Grants>Animal Models

ISCTR-American College of Cardiology Foundation Cardiovascular Translational Research Scholarship

sponsored by Dignity Health, St. John's Hospital

The purpose of the program is to recognize and provide financial support for research efforts by outstanding cardiovascular scholars. This scholarship is to encourage junior faculty in the early phases of their careers in the field of cardiology. The program is intended for a physician with a strong interest in developing a career in cardiovascular translational research.

One year of previous interventional cardiology training is required. The duration of the program is one year. The awardee will develop skills and expertise in translating basic biological and device concepts into clinical application.

Goal: The overall goal of the program is to provide the clinical scientist (a physician) with the necessary scientific background that does not exist in today's curriculum. The program will enable the awardee to expedite scientific discovery to clinical application, ultimately benefitting the patient and society by providing science earlier and decreasing the developmental costs related to new devices and/or novel biologic therapies.

The program will cover the topics of:

• Basic science

• Preclinical science

• Clinical science and trial design

• Regulatory pathways (FDA) for IND (investigational new drug application) and IDE (investigational new device exemption)

The emphasis will be on biologics (stem cell therapy and genomics) and cardiovascular device development.

Objectives: The fellow will:

• Develop the skills and knowledge to take a scientific concept to the bedside

• Gain substantial knowledge about the steps in cardiovascular translational research

• Understand product development related to devices or biologics 

• Learn about toxicology studies required on small and large animal models that serve for IND or IDE application 

• Understand the statistical design and analysis required for toxicology studies, and phase I, II, and III clinical trials 

• Learn about the regulatory pathways for and how to prepare an IND (Investigational Drug Application) and an IDE (Investigational Device Exemption)

• Understand fundraising, NIH grant application process, opportunities in the venture capital arena, and developing and maintaining relationships with industry

Eligibility: Applicants eligible for the award are those who:

• Have completed one year of previous interventional cardiology. 

• Are members or are eligible to become a member of the ACC and ISCTR

• Will spend the duration of the Scholarship at an institution that has the ability to perform translational research (conducts both preclinical and clinical research) and can administer the curriculum found here:

http://www.cardiosource.org/~/media/Files/ACC/Membership/awards/ISCTR%20Curriculum.ashx

The Award: The award will offer $60,000 of salary support to begin July 1, 2014 and run through June 30, 2015.

Funding Source: The ACCF is grateful to Dignity Health St. John’s Hospital for their financial support for this award.

Nomination Procedure: Criteria for selection includes qualifications, background, interests, and commitment of the applicant.

How to Apply: The submission site for applications will open this summer. Please stay tuned for more information.

Deadline: September 23, 2013

For more information: Email Julia Berman or call 800-253-4636, ext. 6648.

Call for Nominations: Pan American Health Organization/Pan American Health and Education Foundation 2013 Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health

The call for nominations is now open for the 2013 PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health. The deadline to submit a nomination is June 14, 2013 at 5:00 pm ET (Washington, D.C., time).

Form of the Award

The award consists of a cash prize, certificate of honor, and a symbolic representation of the award.

If you have questions, contact awards@pahef.org.

This award honors Dr. Pedro N. Acha, long-time chief of the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) veterinary public health program, and recognizes his outstanding contributions to health in the Americas. It is intended to stimulate excellence in students who are pursuing careers in veterinary medicine or animal sciences in the region of the Americas, especially in Latin America and/or the Caribbean.

This award is one of the awards in the Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Program, a joint partnership of PAHO and the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF).

Qualifications

Deans or directors of schools of veterinary medicine and animal sciences in the Americas may nominate an undergraduate student who has prepared a research paper based on his or her undergraduate thesis within the veterinary public health field. The research paper should cover at least one of the following: zoonoses, food safety, animal health and production, development of biomedical models (animal research models or in vitro substitutes), food security and animal husbandry (zootechnics), and/or environmental health related to livestock production systems or other domesticated animals. The maximum number of nominations that will be accepted from any one school is three.

Both the research paper and the thesis must have been written within the previous three years of the nomination and a copy of the thesis must be included as part of the nomination package for the jury’s reference. It is encouraged, but not mandatory, for the research paper to be formatted per the guidelines of the Pan American Journal of Public Health.

