MLSC Matching Grant Program begins
NIH modeled peer review process

At inaugural meeting, review panel considers
cutting-edge research initiatives

Boston –On June 3rd, a group of nine distinguished scientists from across the state convened in Boston to serve as the first reviewers for what was organized as an NIH-styled peer review process that reviewed and scored the first matching grant proposals submitted to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC).

This panel, organized by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s John Adams Innovation Institute, considered 23 proposals submitted within the MLSC’s New Investigator Solicitation – a program designed to spur innovative research and advance the careers of new investigators working in the life sciences in Massachusetts.

The New Investigator’s Research Grant solicitation is the first of three solicitations that will provide up to a total of $12 million dollars in grant awards under the MLSC’s pilot Matching Grant Program. Dr. Gerald Greenhouse, Scientific Review Officer for the program and Director of Administration in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, guided reviewers through a structured discussion and evaluation, enabling reviewers to rank order proposals that will be presented to the MLSC’s Scientific Advisory Board on June 25th.

Research institutions from across the state submitted proposals, with hospitals, universities and independent institutions all competing for funding for their young investigators. The proposals cut across a wide array of scientific disciplines, ranging anywhere from the role of microRNAs in DNA repair to genomic analysis to biosensing technologies for proteomics and virus detection.  

“We have taken a very important first step toward ensuring the scientific integrity of this matching grant program. We are fortunate to have individuals with the breadth of scientific expertise participating in every phase of this peer review process,” said Dr. Gerald Greenhouse.

Looking ahead, the MLSC is already in the process of reviewing 13 proposals for the New Faculty Start-up solicitation - designed to attract top research talent to the state – and 27 proposals for the Cooperative Research solicitation – designed to increase industry sponsored research. Proposals responding to both of these solicitations also represent a strong geographic distribution of institutions and encompass a diversity of subject areas relevant to growing the life sciences enterprise of the state.