Group items tagged

In recent years, somatic cells as therapeutic agents have provided new treatment approaches for a number of pathological conditions that were deemed untreatable, or difficult to treat. Several successful cell therapies using T cells have been demonstrated for cancer and autoimmune diseases, while stem cell therapies have given relief for heart disease and stroke. Hundreds of clinical trials are ongoing to examine efficacy of cell therapies for a variety of other diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Crohn's disease. Production of therapeutic cells is currently expensive and, therefore, cost prohibitive for the large number of people who might benefit from these treatments. The overarching goal of this Advanced Biomanufacturing of Therapeutic Cells (ABTC) solicitation is to catalyze well-integrated interdisciplinary research to understand, design, and control cell manufacturing systems and processes that will enable reproducible, cost-effective, and high-quality production of cells with predictable performance for the identified therapeutic function.

In recent years, somatic cells as therapeutic agents have provided new treatment approaches for a number of pathological conditions that were deemed untreatable, or difficult to treat. Several successful cell therapies using T cells have been demonstrated for cancer and autoimmune diseases, while stem cell therapies have given relief for heart disease and stroke. Hundreds of clinical trials are ongoing to examine efficacy of cell therapies for a variety of other diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Crohn's disease. Production of therapeutic cells is currently expensive and, therefore, cost prohibitive for the large number of people who might benefit from these treatments. The overarching goal of this Advanced Biomanufacturing of Therapeutic Cells (ABTC) solicitation is to catalyze well-integrated interdisciplinary research to understand, design, and control cell manufacturing systems and processes that will enable reproducible, cost-effective, and high-quality production of cells with predictable performance for the identified therapeutic function.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage Research Project Grant (R01) applications to pursue clinical observational (CO) studies to obtain data necessary for designing clinical studies for musculoskeletal, rheumatic, or skin diseases or conditions. A future clinical study may include a clinical trial or an observational study. Research data from observational studies supported by this FOA can enhance clinical study design by providing essential information about disease symptoms, stages and timing of disease progression, comorbid conditions, availability of potential research participants, and outcomes that are important to patients. They also can facilitate efforts to develop and/or validate objective biomarkers or subjective outcome measures for use in a future clinical study. Applicants to this FOA are encouraged to propose studies that address significant obstacles or questions in the design of a clinical project, such as determining the appropriate primary or secondary outcome measures, or identifying the stages of disease during which patients are most likely to respond to an intervention. Only observational studies will be supported through this FOA.

This FOA will provide support for assays (and associated data analysis) of repository-held samples for studies focused on an NIDDK relevant disease.  The review of applications to this FOA will consider both access to repository-held samples and funding for assays using the samples.  These studies are expected to generate scientific discoveries on disease mechanisms, disease pathogenic processes, disease progression, or clinical responses.  Projects that make good use of the associated data from the clinical trials and studies, the original intent of the clinical study and/or trial are highly encouraged.  Exploratory studies and discovery research are encouraged especially when samples are not severely limited, the work is justified, and the goal is consistent with the original intent of the clinical research.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites submission of investigator-initiated program project applications. The proposed programs should address scientific areas relevant to the NIDDK mission including diabetes, selected endocrine and metabolic diseases, obesity, digestive diseases and nutrition, and kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases, as well as new approaches to prevent, treat and cure these diseases, including clinical research. A description of NIDDK scientific program areas can be found at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/research-areas/pages/research-areas.aspx .

Using its strength in glycoscience, the client wishes to achieve the following FCH- and s-FCH-related goals with a potential partner to continue to supply the world with innovative pharmaceuticals/medical devices in this field: Supply pharmaceuticals/medical devices that meet unmet medical needs Specialized areas/diseases: Diseases of locomotive organs, ophthalmic diseases, and diseases of the mucous membrane in the mouth, esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Supply products that cannot be replaced by other products or competitor's products, using the client's strength in glycoscience

The Michael J. Fox Foundation believes that a major hurdle in the development of promising treatments for Parkinson's disease is the need for well-validated targets linked to the disease process. By promoting critical target validation studies within academic and industry laboratories, MJFF investments can help de-risk subsequent drug development and ultimately accelerate the creation of innovative therapies for Parkinson's patients. Part of our Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, the Target Advancement program seeks to build robust evidence to rationalize biological pathways and targets for further translation into new Parkinson's treatments.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation believes that a major hurdle in the development of promising treatments for Parkinson's disease is the need for well-validated targets linked to the disease process. By promoting critical target validation studies within academic and industry laboratories, MJFF investments can help de-risk subsequent drug development and ultimately accelerate the creation of innovative therapies for Parkinson's patients. Part of our Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, the Target Advancement program seeks to build robust evidence to rationalize biological pathways and targets for further translation into new Parkinson's treatments.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) requests applications for the NIAMS Core Centers for Clinical Research (CCCR) (P30) within its mission. The CCCRs will provide avenues to advance the methodological sciences that support clinical research within and across the NIAMS' portfolio of diseases. The overall goals of the CCCR are to advance prevention, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal, rheumatologic, and skin diseases by developing and fostering the implementation of novel methods, metrics, and outcome measures that address critical existing and emerging clinical research needs. 

