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Scientists and patient advocacy groups often use a series of photos, commissioned by NEI some thirty years ago, when they wish to depict the visual experience of patients suffering from blinding diseases. At the time they were created, these images reflected the field's understanding of visual perception for such patients. But the field has advanced considerably since then, and these static images are considered overly simplistic, inaccurate, and generally unsatisfactory. At the same time, technology has evolved to where it is possible to use video and virtual reality to more authentically demonstrate (or even simulate) the experience of have a blinding disease. As part of the efforts of the NEI 50th Anniversary Planning Committee, the institute seeks the support of experts in blinding diseases, visual psychophysics, and video/virtual reality production to create a scientifically accurate and clinically authentic blindness simulation "experience" that can be used for education, public advocacy, and research purposes and a series of short videos that can be posted online for education and public outreach.

Chemical modifications of protein, DNA and RNA nucleoside moieties play critical roles in regulating gene expression. Emerging evidence suggests RNA modifications have substantive roles in multiple basic biological processes. Epitranscriptomics can be defined as the aggregate suite of functional biochemical modifications to the transcriptome within a cell. Recent studies in yeast, Drosophila, rodent and human models demonstrate that stressors can induce RNA modifications, with specific reprogramming of some regulatory RNAs. The NIEHS seeks to solicit innovative, mechanistic research applications that are focused on how environmental exposures are associated and involved with the functional activities of RNA modifications and pathways that may be modified or misregulated, associated with adverse health outcomes and/or be useful as biomarkers of exposure and/or exposure-induced pathologies. The study of functional chemical RNA modification has identified important emerging roles in cellular regulation and gene expression. However, the impact of environmental exposures on functional RNA modifications has been relatively understudied and may present a new mechanism for enhanced understanding the relationships between exposures and the development of complex human diseases. The NIEHS will use the R01 mechanism to support hypothesis driven research using approaches that incorporate principles of toxicology with RNA modification biological and/or chemical expertise and utilizes state of the art technologies.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is a new initiative to support the development of cancer-relevant technologies suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  Specifically, the FOA solicits applications for projects to adapt, apply, and validate existing or emerging technologies into a new generation of user-friendly, low-cost devices or assays that are clinically comparable to currently used technologies for imaging, in vitro detection/diagnosis, or treatment of cancers in humans living in LMICs. Funds will be made available through the UH2/UH3 phased innovation cooperative agreement award mechanism.  Applicants should have a working assay or prototype (not necessarily already capable of cancer applications).  The initial 2-year (or shorter) UH2 exploratory phase will be a feasibility study to demonstrate technical functionality and clinical potential for use in LMIC settings by meeting specific performance milestones.  UH2 projects that have met their milestones will be administratively considered by NCI and prioritized for transition to the UH3 validation phase.  UH3 awards will support improvements and validations of the technologies in the LMIC settings.  The project period for the UH3 phase is up to 3 years.  Projects proposed in response to this FOA will require multidisciplinary efforts to succeed and therefore all applicant teams must include expertise in engineering/assay/treatment development, oncology, global healthcare delivery, and business development.  Investigators responding to this FOA must address both UH2 and UH3 phases.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages research projects focused on adducts to cellular macromolecules as indicators of exposures to cancer risk factors relevant to human populations. The priority is on projects that will focus on adductomic approaches, i.e., address some aspects of the totality of adducts. These projects should explore the basic aspects of adducts/adductomics that may have a potential utility in cancer detection, cancer prevention, and/or assessing cancer risks. The projects should be relevant to adducts in humans and human populations but may be conducted using various model systems (e.g., cultured cells, animals, etc.). The use of human biospecimens is encouraged and expected if appropriate but not required. In well-justified cases, innovative studies using the adductomic approaches in the context of cancer etiology and/or gene-environment interaction research may also be appropriate. For projects intended for NIEHS support, the focus may be on innovative technology and method development.

