Grant Information
The Research Grant Cycle
Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD Research Chairman
Research funding has not only become an AAOA Foundation priority, but due to investment management and generous donations, the organization has developed significant funds that can be committed to research. My priority has been to develop a standardized approach to research funding that allows for a wide range of applicants, supports the AAOA/F goals, and is accountable to the Board and the membership. To this end, a standard AAOA Foundation Research Funding Application has been developed. Grant recipients have been made accountable for disbursed funds, and presentations are not being considered for grants unless a completed manuscript is received.
The next step was to develop a repeating research cycle that will allow us to advertise for high quality applicants and will permit a seamless flow from the point where the Foundation determines research priorities to the finished report by the investigator. The following timeline has been developed for our annual cycles. We have expanded this cycle to include a second review cycle to encourage more grant applications and to accommodate the resident training cycle. We are now accepting applications for the new June 30th review deadline.
Research Funding Cycle
COSM Foundation reviews research committee reports of progress made in funded studies, announces the studies funded for the present year (recipients were alerted Feb. 15th), and determines priority of research needs for the immediate and future cycles. When a study has concluded, plans for follow-on work and publication are presented.
July
Interest on AAOA Foundation research accounts is posted, allowing a decision on the amount of funding available for the next grant cycle.
August/September
Money available is placed according to the May Foundation/ Board priorities into grants available for competitive research applications. Interim 6 –month report from funded projects due to the research coordinator.
Annual Meeting
Request for applications (RFAs) are circulated at the meeting, in both AAOA Foundation and AAO-HNS literature. Progress of funded studies is reviewed. Presen-tations and publications of completed studies are announced.
December 31/June 30
Deadline for applications for the funding cycle.
Feburary 15/July 15
Grants awarded and recipients notified; annual reports from funded projects are due to the research chairman.
The AAOA Research Committee reviews grant applications twice a year. The grant deadlines are December 31st and June 30th.
Funding priority is given to:
Studies which are of clinical interest to the member-ship and utilize AAOA techniques.
Basic science and clinical pilot studies ($5000 or less) which can generate preliminary data to support applications to larger funding sources such as the AAO-HNS CORE research program or the NIH.
Larger funding requests will be considered at the discretion of the committee, however indirect costs and investigator salary support will not be provided.
All funded studies are expected to submit the results for consideration for presentation at the AAOA annual meeting and for publication in the journal of the AAOA–Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Membership in the AAOA is not required for consideration of research proposal, but is encouraged.
Residents are encouraged to apply for these grants. Potential project themes are listed. Since these are pilot programs, each protocol should include 20 subjects (10 subjects and 10 controls), be completed in 12 months, and will be eligible for up to $5,000 of funding. Studies which have controls, preferably double-blinded, will be given priority.
Potential Pilot Project Themes
I. Testing Techniques
IDT (intradermal dilutional titration)
IPDFT (intradermal progressive dilutional food test)
In vitro (RAST or ELISA)
Results from use of these techniques
Comparison with other techniques –ie, prick or multi-test prick
Technical details of sensitivity or specificity of techniques
Especially helpful would be comparison of our techniques with allergen challenges–intranasal, oral, intrapulmonary, conjunctival, etc.)
II. Incidence of Specific Allergies
(using AAOA Techniques)
Incidence of inhalant test positives in a geographic area or specific population.
Incidence of food test positives in an ethnic population.
Incidence of either positive inhalants or foods in specific ENT diseases. Asero R., Bottazzi G. (Annals Allergy Asthma Immunology 2001; 86:283-5) recently reported that over 23% of patients withpolyps had Candida allergy compared to < 1% of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Studies such as this using intradermal dilutional techniques would be very straightforward in application (eg,non-polyp chronic rhinosinusitis, vs. polypoid rhinosinusitis, etc).
III. Use of Allergy in Disease Management
(especially double-blinded trials)
1. Does Allergy Management by Environmental Controls and Immunotherapy make a difference in:
Complications
Need for Surgery
Subsequent surgeries
2. Does Allergy Management by Environmental Controls and Immunotherapy make a difference in:
Sinus Cripples
Nasal Polyps
Chronic Otorrhea
External Otitis (esp. Rx with TOE fungal antigens)
Chronic Tonsillitis
Chronic Laryngitis
IV. Specific Therapeutic Interventions
(especially double-blinded trials)
Histamine for headache, vertigo, polyps, or other uses.
Immunotherapy for specific diseases (rhinosinusitis, serous otitis, chronic laryngitis, Meniere’s disease, etc.
Food Diets for specific diseases (GERD, postnasal drip, migraine, urticaria, eczema, asthma, etc).
Food Immunotherapy, with or without food diets.
Heparin or low mol. wt. Heparin animal study comparing efficacy of both forms. Topical for chronic external otitis IV for acute allergy emergency Anaphylaxis Asthma Urticaria
Flu vaccine as a generic treatment for viral URIs or herpes simplex.
Combined use of Immunotherapy with a leukotriene modifier versus single therapy with either, for nasal obstruction or polyps, or for urticaria.
Combined use of Immunotherapy with an intranasal steroid spray versus single therapy with either, for nasal obstruction or polyps.
Call 202-955-5010 or email info@aaoaf.org for more information on the AAOA/F.
