministry of Health, in supporting these initiatives. The authors call for innovative approaches and strategic planning to enhance the capacity of Ghanaian doctors to pursue careers in medical research, ultimately contributing to global scientific advancement and improving healthcare in low and middle-income countries. They conclude that more needs to be done to develop more physician scientists.

Low-grade systemic inflammation in patients with long COVID: The role of imbalance of endotoxin-releasing systems and vasoconstrictor markers

Background. Currently, the pathophysiological mechanisms of acute damage to organs and systems caused by coronavirus infection have been studied quite fully, but the mechanisms underlying the clinical manifestations of long COVID have not yet been accurately described. The mechanisms of persistence of a number of symptoms in patients who have had COVID-19 and the role of systemic inflammation and endotoxemia markers in it remain a understudied aspect and a promising direction for further studying.The aim of the study. To assess the markers of systemic inflammation, endotoxin-releasing systems, intestinal permeability and endothelial dysfunction in patients with long COVID at the stage of health resort treatment.Methods. The study included 32 patients who had recovered from coronavirus infection and were undergoing health resort treatment in the pulmonology department of the I.M. Sechenov Academic Research Institute for Physical Therapy, Medical Climatology and Rehabilitation. We also selected a control group (n = 20). All patients underwent peripheral blood analysis to detect the levels of markers of systemic inflammation, endotoxin-releasing systems, intestinal permeability, endothelial dysfunction and vasoconstrictor agents: C-reactive protein (CRP), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LPB), tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), zonulin, bactericidal/ permeability-increasing protein (BPI), vasopressors of angiotensin 2 and endothelin (EDN1).Results. Patients who had recovered from coronavirus infection had a statistically significant increase in the levels of CRP (3.4 [2.56; 4.0] mg/l), LBP (18.46 [14.0; 25.5] ng/ml), tPA (0.07 [0.02; 0.32] ng/ml), angiotensin 2 (133.3 [63.0; 503.7] pg/ml) and a decrease in the level of BPI (1576 [276; 3588] pg/ml) (p < 0.05).Conclusion. A statistically significant increase in markers of systemic inflammation, endotoxinemia, and vasoconstrictor agents in patients with long COVID indicates an imbalance in endotoxin-binding and endotoxin-releasing systems in patients who have had coronavirus infection. Further study of the described markers is necessary to improve approaches to long-term personalized therapy for this category of patients.

Socio-economic Impact of COVID-19 on Children: The Case of Egypt

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 has reshaped our lives since March 2020, and it is expected to affect us for decades to come. Children are the least vulnerable to the virus but are not immune to its other effects. This paper attempts to explore the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on children based in Egypt. This study employed a desk-based study of academic sources, research institutions, reports, and online data published by international institutions. The paper shows the impact of COVID-19 on children through education, social skills, and physical and mental health. This analysis represents one of the few attempts to examine the costs paid by children during the pandemic and their economic implications.

Hippocampal Availability of the α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor in Recent-Onset Psychosis

Studies using human postmortem tissue and imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) support a low hippocampal availability of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) in psychotic conditions, particularly in schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (nonaffective psychosis). If validated further, the finding may have implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment. To test for lower availability of the α7-nAChR in the hippocampus of individuals with recent-onset psychosis compared with healthy control individuals and its association with lower cognitive performance or higher psychotic symptom burden within recent-onset psychosis. In this cross-sectional study, healthy individuals without history of psychosis and patients within 10 years of a first onset of psychotic disorder were recruited from the greater Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC, area. Fluorine 18-labeled ASEM ([18F] ASEM) PET data were acquired from participants enrolled between March 1, 2014, and July 31, 2023, from an academic research institution. Data acquired between March 1, 2014, and January 31, 2018 (n = 26), were published as a pilot study and were combined with new data acquired between January 1, 2019, and July 31, 2023 (n = 33). Regional [18F]ASEM total distribution volume (VT) that measures α7-nAChR availability, global cognition composite score, and total scores on the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. A total of 59 participants (30 women [51%]; mean [SD] age, 25.5 [5.2] years), including 35 with recent-onset psychosis and 24 healthy controls, completed the study. In age-adjusted analyses, lower hippocampal [18F]ASEM VT was found in individuals with recent-onset psychosis (mean [SE], 17.87 [0.60]) compared with healthy controls (mean [SE], 19.82 [0.73]) (P = .04). In addition, [18F]ASEM VT was lower in individuals with nonaffective psychosis (mean [SE], 16.30 [0.83]) compared with healthy controls (P = .006) or those with affective psychosis (mean [SE], 19.34 [0.80]) (P = .03). Across recent-onset psychosis and after controlling for age, lower hippocampal [18F]ASEM VT was associated with more positive (r = -0.44; P = .009) but not negative symptoms, and higher hippocampal VT was associated with better global cognition composite score (r = 0.38; P = .03). In this cross-sectional study of individuals with recent-onset psychosis compared with healthy controls, a lower hippocampal α7-nAChR availability was found in recent-onset psychosis, and its availability was lower in those with nonaffective vs affective psychosis. Further study of the association between low availability of the α7-nAChR and recent-onset psychosis is warranted toward informing diagnostic or therapeutic strategies related to these findings.

Managing institutional conflicts: Stakeholder accounts of communication between conflict of interest and technology transfer offices.

There have been repeated calls for academic institutions to develop policies and procedures to manage institutional conflicts of interest (ICOI) arising from technology transfer activities. While prior research has examined adoption of ICOI policies by medical schools and universities, little is known about how these institutions handle ICOI in practice, hindering the development of evidence-based recommendations to improve ICOI management. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 senior administrators responsible for research integrity and conflict of interest issues at academic institutions. Data were analyzed using a descriptive qualitative content analysis approach, combining flexible coding to index the interview data with close examination, interpretation, and synthesis of coded content. Participants identified communication and information sharing between conflict of interest (COI) and technology transfer (TT) offices as a critical factor in the effective management of ICOI and suggested several strategies to strengthen coordination between these offices. These findings suggest that academic research institutions could strengthen COI programs by taking measures to improve communication and information sharing between COI and TT offices.

