Asking the Right Questions

Winning Research Questions Selected for BRIght Futures Fund Award 

In April, the BRI invited the BWH community to submit provocative questions and grand problems that they would like to see solved by BWH researchers. Below are the five winning questions from 106 submissions by BWH faculty and staff for the BRIght Futures Fund Award, sponsored by the BWH Biomedical Research Institute (BRI).

Can we employ a systems biology approach to and/or create an interactive atlas of immunology which might manifest as an "immunology app" we can use to develop and test hypotheses in these conditions and others, working towards prevention and cures based on the collective and common knowledge of our immune system that is currently not accessible?

Can we identify biomarkers and develop assays of immune function that can be used clinically for focusing immunosuppression in patients with autoimmune disease or who have had a transplant or identifying patients who may be at increased risk of infectious complications?

Medical record data was originally used for billing and then for clinical reporting. In many cases the lack of specificity in some of our coding adds noise to an already challenging signal-to-noise problem. We need to be thoughtful about using the breadth of EMR (electronic medical record) data to create much more specific physiologic- and disease-based phenotypes that can then facilitate research that will enable a better understanding of how genes influence health and disease. How can we improve the use of EMR data to create better phenotypes to be use for research, particularly genetic research?

How can we best integrate whole-genome DNA sequence information into the practice of medicine at BWH?

Can we use genetic and genomic data to improve clinical risk prediction for disease susceptibility, complications and comorbidities, or response to therapy?

The BRI Research Oversight Committee selected these questions to shape the BRIght Futures Fund Request for Applications (RFA). The questions were submitted by Patrick R. Burkett, MD, PhD, Pulmonary Division; John Michael Gaziano, MD, Department of Medicine, Division of Aging; Craig P. Hersh, MD, Pulmonary Division; Richard Maas, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine, Division of Genetics; and Jacqueline Slavik, PhD, BRI executive director.

Next Steps

BWH researchers now have the opportunity to submit an application to start a project to answer one of the winning questions. Following a peer review process, the BRI ROC will interview the semi-finalists and select up to four finalists. Finalists will work with the BRI to prepare various materials about their projects-such as a Web page and videos-to share with the public. The public will then have the opportunity to learn about the projects and cast their vote in September for the best one.

The winner of this first BRIght Futures Fund Award will receive $100,000 toward their project. The award, which is supported philanthropically, will be presented at BWH Research Day on November 15, 2012.

To learn more about the BRIght Futures Fund Award, visit http://brighamandwomens.org/research/BFF/. You can also e-mail the BRI at bwhbri@partners.org.