# New Jersey Alliance for Clinical Translational Science: NJ ACTS

> **NIH NIH UL1** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS · 2020 · $4,640,627

## Abstract

Contact PD/PI: Panettieri, Reynold Alexander
Project Summary/Abstract
Overview
Coordinated by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and
Translational Science (NJ ACTS) comprises a consortium with Rutgers and Princeton Universities (PU), NJ
Institute for Technology (NJIT), medical, nursing, dental and public health schools, hospitals, community health
centers, outpatient practices, industry, policymakers and health information exchanges. All Alliance universities
and affiliates have provided substantial resources and contributed to the planning, development and leadership
of the consortium. With access to ~7 million people, NJ ACTS serves as a ‘natural laboratory’ for translational
and clinical research. With a state population of ~9 million, New Jersey ranks 11th in the US, 1st in population
density and higher than average in racial and ethnic diversity. Surprisingly, NJ has no CTSA Hub to coordinate
translational and clinical research. Our CTSA Hub focuses on two overarching themes: the heterogeneity of
disease pathogenesis and response to treatment, and the value of linking large clinical databases with
interventional clinical investigations to identify cause-and-effect and predict therapeutic responses. NJ ACTS will
provide: innovative approaches to link information from large databases and electronic health records to inform
clinical trial design, execution and analysis; and novel platforms for biomarker discovery using fluorescence in
situ hybridization and machine learning to identify unique neural signatures of chronic illness. NJ ACTS will
access a large health system with significant member diversity; a rich legacy of community engagement and
community-based research platforms; and proven approaches to enhance workforce development in clinical
research. With a substantial investment in streamlining research administration and IRB practices at Rutgers
and with the inception of NJ ACTS, there exists an unparalleled opportunity for logarithmic growth in clinical
research in New Jersey. To build our capacity for participant and clinical interactions as a CTSA Hub, the newly
established Trial Accelerator and Recruitment Office will coordinate feasibility assessment, implementation,
recruitment, and evaluation of clinical studies. Additionally, our organization of five clinical research units into a
cohesive network provides extraordinary expertise in strategic locations to enhance participant recruitment from
diverse communities with a particular focus on: children; the elderly; those with serious mental illness or
substance abuse issues; low-income individuals served by Medicaid; those with HIV/AIDS; and people of all
ages who are minorities, underserved, and victims of health and environmental disparities. With a history of
collaboration, partners and affiliates share unique skills, expertise, training and mentoring capabilities that will
be greatly amplified within the infrastructure of a CTSA ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9890029
- **Project number:** 5UL1TR003017-02
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL/HEALTH SCIENCES-RBHS
- **Principal Investigator:** Reynold Alexander Panettieri
- **Activity code:** UL1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $4,640,627
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-03-11 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9890029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9890029, New Jersey Alliance for Clinical Translational Science: NJ ACTS (5UL1TR003017-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9890029. Licensed CC0.

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