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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invite applications for specialized Centers to accelerate application of the latest advances in human stem cell biology for the development of novel diagnostic or therapeutic uses, and of preclinical studies employing human stem cells in animal models of disease. The P50 mechanism will be used to create three Centers of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research. These centers will bring together basic stem cell biologists, researchers and clinicians with disease-specific expertise, physicians and surgeons skilled in novel modes of cell delivery, and investigators experienced in developing and assessing animal models of human diseases to create new research teams, and to conduct hitherto-unexplored projects such as preclinical studies for cell-based therapy. This initiative targets critical gaps in research that are delaying the conversion of new discoveries to new therapies, and particularly encourages the formation of new, multidisciplinary teams involving scientists that may not have worked in the human stem cell field and those that incorporate the full spectrum of expertise and experience in translational medical research. We anticipate that such research will ultimately lead to innovative approaches for the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease, and accelerate the translation of basic scientific discoveries in the laboratory to new treatments for patients. The NIH intends to commit up to $4.5 million dollars in FY 2005 to fund three new Centers. Eligible organizations include domestic public or private institutions. There is no limit on the number of applications from an institution or individual. Any individual with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with the institution to develop and application for support. Individuals from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs. The PHS 398 application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact Grantsinfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: Grantsinfo@nih.gov.

On February 26, 2004, Executive Order 13329 (http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gp… /2004/pdf/04-4436.pdf)was signed by President George W. Bush requiring SBIR/STTR agencies, to the extent permitted by law and in a manner consistent with the mission of the Department, to give high priority within the SBIR and STTR programs to manufacturing-related research and development (R&D). In response to this Executive Order, NIH, CDC, and the FDA are expanding their foci by encouraging biomedical research related to advanced processing, manufacturing processes, equipment and systems, and manufacturing workforce skills and protection.

The Neurodegeneration and Clinical Trial Groups of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) request applications for additional clinical centers to collaborate in clinical trials to test potential neuroprotective agents in Parkinson’s disease (PD). These studies, the neuroprotection exploratory trials in PD (NET- PD) include pilot clinical trials and plans for a large, simple phase III clinical trial. Previous solicitations were issued for the clinical and statistical coordinating centers (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-01-012.html) and clinical centers (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-02-010.html. Pilot clinical trials are ongoing with over forty participating sites. The agents under study currently include creatine, minocycline, Coenzyme Q10, and a neuroimmunophilin ligand. These pilot studies are expected to complete follow-up in the 3rd quarter of 2005. Depending upon the results of these studies a phase III trial with one of these agents may be conducted or additional pilot studies of different agents may be performed. Sites are sought to join NET-PD to participate in these future studies.

This PA replaces PA-01-072. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) invite research grant applications through this Program Announcement (PA) to support research focused on determining the pathogenic mechanisms involved in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 associated neurobehavioral and neurological dysfunction in domestic and international settings. The objective of this cooperative effort is to foster investigations that will provide the foundation for the rapid development of therapeutic interventions to prevent and treat the effects of HIV-1 on the central nervous system (CNS). Applications ranging from basic research to clinical diagnosis and treatment are of interest. Multidisciplinary research teams and collaborative alliances are encouraged but not required.

The NIA and NINDS encourage wider use of data and samples generated by grants supported by the institute(s) including the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers (ADCs). The purpose of this RFA is to accelerate collaborative cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional approaches that will contribute new and vital information about the clinical and pathological course of normal aging and the neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. This RFA requires the utilization of data and/or samples from at least three currently funded NIA ADCs with the possibility of using additional relevant data or samples from outside of the Centers. The project must use the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) http://www.alz.washington.edu/ for expert advice on planning, study design, and also utilize NACC for statistical analyses and data management during conduct of the research projects. Applicants can be from the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, the Morris K. Udall Centers, or the research community at large. There should be a plan to share data originating from these studies by archiving them at NACC or another appropriate National databank so that other investigators will be able to conduct additional analyses when appropriate. There must also be a plan to encourage sample utilization after the current study. This is a research opportunity for scientists both within and outside the ADCs to gain access to unique resources related to Alzheimer’s Disease, other neurodegenerative diseases, and normal aging and to support collection of new data and samples. Applicants can also propose to utilize Center data and samples to investigate other age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s dementia, Lewy Body disease, Fronto-Temporal dementia, as well as study psychiatric symptoms associated with dementia, socio—behavioral aspects of dementia, and management and care of dementia patients. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is interested in those specific applications which include the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence, or other Parkinson’s research centers, in the pursuit of those research objectives focused on Parkinson's Disease (PD) or related parkinsonisms. The PD center need not be located with ADCs, but collaboration with those ADCs with existing samples and data sets focused on PD is required. Specific scientific projects of interest include the use of clinico-pathological correlations to study mechanisms of pathogenesis in PD or other parkinsonian conditions, characterization of the pathological features of these conditions, and the collection of patient data on their associated symptoms.

