Beyond OPF: External Events
External Events & Professional Development
This page is used to advertise non-OPF Events and Announcements that may be of interest to our community. Please contact us if you wish to have an announcement or event posted here.
Join us for our October Harvard Cancer Consortium (HCC) Pathfinder First-Author Journal Club series with BIDMC's Urmila Jagtap, PhD (Frank Slack Lab, Department of Pathology, BIDMC; HCC Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program and HCC Lung Cancer Program), who will share with us her recent paper: "MicroRNA-21 is a potential therapeutic agent targeting Tgfbi and mitigating high-fat-diet-induced liver disease and cancer"
Abstract: Liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a major global health concern, claiming approximately 2 million lives worldwide annually, yet curative treatments remain elusive. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of microRNA-21-5p (miR-21) in metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and HCC within the context of a Western choline-deficient (CD) high-fat diet (HFD) and offer potential therapeutic insights. We found that reduced miR-21 levels correlated with liver-disease progression in wild-type (WT) mice fed on CD-HFD, while miR-21-knockout mice showed exacerbated metabolic dysfunction, including obesity, hepatomegaly, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, steatosis, fibrosis, and HCC. Our study reveals that miR-21 plays a protective role in metabolic syndrome and in the progression of liver disease to cancer. miR-21 directly targets Transforming growth factor beta-induced (Tgfbi), a gene also known to be significantly upregulated and a potential oncogene in HCC. Further, our study showed that intervention with the administration of an miR-21 mimic in WT livers effectively improves insulin sensitivity, steatosis, fibrosis, Tgfbi expression, and tumor burden in CD-HFD conditions. These findings indicate that miR-21 could serve as an effective strategy to delay or prevent liver disease in HFD environments.
Link to the paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41281938/
REGISTER
A Grant of One’s Own is a collaborative, interactive grant-writing course designed to help you develop a complete, competitive research proposal for submission to a first grant or fellowship by the end of the program. This course is targeted toward Harvard-affiliated cancer-focused postdocs, clinical fellows, and instructors (MD, MD-PhD, or PhD) whose research translates novel scientific discoveries into clinical testing, including early-phase clinical trials. Throughout your participation, you will be guided step-by-step through the process of preparing your first proposal and will lay the foundation for future funding success. Participants are matched with a small group of peers led by faculty mentors from across the Harvard Cancer Consortium. At the conclusion of the course, your proposal will be reviewed in a mock study section, providing you with critical feedback and insights into the grant review process.
Learn more: A Grant of One's Own: A Mentored Approach to Independent Funding
Register: A Grant of One's Own: Registration Form
Calling for Science in the News seminar facilitators!
We are now recruiting facilitators for the Fall 2026 SITN seminar series! This is a great opportunity to engage with the community, increase public awareness of your field/area of experise, and gain experience with science communication. We welcome academic researchers and industry professionals at all levels!
📆 WHEN: Fall semester is October-November (each facilitator will sign up for one date)
📍 WHERE: Online (Zoom)
‼️ WHAT: Short flash talk, followed by a roundtable discussion with students
👥 WHO: Beacon Hill Seminars is an adult learning community who is excited about new frontiers in science, technology and medicine. They are a passionate and curious group of students!
Apply here: Fall 2026 SITN-BHS Facilitator Application Form
Contact the organizer: scienceinthenews.bhs@gmail.com
LEARN MORE
- Beacon Hill Seminars: home page
- Harvard SITN: official website
- More SITN opportunities: general interest form
- Contact SITN: sitnboston@gmail.com
We are thrilled to announce that the NIH will begin accepting applications for the Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) on September 1! Awardees can receive up to $100,000 in qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year award.
To learn more about eligibility requirements, application dates, and the benefits of receiving an LRP award, be sure to visit the LRP website, and attend one of our upcoming events:
- October 6 – LRP Technical Assistance Webinar
- November 10 – LRP Ask Me Anything Session
Important LRP Application Tips!
- Ensure your NIH Commons password is up-to-date
- Review the recently published notices
- Review the LRP Application Guide
- Check out our LRP tutorial videos
- Contact an LRP Ambassador for guidance
- Reach out to an LRP Program Officer to discuss your research
- Inform your Institutional Business Official (IBO) of your plan to apply for a renewal award
Please note that the deadline to apply is November 19, 2026.