Diabetes Genome Anatomy Project

Core Labs > Administrative Core

Administrative Core

Core Director: C. Ronald Kahn, M.D. (Joslin Diabetes Center)

Objective and Plan

The Administrative Core serves as the site of the overall planning, direction, and internal review of the DGAP projects; coordinates and reviews the operations of each of the Core Laboratories; organizes the meetings for group review of DGAP data, and oversees the budget of all components of DGAP.

The Administrative Core, the Principal Investigator/Director of DGAP, the grant coordinator and the overall grant administrator of DGAP will be located at the Joslin Diabetes Center. Dr. C. Ronald Kahn will serve as Principal Investigator and Director of DGAP, as well as Chair of the DGAP Steering Committee. Dr. Kahn has extensive experience in insulin action, diabetes and genetics research, as well as extensive administrative experience. In addition to his own laboratory, Dr. Kahn has served as Director of Research of the Joslin Diabetes Center for 18 years, and has established one of the premier centers for diabetes research in the U. S. He also chaired the Diabetes Research Working Group and served as the PI of the Joslin Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center Grant (a position which he has turned over to allow him to focus on this project). Dr. Michael Czech will serve as the Associate Director of DGAP. Dr. Czech is the Head of the Molecular Medicine Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and also has extensive research in the area of insulin action, and extensive administrative experience.

The major governing body for the DGAP project will be the Steering Committee. This Committee will composed of Drs. Kahn, Czech, Corvera, Patti, Doria, Kohane and Altshuler. This Committee has already begun to meet during the preparation of the grant. During the first year of the grant, the Steering Committee will continue to have monthly meetings to assure institution of an interactive group and initiation of the goals and functions of the DGAP project. These meetings would change to bimonthly during years 2-5. The primary goal of the Steering Committee is to review progress of the projects against the goals and timetables provided, to assess the functioning of the Core laboratories in DGAP, to assure proper allocation and use of DGAP resources for the projects in the grant, and to review and allocate budgetary resources to existing and new projects that might occur during the conduct of this grant.

The Administrative Core will also interact extensively with the Informatics Core to create both the Intranet and Internet versions of DGAP databases and protocols. These functions are critical to ensure good connectivity among the participants of DGAP and other diabetes and genetics initiatives. Since all of the institutions involved in DGAP are located within a 40 mile area, the intent is to create a strongly interactive team of investigators in the DGAP project. This will be based not only on electronic media and the Internet, but also live direct scientific planning and review sessions. Thus, in addition to the Steering Committee meetings, there will be meetings of the entire DGAP group, including DGAP scientists, key technical personnel, fellows and students, three or four times per year at one of the member institutions. At these group meetings, specific projects and cores will present to the group both their progress and problems. In this way, we will work to increase the efficiency and productivity of the entire DGAP group. This meeting will also give all investigators an opportunity to address issues of standardization of methodologies and protocol, as well as discuss any advances in technology that might occur.

In addition to the Steering Committee, DGAP will also have an external Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC will meet at least once a year to review the progress of DGAP and advise both the Steering Committee and DGAP project scientists and staff about ways in which to improve the project and its impact on scientists everywhere. This will include both scientific advice and advice and evaluation concerning the dissemination of information to the general community. Since we do not want to restrict review of the project, on advice of NIDDK staff, we have not yet named members of the SAC, but it will include national and international experts in the fields of genetics and pathophysiology of diabetes, genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Members of the SAC, as well as other outside experts in areas relevant to this grant, will also be invited as individuals twice a year to give a seminar and help review and advise regarding the progress of the grant. These meetings would also be attended by program representatives of NIDDK to facilitate interaction with other NIH initiatives in the genetics of diabetes.

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