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The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the Office of Research on Women"s Health (ORWH) invite investigator-initiated research applications for mechanistic studies in clinical trials of immunomodulatory interventions for immune system mediated diseases, including asthma and allergy, graft failure in solid organ and stem cell transplantation, and autoimmune diseases. Specifically, this Request for Applications (RFA) focuses on the utilization of patients and patient materials from such trials for the evaluation of immunologic and other relevant parameters in order to study the mechanisms underlying the intervention, the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, surrogate markers of disease activity and therapeutic effect, and mechanisms of human immunologic function. The parent or core clinical trial must have independent financial support and will NOT receive support under this RFA. Mechanistic studies in clinical trials supported by industry are particularly encouraged but clinical trials supported by any source, public or private, are eligible.

The purpose of the Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) is to provide support for clinicians to allow them protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as mentors for beginning clinical investigators. The target candidates are outstanding clinical scientists engaged in patient-oriented research who are within 15 years of their specialty training, who can demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus as a means of enhancing their clinical research careers, and who are committed to mentoring the next generation of clinical investigators focussing on patient-oriented research. The award is intended to further the research and mentoring endeavors of outstanding patient-oriented investigators, enable them to expand their potential to make significant contributions to their field of patient-oriented research, and to act as mentors for beginning clinicians.

The purpose of the Mentored Patient-oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is to support the career development of investigators who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. This mechanism provides support for a period of supervised study and research for clinically trained professionals who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators focussing on patient-oriented research.

The purpose of this Program Announcement (PA) is to encourage submission of new research project grant (R01) and exploratory/developmental research grant (R21) applications to develop innovative technologies, methodologies, or instrumentation for the study of the biology of the brain. Research is solicited that will explore new approaches, test imaginative new ideas, and challenge existing paradigms in technologies to study the development, structure, function, and aging of the brain in both human and animal models. Also solicited is research that will develop significant enhancements to existing technologies important to neuroscience, and research that will translate a scientific concept into the basis for a future technology that may advance understanding of important neuroscience research problems. It is emphasized that the research solicited can include tools and approaches that relate to any and all aspects of neuroscience.

The Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Branch (MRDD), Center for Research for Mothers and Children (CRMC), of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the Division of Fundamental Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders (DFNDD) of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), in collaboration with the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), invite research grant applications that address various aspects of cognition and behavior in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS). Areas of interest include the developmental and neurological mechanisms underlying characteristic loss of function, approaches toward preserving or improving level of function, and methods to assess effects of interventions. Six to seven awards may be funded under this grant solicitation subject to the availability of funds.

The Rheumatic Diseases Program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), Chronic Disabling Diseases Program, National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR), Division of Convulsive, Infectious and Immune Disorders, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM), Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), and the Office of Research on Women"s Health (ORWH) invite research grant applications (R01) and exploratory/developmental grants (R21) from interested investigators for tightly focused innovative research studies related to all aspects of pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to relationships between FMS and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Improved understanding of the origins and the biological, neurological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying the clinical manifestations of fibromyalgia syndrome will have an impact on the development of more effective diagnostic tests and new therapies for both FMS and related disorders.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) encourage investigator-initiated research grant applications to study the pathogenesis and therapy of the various forms of muscular dystrophy in children and adults. Responses to this program announcement may include studies in appropriate animal models or preclinical or clinical studies in patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSH), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), myotonic dystrophy, congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD), Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EMD), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), or other forms of muscular dystrophy.

This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits grant applications to develop and implement a procedure for collection of Central Nervous System (CNS) tissues from HIV infected patients through a standardized autopsy protocol. Applications responding to this RFA must describe a process for recruitment and selection of HIV-infected individuals into a protocol that will include regular assessments of neurological status, assessment of drug use history with verification by objective measures when possible, regular blood and CSF collection for virological and serological studies, and implementation of the necessary events culminating in the collection of CNS tissue at autopsy. Of particular interest to NIDA is documentation of drug use history and verification by objective measures when possible. A standardized autopsy protocol, developed during several workgroups with participation of contributing Institute Program staff and extramural researchers, has been recommended, and applicants should use this protocol in their research design.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to investigating the efficacy of acupuncture for treating or preventing disease and accompanying symptoms by supporting well-designed, well-executed, randomized clinical trials (RCT). Before proceeding to a full-scale RCT, pilot clinical studies are often required. In the present program announcement (PA), the NIH announces its interest in supporting pilot studies to establish the methodological feasibility and strengthen the scientific rationale for proceeding to full-scale RCTs on the use of acupuncture to prevent, manage, or treat various symptoms/disorders. The emphasis of these pilot trials should be placed on the development of appropriate study design rather than on attempts to complete an insufficiently powered RCT. For the purposes of this PA, trials of acupuncture incorporating moxibustion or herbal medicine will not be considered. Under this PA, applications will be accepted on a single application receipt date and reviewed by a Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) administered through the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are interested in facilitating investigator-initiated research designed to deal with symptoms associated with chronic neurological conditions including stroke, epilepsy, brain and spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson"s disease. The overall goals are to manage symptoms effectively, to prevent secondary effects of the condition when possible, to maximize the health potential, and to improve the health-related quality of life for patients, caregivers, and families.