 Current product-specific bioequivalence (BE) guidance published by the Office of Generic Drugs for dry powder inhalers (DPIs) include in vitro testing recommendations for single actuation content and aerodynamic particle size distribution, as well as recommendations for a pharmacokinetic study and a pharmacodynamic or clinical endpoint study.  Given the extensive nature of current DPI BE guidance, it is desirable that current in vitro testing for DPIs be more reflective of in vivo performance.  Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element modeling (DEM) have been used to predict dry powder aerosol behavior, including the effects of agglomeration and deagglomeration.  The purpose of the study will be to develop a CFD-DEM model which can be used to evaluate the impact of various physicochemical properties and device performance properties on regional deposition, to identify potentially biorelevant ranges for these properties that may be useful for future BE recommendations.   

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the President, is seeking applications from a grantee to provide continued support of anti-doping efforts to educate athletes on the dangers of drug use and eliminate doping in amateur athletic competitions recognized by the United States Olympic Committee. Specifically; 1) Provide continued support of anti-doping efforts to educate athletes on the dangers of drug use and eliminate doping in amateur athletic competitions recognized by the United States Olympic Committee; 2) Provide support for athlete drug testing programs, research initiatives, educational programs and efforts to inform athletes of the adopted rules governing the use of prohibited substances outlined in the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code); and 3) Provide support for legal efforts to enforce compliance with the Code and adjudicate athlete appeals involving doping violations.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research that would develop and validate new screening methods for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that can be used in infancy (0-12 months of age). This FOA uses the R21 grant mechanism, while RFA- MH-19-120 uses the R01 grant mechanism. Applications with strong preliminary data proposing validation, refinement or final stages of testing of existing tools or methods may be more appropriate for the R01 mechanism. Pilot or exploratory projects with minimal preliminary data, or those proposing early-stage feasibility testing, may be more appropriate for this FOA (R21 mechanism).

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits research grant applications which will: 1) advance measurements of intersectional stigma (multiple stigmatized identities) and examine the mechanisms and pathways by which it is a barrier to HIV testing and linkage to prevention; or 2) develop and test interventions to reduce intersectional stigma and improve the uptake of HIV testing and linkage to ongoing HIV prevention among key populations at substantial risk for HIV infection. RFA-MH-19-412 uses the R01 grant mechanism, and RFA-MH-19-410 uses the R34 mechanism. High risk/high payoff projects that lack preliminary data or utilize existing data may be most appropriate for the R21 mechanism. Applicants with preliminary data and/or include longitudinal analysis may be appropriate for the R01 mechanism. Applicants proposing to develop and pilot test an intervention should consider using the R34 mechanism.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support rigorous clinical validation of a candidate biomarker using retrospective and/or prospective methods in a manner that is consistent with the purpose of the biomarker. This FOA assumes that: 1) a candidate biomarker has already been identified, 2) an analytical method has been developed and validated that is consistent with the purpose of the biomarker and 3) a working hypothesis regarding context of use is in place. The goal of this FOA is to facilitate the advancement of robust and reliable biomarkers of neurological disease for use in multi-site clinical trials and clinical practice.

The Department of Biomedical Informatics hosts an annual internship program each summer which provides high school, undergraduate, and graduate students opportunities to pursue research projects in the field of biomedical informatics under the guidance of research and operational staff and renowned faculty mentors in the Department of Biomedical Informatics. Participants learn useful tools and technologies used in biomedical and clinical research and attend weekly seminars to learn more about the various fields and interdisciplinary interactions biomedical informatics facilitates. Interns also gain very useful presentation abilities through regular lab and programmatic presentation opportunities, including an end-of-program poster session. Many students who have participated in this program have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees in biomedicine, biomedical informatics, computer science, and electrical engineering or to complete degrees in medicine and nursing. All student internship positions in the Department of Biomedical Informatics have the potential to be either paid or unpaid, depending on student experience levels and faculty preference. Most positions have the ability to turn into full student employment opportunities, and/or count for course credit (depending on performance) during the school year.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support observational or intervention research focused on reducing health disparities in tobacco use in the United States. Specifically, this FOA is intended to stimulate scientific inquiry focused on innovative tobacco control policies. Applicants may propose projects in which the primary outcome of interest is on reducing tobacco use health disparities in vulnerable populations by utilizing tobacco prevention and control strategies. The long-term goal of this FOA is to reduce health disparities in health outcomes thereby reducing the excess disease burden of tobacco use within these groups. Applicants submitting applications related to health economics are encouraged to consult NOT-OD-16-025 to ensure that applications align with NIH mission priorities in health economics research. This FOA utilizes the Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21) mechanism, which supports investigation of novel scientific ideas or new model systems, tools, or technologies that have the potential for significant impact on biomedical or biobehavioral research. An R21 grant application need not have extensive background material or preliminary information.