The purpose of this Program Announcement with set-aside funds (PAS) is to invite applications to study the biological basis of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). VCI causes a burden of illness similar to that caused by Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but has been far less well-studied. Recently, however, some important strides have been made in understanding the etiology of VCI. These include the discovery of a monogenic form of vascular dementia, CADASIL, and identification of the causative gene as Notch 3. In addition, MRI and other pathological data have provided a clearer delineation of the various clinical subtypes of VCI, and awareness of the synergistic interaction between vascular and classical Alzheimer’s pathologies in producing cognitive impairment. The goal of this PAS is to build on these first critical achievements to obtain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms causing vascular, neural, and glial dysfunction in human VCI and animal models of VCI.

The Office of Research Integrity (ORI, DHHS), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, NIH), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR, NIH), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, NIH), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, DHHS) invite applications to support research on research integrity. The purpose of the proposed grant program is to foster empirical research on societal, organizational, group, and individual factors that affect, both positively and negatively, integrity in research. Proposals must have clear relevance to biomedical, behavioral health sciences, and health services research. Applicants are strongly encouraged to take into consideration problems or issues that are relevant to the missions of DHHS, NIH, AHRQ, or specific NIH institutes and programs. For the purposes of this RFA, "research" is interpreted broadly to include societal, organizational, group, and individual aspects of the enterprise. "Integrity" is understood as "the use of honest and verifiable methods in proposing, performing, and evaluating research and reporting research results with particular attention to adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms."

PURPOSE OF THIS RFA Ischemic stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. With the aging of the population, the number of stroke patients in the US is likely to grow. There is a critical need to develop safe and effective therapies to improve the clinical management of stroke patients. Thus, the NHLBI and the NINDS invite research applications that will improve the understanding of brain hemostasis, identify new molecular targets, explore promising agents, and develop novel therapeutics for cerebral ischemia. This program intends to support basic, translational, and early clinical studies.

This Program Announcement with Set-Aside fosters co-operation between investigators and joint research projects to understand how fate choices are made by stem and precursor cells in the nervous system, and to design, refine, and improve upon the use of stem cells for diagnostic or therapeutic applications for neurological disorders. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is interested in supporting research that combines the unique and complementary expertise of laboratories from the United States and abroad, applying different disciplines, techniques, model systems or tissues. We anticipate that such research will ultimately lead to innovative approaches for the prevention, management and treatment of disorders of the nervous system, and encourage collaborations from disparate scientific areas and disciplines, including those not traditionally supported by the NINDS. It is essential, however, that the proposed activities be within the mission of the NINDS.

The participating Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) along with the Office of Research on Women’s Health announces a continuing program for administrative supplements to research grants to support individuals with high potential to reenter an active research career after taking time off to care for children or attend to other family responsibilities. The aim of these supplements is to encourage such individuals to reenter research careers within the missions of all the program areas of NIH. This program will provide administrative supplements to existing NIH research grants for the purpose of supporting full-time or part-time research by these individuals in a program geared to bring their existing research skills and knowledge up to date. It is anticipated that at the completion of the supplement, the reentry scientist will be in a position to apply for a career development (K) award, a research award, or some other form of independent research support. The NIH recognizes the need to increase the number of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds in biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science research careers. Among the reasons for the low representation of women may be the fact that women bear a majority of the responsibilities surrounding child and family care. To address this issue, this program is designed to offer opportunities to women and men who have interrupted their research careers to care for children or parents or to attend to other family responsibilities. A second objective of the program is to mentor and guide those who receive support to reestablish careers in biomedical, behavioral, clinical or social science research. Participating NIH institutes and centers are listed at the end of the announcement.