Alternative-academic careers of LIS in China: Trends, challenges, and opportunities

This study investigates the state of alternative-academic careers (alt-ac) in Library and Information Science (LIS) within China, based on the transformation of the LIS academic market over a 5-year span (2018–2022). The study employs a unique dataset of job postings collected through first-hand field investigations and meticulous manual preprocessing. A comprehensive analysis of the dataset was conducted using a combination of the BERT-BiLSTM-CRF model for named entity recognition, social network analysis for examining interdisciplinary interactions, and descriptive statistics for characterizing the distribution and trends of alt-ac positions. The results reveal that alt-ac positions account for 48.3% of the total demand in the field, distributed across nine categories: academic research institutions, government departments, military organizations, public libraries, and others. Each category exhibits unique developmental patterns. Over 20 distinct alt-ac roles were identified, such as data librarians, competitive intelligence specialists, transformative OA agreement negotiators, and scholarly communication experts, highlighting the ongoing emergence of new positions in response to institutional evolution. Descriptive statistics showed that the demand for alt-ac positions was notably concentrated in economically advanced regions, with the East China region accounting for 32.58% of the total positions, surpassing the proportions in North China (26.22%) and South China (13.86%). Social network analysis revealed substantial interdisciplinary interactions between LIS and other areas, such as computer science and public administration, suggesting potential opportunities for collaboration and competition. The findings emphasize the growing significance of alt-ac in China’s LIS field and provide insights into the dynamic landscape of the academic job market, offering implications for LIS education and workforce development strategies.

A Multiparty Collaboration to Engage Diverse Populations in Community-Centered Artificial Intelligence Research

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled technology has the potential to expand access to high-quality health information and healthcare services. Learning how diverse users interact with technology enables improvements to the AI model and the user interface, maximizing its potential benefit for a greater number of people. This narrative describes how technology developers, academic researchers, and representatives from a community-based organization collaborated to conduct a community-centered project on emerging health technologies. Our project team comprised representatives from Stanford Medicine, Google, and Santa Clara Family Health Plan’s Blanca Alvarado Community Resource Center. We aimed to understand the usability and acceptability of an AI-driven dermatology tool among East San Jose, CA, community members. Specifically, our objectives were to: test a model for cross-sector research of AI-based health technology; determine the utility of the tool in an ethnically and age-diverse population; obtain in-depth user experience feedback from participants recruited during community events; offer free skin health consultations; and provide resources for receiving follow-up care. We describe a collaborative approach in which each party contributed expertise: knowledge of the community from the community health partner, clinical expertise from the academic research institution, and software and AI expertise from the technology company. Through an iterative process, we identified important community needs, including technological, language, and privacy support. Our approach allowed us to recruit and engage a diverse cohort of participants, over 70% of whom preferred a language other than English. We distill learnings from planning and executing this case study that may help other collaborators bridge the gap between academia, industry, and community in AI healthcare innovation.

A roadmap for affordable genetic medicines.

Twenty genetic therapies have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to date, a number that now includes the first CRISPR genome-editing therapy for sickle cell disease-CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel, Vertex Pharmaceuticals). This extraordinary milestone is widely celebrated owing to the promise for future genome-editing treatments of previously intractable genetic disorders and cancers. At the same time, such genetic therapies are the most expensive drugs on the market, with list prices exceeding US$4 million per patient. Although all approved cell and gene therapies trace their origins to academic or government research institutions, reliance on for-profit pharmaceutical companies for subsequent development and commercialization results in prices that prioritize recouping investments, paying for candidate product failures and meeting investor and shareholder expectations. To increase affordability and access, sustainable discovery-to-market alternatives are needed that address system-wide deficiencies. Here we present recommendations of a multidisciplinary task force assembled to chart such a path. We describe a pricing structure that, once implemented, could reduce per-patient cost tenfold and propose a business model that distributes responsibilities while leveraging diverse funding sources. We also outline how academic licensing provisions, manufacturing innovation and supportive regulations can reduce cost and enable broader patient treatment.

A scoping review on what constitutes a good research culture

Background The crisis in research culture is well documented, covering issues such as a tendency for quantity over quality, unhealthy competitive environments, and assessment based on publications, journal prestige and funding. In response, research institutions need to assess their own practices to promote and advocate for change in the current research ecosystem. The purpose of the scoping review was to explore ‘What does the evidence say about the ‘problem’ with ‘poor’ research culture, what are the benefits of ‘good’ research culture, and what does ‘good’ look like?’ Aims To examine the peer-reviewed and grey literature to explore the interplay between research culture, open research, career paths, recognition and rewards, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, as part of a larger programme of activity for a research institution. Methods A scoping review was undertaken. Six databases were searched along with grey literature. Eligible literature had relevance to academic research institutions, addressed research culture, and were published between January 2017 to May 2022. Evidence was mapped and themed to specific categories. The search strategy, screening and analysis took place between April-May 2022. Results 1666 titles and abstracts, and 924 full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 253 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A purposive sampling of relevant websites was drawn from to complement the review, resulting in 102 records included in the review. Key areas for consideration were identified across the four themes of job security, wellbeing and equality of opportunity, teamwork and interdisciplinary, and research quality and accountability. Conclusions There are opportunities for research institutions to improve their own practice, however institutional solutions cannot act in isolation. Research institutions and research funders need to work together to build a more sustainable and inclusive research culture that is diverse in nature and supports individuals’ well-being, career progression and performance.