We envision that studies funded by this Research RFP will fall into one the following key areas: · Studies focused on the molecular and biochemical mechanisms regulating SMN expression or mediating SMN function. Results should lead to a better understanding of the requirements for SMN protein biologically. There is a particular interest in identifying genetic modifiers, upstream regulators of SMN expression / splicing / function, and downstream effectors of SMN functional activity, resulting in new drug targets for SMA. · Studies resulting in greater understanding of the pathophysiology of SMA, using well-validated animal or cellular models of the SMA. This includes focus on the tissue or timing requirements for SMN protein, the cellular autonomy of the disease in motor neurons and other cells, peripheral versus central manifestations of SMA, and others. · Studies focused on early proof-of concept assessment of novel therapeutic approaches for SMA in well-validated animal or cellular models of the disease or on progressing aspects of ongoing preclinical drug programs for SMA towards IND. Proposed SMN enhancing approaches should have advantage over current candidates or have the ability to be used in combination. Particular interest exists in non-SMN based approaches with the potential for combination use with SMN up-regulation strategies. · Work focused on generating research or clinical trial tools for SMA, such as new animal models, phenotypic cellular assays, activity assays for SMN function, biomarkers or outcome measures for clinical trials, and newborn screening protocols / technologies.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to support studies on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that examine population-based, clinical and applied prevention of disease, including etiology of use, epidemiology of use, potential risks, benefits and impacts on other tobacco use behavior among different populations.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for R34 applications seeks to support: (a) pilot and/or feasibility testing of innovative new, revised, or adapted prevention intervention approaches to prevent or delay the initiation and onset of drug and alcohol use, the progression to misuse or problem use or alcohol and other substance use disorder, reduce drinking and driving and deaths related to impaired driving, and the drug- or alcohol-related acquisition or transmission of HIV infection and viral hepatitis among diverse populations and settings; and, (b) pre-trial feasibility and acceptability testing for prevention services and systems research. It is expected that research conducted via this R34 mechanism will consist of studies that are a pre-requisite for preparing and submitting subsequent applications for larger scale drug or alcohol abuse prevention and/or drug- or alcohol-related HIV prevention intervention studies. This R34 FOA does not support applications for which the sole focus is development of intervention protocols, manuals, or the standardization of protocols. Any intervention development work must be imbedded within a pilot/feasibility study. Of particular interest is prevention research that addresses current public health priorities and priority settings and systems.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2018 Strategic Prevention Framework - Partnerships for Success grants. The purpose of this grant program is to address one of the nation's top substance abuse prevention priorities; underage drinking among persons aged 9 to 20. At their discretion, states/tribes may also use grant funds to target up to two additional, data-driven substance abuse prevention priorities, such as the use of marijuana, cocaine, or methamphetamine, etc. by individuals ages 9 and above. SPF-PFS is designed to ensure that prevention strategies and messages reach the populations most impacted by substance abuse. The program extends current established cross-agency and community-level partnerships by connecting substance abuse prevention programming to departments of social services and their community service providers. This includes working with populations disproportionately impacted by the consequences of substance use; i.e., children entering the foster care system, transitional youth, and individuals that support persons with substance abuse issues (women, families, parents, caregivers, and young adults).

