The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of an ongoing interagency partnership, have awarded a total of up to $53 million to fund tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013 to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS).
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of an ongoing interagency partnership, have awarded a total of up to $53 million to fund tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013 to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS).
A new, first-of-its-kind regulatory science tobacco program, TCORS is designed to generate research to inform the regulation of tobacco products to protect public health. Using designated funds from the FDA, TCORS will be coordinated by the NIH’s Office of Disease Prevention, directed by David M. Murray, PhD, and administered by three NIH institutes – the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The TCORS program brings together investigators from across the country to aid in the development and evaluation of tobacco product regulations. Each TCORS center has identified a targeted research goal. Together, the TCORS sites aim to increase knowledge across the full spectrum of basic and applied research on tobacco and addiction. The program also reportedly provides young investigators with training opportunities to ensure the development of the next generation of tobacco regulatory scientists.
Comprised of scientists with expertise in fields including epidemiology, behavior, biology, medicine, economics, chemistry, toxicology, addictions, public health, communications, and marketing, the TCORS program is the centerpiece of the FDA-NIH collaboration to foster research relevant to tobacco regulatory science. New research from TCORS will help inform and assess the impact of FDA’s prior, ongoing, and potential future tobacco regulatory activities implemented by Center for Tobacco Products under the direction of Mitch Zeller, J.D. In addition, the TCORS investigators will have the flexibility and capacity to begin new research to address issues raised in today’s rapidly evolving tobacco marketplace.
Designed to generate vital research in seven core areas, as well as ensure innovation in the field, the research supported by this initiative will provide scientific evidence within seven FDA tobacco-related research interest areas: diversity of tobacco products; reducing addiction; reducing toxicity and carcinogenicity; adverse health consequences; communications; marketing of tobacco products; and economics and policies.
TCORS proposals were selected for funding based on their scientific and technical merit as determined by NIH scientific peer review, availability of funds, and relevance of the proposed projects to program priorities.
Among the 14 TCORS that have been awarded are Pamela I. Clark, PhD, University of Maryland, College Park, whose various projects include exploring tobacco microbial constituents and the oral microbiome of tobacco users; Thomas E. Eissenberg. PhD, and Robert Balster, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, whose projects include analytical lab methods for MRTP evaluation; Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, University of California-San Francisco, overseeing projects that include quantification and biomarkers of short-term pulmonary effects of tobacco smoke exposure: infection-related acute lung injury; and Robert Tarran, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, whose projects include translational studies to identify epithelial biomarkers of smoke exposure.
New AI-Powered Raman Spectroscopy Method Enables Rapid Drug Detection in Blood
February 10th 2025Scientists from China and Finland have developed an advanced method for detecting cardiovascular drugs in blood using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and artificial intelligence (AI). This innovative approach, which employs "molecular hooks" to selectively capture drug molecules, enables rapid and precise analysis, offering a potential advance for real-time clinical diagnostics.
Detection of Microplastics in Bottled Water Using Raman Microspectroscopy
February 10th 2025Spectroscopy sat down with Oskar Hagelskjaer, Founder and CEO of Microplastic Solution, to discuss his latest study whose findings challenge EU Directive 2020/2184 regarding microplastic detection in potable water.
Best of the Week: Interview with Juergen Popp, Microplastic Detection, Machine Learning Models
February 7th 2025Top articles published this week include a video interview that explores using label-free spectroscopic techniques for tumor classification, an interview discussing how near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy can classify different types of horsetails, and a news article about detecting colorless microplastics (MPs) using NIR spectroscopy and machine learning (ML).
Enhancing Tumor Classification with AI and Raman: A Conversation with Juergen Popp
February 7th 2025Spectroscopy sat down with Juergen Popp of the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technology to talk about the Photonics West Conference, as well as his work using label-free spectroscopy techniques for precise tumor margin control.