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to 1) expand the collection of clinical data and biological specimens in the NINDS Parkinsons Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP), a community research resource, to include data from patients with Lewy Body Dementias (including Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson's Disease with Dementia), and 2) to support hypothesis-driven clinical research to discover biomarkers that will improve the efficiency and outcome of Phase II clinical trials for the Lewy Body dementias and to provide an expansion of this existing research resource center for dissemination of information and access by the scientific community for further advancing research in this field. Applications may include both of these goals if justified.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to 1) expand the collection of clinical data and biological specimens in the NINDS Parkinsons Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP), a community research resource, to include data from patients with Lewy Body Dementias (including Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson's Disease with Dementia), and 2) to support hypothesis-driven clinical research to discover biomarkers that will improve the efficiency and outcome of Phase II clinical trials for the Lewy Body dementias and to provide an expansion of this existing research resource center for dissemination of information and access by the scientific community for further advancing research in this field. Applications may include both of these goals if justified.

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a collaborative framework through which 14 NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices jointly support neuroscience-related research, with the aim of accelerating discoveries and reducing the burden of nervous system disorders. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will solicit research projects to facilitate the development and translation of tools and technology for non-invasive imaging and profiling of human central nervous system (CNS, including retina) small blood and lymphatic vessels; to investigate their role in CNS physiology, disease, repair processes, and responses to therapy using novel approaches. Applications can be focused on the development of new technology and tools, novel target or biomarker identification and validation studies, or a combination of mechanistic and technology development studies specific to human CNS small blood and lymphatic vessels in health and disease, across the life span.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its Preclinical Drug Discovery program. Through the program, grants of up to $600,000 over two years will be awarded to promising preclinical drug discovery programs relevant to Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and cognitive aging. Preclinical research funding priorities include high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry hit-to-lead development and optimization, in vitro and in vivo efficacy studies, ADME, toxicology, pharma-cokinetics and pharma-co-dynamics, and in vivo proof-of-concept with lead compounds and biologics. Program areas of particular interest include new chemical compounds for Alzheimer's disease, preclinical proof-of-concept, and re-purposing. With regards to potential drug targets, ADDF is interested in novel targets that include but are not limited to neuro-inflammation, protein degradation/autophagy, growth factor signaling, synaptic function/morphology, calcium regulation, energy utilization/mitochondria function, insulin sensitivity, epigenetics, ApoE function and cholesterol metabolism, vascular injury and the blood-brain barrier interface, cognitive enhancers, myelin changes, ischemia and oxidative stress, and tau-related toxicities. To be eligible, applicants must be academic investigators seeking to create and support innovative translational programs in academic medical centers and universities; biotechnology companies with programs dedicated to Alzheimer's disease translational development; and new biotechnology company spinouts or existing biotechnology companies that demonstrate a clear need for nonprofit funding. Funding is provided through program-related investments (PRIs) that require a return on investment based on scientific and/or business milestones.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) intends to support investigators who have interest and capability to join efforts for the discovery of in vivo chemical probes. It is expected that applicants will have in hand the starting compounds (validated hits) for chemical optimization and bioassays for testing new analog compounds. Through this FOA, NIH wishes to stimulate research in 1) discovery and development of novel, small molecules for their potential use in studying disease treatment relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes, and 2) discovery and/or validation of novel, biological targets that will inform studies of disease mechanisms.Emphasis will be placed on projects that provide new insight into important disease targets and processes.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) requests applications to explore human pancreatic tissues for the discovery of early biomarkers of T1D pathogenesis, the description of specific signaling or processing pathways that may contribute to the asymptomatic phase of T1D, the development of clinical diagnostic tools for the detection and staging of early T1D in at-risk or recently-diagnosed individuals, and/or the identification of therapeutic targets for the development of preventative or early treatment strategies. Successful applicants will join the Consortium on Beta Cell Death and Survival (CBDS), whose mission is to better define and detect the mechanisms of beta cell stress and destruction central to the development of T1D in humans, with the long-term goal of detecting beta cell destruction and protecting the residual beta cell mass in T1D patients as early as possible in the disease process, and of preventing the progression to autoimmunity. The CBDS is part of a collaborative research framework, the Human Islet Research Network (HIRN, https://hirnetwork.org), whose overall mission is to support innovative and collaborative translational research to understand how human beta cells are lost in T1D, and to find innovative strategies to protect and replace functional beta cell mass in humans. This FOA will only support studies with a primary focus on increasing our understanding of human disease biology (as opposed to rodent or other animal models). This FOA will not accept applications proposing a clinical trial.

The NIDDK invites Cooperative Agreement applications for an open  competition for the Central Biochemistry Laboratory (CBL) of The Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) consortium.  The CBL will work cooperatively with the existing Clinical Coordinating Centers (CCCs) and Data Coordinating Center (DCC) of the study as a Consortium. Participant evaluations in some domains will be expanded, and follow-up will extend beyond the onset of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).  