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for R34 applications seeks to support: (a) pilot and/or feasibility testing of innovative new, revised, or adapted prevention intervention approaches to prevent or delay the initiation and onset of drug and alcohol use, the progression to misuse or problem use or alcohol and other substance use disorder, reduce drinking and driving and deaths related to impaired driving, prevent suicide attempts (nonfatal and fatal), and the drug- or alcohol-related acquisition or transmission of HIV infection and viral hepatitis among diverse populations and settings; and, (b) pre-trial feasibility and acceptability testing for prevention services and systems research. It is expected that research conducted via this mechanism will consist of studies that are a pre-requisite for preparing and submitting subsequent applications for larger scale drug or alcohol abuse prevention and/or drug- or alcohol-related HIV prevention intervention studies. This FOA does not support applications for which the sole focus is development of intervention protocols, manuals, or the standardization of protocols. Any intervention development work must be imbedded within a pilot/feasibility study. Of particular interest is prevention research that addresses current public health priorities and priority settings and systems.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research to understand the biological basis by which environmental exposures alter brain and behavioral functioning to increase risk for psychiatric disorders with onset in late-childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. A range of approaches are encouraged, from mechanistic experiments using whole organism models or in vitro and in vivo systems to human studies that add new data collection activities and/or make use of extant data or biospecimens. Investigations that further advance our understanding of the joint contribution of genes and environment in the risk for psychiatric disorders are welcomed. Applications should address either categorically defined psychiatric diagnoses and/or continuous traits expressed in the general population. Applicants are encouraged to propose studies that consider co-occurring psychiatric conditions and potential shared etiologies. It is anticipated that knowledge gained from the research supported by this FOA will inform the development of improved intervention, prevention and/or therapeutic strategies. This FOA will use the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism and runs in parallel with another FOA, PAR-20-NNN, which encourages applications under the R21 mechanism. Also listed under R21.

The PCC has supported world-class research since 2008, spending more than $18.0 M to support novel science around the world. Research and grant-making are the foundation of the PCC and are the focus of everyday business activity. PCC-supported research contributes to a movement in addressing doping's root causes and ultimately decreasing the use of performance-enhancing drugs by all participants in all sports at all levels of play. Grant Cycle Deadlines: Pre-Applications are due March 1st, July 1st, and November 1st of each year. Applicants invited to submit full applications must do so by April 1st, August 1st, or December 1st, depending on the cycle (30 days after the pre-application due date). With an emphasis on original work that focuses on improving existing analytical methods for detecting particular drugs, developing new analytical methods to test for substances not currently detectable, and discovering cost-effective approaches for testing widely abused substances across all levels of sport, the following areas of investigation reflect the PCC's current research priorities: Developing methods of cost-effective testing to detect and deter the use of banned and illegal substances. Developing testing protocols to detect designer substances used for doping purposes. Improving existing analytical methods to detect particular drugs, ex. GH, IGF-1, EPO, hCG. Developing analytical methods to detect performance enhancing drugs not currently detectable. Longitudinal urinary excretion patterns, metabolism and dose-concentration. Critical reviews to support interpretation of laboratory data. Alternative specimens, (ex. oral fluid, dried blood/plasma spots) for testing. There is no maximum amount for PCC funding, though the average funding amount is $225,000. To date, over 80 projects have been funded in over 14 countries world-wide. Approximately 33% of applicants are awarded PCC funding.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for support of pre-clinical studies to repurpose existing experimental or FDA approved drugs or biologics (existing therapeutics) that have already begun or completed at least a Phase l trial. The hypothesis for proposed studies must be developed using innovative processes to identify the therapeutic/indication pair. Examples include independent crowdsourcing strategies (e.g., http://www.ncats.nih.gov/ntu/assets/current, http://openinnovation.astrazeneca.com/, or any website that lists experimental therapies), or use of computational algorithms. The initial UG3 award will support the development of milestone-driven rigorous, pre-clinical target engagement and/or efficacy studies. Once UG3 pre-clinical milestones have been met, the UH3 award may be made to support clinical trial planning: this includes complete planning, design, and preparation of the documentation necessary for implementation of Phase I and/or Phase II clinical trials for a new therapeutic use.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites research grant applications to decipher pathways and mechanisms responsible for HIV-1 induced central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction seen in virally suppressed HIV-1 positive patients, by understanding the causal role played by altered neuronal circuits, neuronal receptors and neuronal networks. Basic and translational research in domestic and international settings are of interest. Multidisciplinary research teams and collaborative alliances are encouraged but not required. This RFA [RFA-MH-18-610] uses the R01 grant mechanism while the companion RFA [RFA-MH-18-611] uses the R21 mechanism. High risk/high payoff projects that lack preliminary data may be most appropriate for the R21 [RFA-MH-18-611] mechanism, while applicants with preliminary data and a discrete, specified, circumscribed project can apply using the R01 [RFA-MH-18-610] mechanism.