June 1, 2023

The FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have provided funding for the new Tobacco Rapid Monitoring Center (CRST). By rapidly monitoring and reporting information, CRST will enhance the ability of CTPs and research groups to understand, document, and quantify changes in the tobacco product market and tobacco usage patterns.

The research results of CRST are expected to generate findings and data directly related to the FDA's regulation of the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health. In particular, CRST will support more time sensitive data collection, analysis, and reporting - providing potentially actionable information before more traditional data collection methods.

Given the rapid development of the tobacco industry, it is crucial for us to have flexible monitoring tools to keep up and best protect public health, "said Dr. Brian King, Director of the FDA Tobacco Products Center and Master of Public Health. This new center is another important addition to our monitoring toolbox, which can help identify emerging issues and take timely action

CRST is supported by the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program, an interagency partnership between NIH and CTP aimed at promoting tobacco regulatory research. After the competitive funding announcement, CRST is managing through a cooperation agreement, with the reward number U01CA278695. This work is led by the Center for Excellence in Tobacco Rapid Monitoring at Rutgers University, with a large collaborative network that triangulates multiple data sources, federal scientists from CDC, NIH, and CTP, as well as external consultants with relevant professional knowledge.