Alan Acosta

This document, 'IMPACT 2025', outlines UMass Chan Medical School's strategic roadmap to advance health and wellness across diverse communities globally. It is structured around six strategic pillars: Education, Basic Science, Translational Research, Community and Global Impact, Operational Excellence and Financial Stewardship, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The plan aims to establish the institution as a leading-edge medical school, known for an enhanced social mission and significant contributions.

The UMass Chan Medical School Strategic Plan 2020-2025, titled IMPACT 2025, outlines a blueprint for innovation and societal benefit, aiming to establish the institution as a leading-edge medical school. It prioritizes foundational values such as health and wellness, diversity, equity, and collaboration. The plan focuses on six key strategic goals: advancing education, driving basic science research, enhancing translational research, expanding community and global impact, ensuring operational excellence and financial stewardship, and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, all to make enduring contributions to human health.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) meeting focused on reviewing past incidents, administratively reviewing several protocols, and discussing a set of protocols requiring full committee discussion. Past incidents reported included a BSL-3 PAPR incident and several needlestick incidents in BSL-3 settings, one involving a researcher working with HIV infected cells, and another involving potential TB exposure. Administratively reviewed protocols included updates to studies involving renal biobanking, inflammation in metabolic and neuronal disease, autoimmune uveitis, and bacterial DNA extraction for sequencing. Protocols discussed included amendments for lentiviral vector use in murine melanoma cell lines (with broader cell line approval sought), renewal of a protocol for expressing recombinant monoclonal antibodies, renewal of a genome-wide evaluation of allelic effects using various human cell lines and viruses, an amendment to a hind limb ischemia study involving AAV vectors, a new protocol for an AAV-mediated gene therapy for myotonic dystrophy type 1, a renewal for studying the role of Rip1 in TNF transduction and leukemogenesis using engineered mouse models and gene editing, a new protocol establishing capability for Plasmid DNA manufacturing, and a previously tabled protocol on the development of RNAi-based therapeutics which was tabled again due to collaboration clarity issues. Additionally, updates were given on BSL-3 facility decommissioning and design planning, and general biosafety matters such as training requirements and facility inspection results.

The committee reviewed reports on incidents/accidents from Employee Health Services, noting 19 total events for the year, an improvement from the previous year. Administrative reviews were conducted for protocols concerning large-scale production of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Viral Vector, the clinical trial Alexion IGAN-320 evaluating ravulizumab for IgA nephropathy, and research on immune regulation in intestinal physiology. Protocols discussed included renewals for projects on Epigenetic Plasticity and Tumor Initiation and Progression, Toll Receptors in Health and Disease, Multiple Sclerosis Center Research Specimen Processing Lab operations, pharmacokinetics of therapies for retinal degeneration, complement activation in relation to mucosal pathogens (combining two protocols), the role of Transposable Elements in physiological processes, and the neurobiology of stress reward interactions (amendment for adding canine adenoviral vectors). Several protocols were approved contingent upon completion of action items.

The UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UMCCTS) presents its vision and overarching goals aimed at improving health and healthcare delivery. Key strategic pillars include advancing the science of translation, catalyzing high-quality research across the translational spectrum, and building a robust translational workforce. The plan focuses on speeding the development of new products and approaches to advance patient care and community health, and training the next generation of leaders in clinical and translational research, supported by extensive collaboration, funding, research efficiency services, workforce development, and core resources.