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to seek applications for the George M. O'Brien Urology Cooperative Research Centers Program. This program will provide a coordinated platform for multidisciplinary interactions between basic and clinical scientists with the overall goal of understanding the etiology and development of benign urologic diseases and disorders, and providing a collaborative venue to design better treatments, diagnostics, and prevention strategies for these disease conditions within the NIDDK mission interests. This program will also serve as a national resource to the larger urological research community and provide educational enrichment opportunities to scientists electing to pursue research in benign urology. Accordingly, applications are sought from individuals willing to cooperate with the NIDDK under a cooperative centers program. The funded Centers will work with the NIDDK in facilitating research collaborations and interactions within and among centers and with the larger research community to accomplish the overall goal of improving treatment of urologic disorders through enhanced communication and research excellence.

This single-source funding opportunity announcement (FOA) Enhancing Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacities in the Americas in Collaboration with the National Center for Prevention Programs and Disease Control (CENAPRECE) in Mexico invites an application for a five-year cooperative agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) to support CENAPRECE (an agency within Mexico Secretariat of Health [SALUD]). The envisioned ASPR-FUMEC-CENAPRECE collaboration sustains and advances the long-standing relationship between the United States and Mexico aimed at safeguarding each country from public health threats and fulfilling the goals of multiple international frameworks and agreements, including the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) (http://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/en/). Projects and activities proposed by CENAPRECE for this agreement will combine strategic coordination of public health preparedness and emergency response programs as well as technical collaborations to strengthen the capacities of both countries and the region to prevent, detect, report, and respond to public health emergencies of all types, focusing on pandemic influenza, other emerging infectious diseases, and chemical, biological, and radiological (terrorism) hazards.

The purpose of this FOA is to invite applications that investigate aspects of lymphatic vessel physiology, development and pathophysiology related to health and diseases of the digestive system. Studies to understand the factors that control local lymphatic vessel functional anatomy and physiology and development during health or disease in this system and its organs, and the mechanisms by which alterations of lymphatic vessel function affect organ function, are of interest. However, studies with the major focus on immune mechanisms, role of lymphatics in cancer metastasis and study of lymphatic vessels in organs other than those from the digestive system will not be considered responsive.

TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE AND THERAPEUTICS: The goal of the PhRMA Foundation's Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Program is to promote the development and use of experimental and computational methods in an integrative approach towards clinical needs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention. This can involve enhanced understanding of human biological and disease processes but requires a strong translational component. This program will support the concepts of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics as defined by the Foundation: "Translational medicine and therapeutics is a discipline focused on bridging experimental and computational technologies and discoveries in the research laboratory to their application in clinical practice. Examples of research components include activities in molecular and cellular biology, pathophysiology, systems biology, bioinformatics, modeling and simulation, and other quantitative sciences to connect basic biological concepts and entities to directly address unmet medical needs. The goals are to use clinical observation as the basis for hypothesis generation to further basic research and to efficiently advance the product of basic research to patients." Translational Medicine and Therapeutics awards will advance training and support career development of scientists engaged in research that significantly integrates cutting-edge technologies with advanced biological, chemical, and pharmacological sciences and engineering methodologies in such areas as (but not restricted to): * Genetics (Molecular, Pharmaco-, Population, Medical) * Genomics (Functional, Structural, Toxico-, Pharmaco-, Comparative) * Systems (Biology and Pharmacology) * Pathways and networks * Integrative biology * Modeling and simulation * Target Identification and Validation * Biomarker Discovery and Validation * Vaccine Development * Molecular Epidimiology * Imaging * Disease Modeling

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit research applications for milestone-driven projects focused on establishing proof-of-concept for and/or preclinical development of lead candidate vaccines targeting infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and/or tuberculosis disease (TB).

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit research applications for milestone-driven projects focused on establishing proof-of-concept for and/or preclinical development of lead candidate vaccines targeting infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and/or tuberculosis disease (TB).

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) intends to support investigators who have interest and capability to join efforts for the discovery of cell-based chemical probes for novel brain targets. It is expected that applicants will have in hand the starting compounds (validated hits) for chemical optimization and bioassays for testing new analog compounds. Through this FOA, NIH wishes to stimulate research in: 1) discovery and development of novel, small molecules for their potential use in understanding biological processes relevant to the missions of NIMH, NIA, and/or NIDCD; and 2) discovery and/or validation of novel, biological targets that will inform studies of brain disease mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on projects that provide new insight into important disease-related biological targets and biological processes. The main emphasis of projects submitted under this FOA should be in the discovery of cell-based chemical probes. Applicants interested in developing in vivo chemical probes may wish to apply using the companion R01 mechanism (PAR-17-336).

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to stimulate translation of scientific discoveries and engineering developments in imaging, data science and/or spectroscopic technologies into methods or tools that address contemporary problems in understanding the fundamental biology, potential risk of development, diagnosis, treatment, and/or disease status for cancer or other disease.