The winning research paper will have the opportunity to be published in the Pan American Journal of Public Health.

The nomination package must be submitted online by the dean or director of the nominee’s veterinary medicine program. If the nominator is someone other than the student’s dean or director, the nomination cannot be considered compliant.

Staff members, consultants, and interns in active service of PAHO, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other United Nations agencies; current official representatives to PAHO's governing bodies (e.g., ministers of health); sitting members of the PAHEF board of directors; PAHEF staff, consultants, advisors, and interns; and members of the Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health jury are ineligible to receive the award.

Call for Applications: New Research Grants for Novel Approaches to Lupus

Grant Application Deadline: May 30, 2013

The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) invites applications for financial support for idea-driven, novel research projects relevant to basic, translational or clinical investigation in lupus. The Novel Research Grant program will run in parallel with the LRI’s global Distinguished Innovator Award program.

Research applications will be judged principally on novelty of the hypotheses, scientific quality, strength of approach, relevance to lupus, and likelihood of success. Creativity will be valued.  Rationale for the hypotheses proposed rather than amount of preliminary data will be emphasized.

Continuations of long-term research projects are not appropriate for this submission.

Projects on aspects of the disease that have been less extensively studied and applications from investigators in diverse disciplines, including those who may not have previously worked in lupus, are encouraged.

While the Institute encourages projects based on novel explorations of human lupus biology—innovative studies that use human material to address the physiological, cellular, molecular and/or genetic basis of human lupus—projects solely based on cellular, molecular, and/or animal models are also encouraged.

Both established and new investigators may apply. Applicants should hold advanced degrees and be affiliated with institutions of higher learning in the United States.  Grant application research plans are limited to six pages. Annual funding of up to $100,000 per year, beginning December 2013, for a term of up to three years, will be awarded for approved projects.

For additional information please contact Laura Hack, Grants Administrator
lhack@lupusny.org or 212.685.4118.

To submit an application, please visit proposalCentral at http://proposalcentral.altum.com/.

Application must be received by May 30, 2013

FacioScapuloHumeral Muscular Dystrophy Society Research Grants and Fellowships

The FSH Society offers basic research grants, research fellowships and postdoctoral fellowships to support research relevant to understanding the molecular genetics and cause of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD).

To obtain an application, please submit a letter of intent. The letter of intent should contain a single page introductory cover letter plus a one or two page descriptive summary of the proposed research – enough for a decision from the Scientific Advisory Board. A well conceived and tight rationale for a research project can easily lend itself to one page. The letter of intent may be submitted at any time to the FSH Society, attention: Dr. David Housman, Scientific Advisory Board Chairman.

Indirect costs are not included, but fringe benefits are considered part of personnel costs and are included.

Deadlines for receipt of grant, research fellowship and postdoctoral fellowship applications are February 28/29 and August 31 of each year.

Payment for each year of the award is made in two equal installments - the first on the activation date (or the anniversary thereof) and the second six months after the beginning of the award period (or the anniversary thereof). A five to ten page progress-to-date package will be sent by the grantee at the end of nine months to the SAB for review. The subsequent year(s) of funding will not be activated prior to a review of the nine-month progress report and an explanation of any changes that the work necessitates or changes in specific aims for the next year. The progress report is required at nine months after the start of each award year.

Propagatable reagents and biomaterials, including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant DNAs, cell lines, propagatable cells, and animal models created using FSH Society funds are to be made freely available to other investigators following publication of the relevant paper. The Society's position is that there be no restrictions or proprietary rights in materials produced with our support.

Grant Applications

Support will be given for research projects expected to contribute to identifying and understanding the basic defect in FSHD.  Areas of interest include tissue, cell and molecular biology studies of FSHD and the development of animal models for FSHD. Proposals are sought for research that involves isolation and characterization of the causative gene(s) and understanding of the genetic, neuromuscular and developmental mechanisms of the disease. Further, there is interest in the development of gene therapy and other therapeutic programs that may arise from that understanding.

The range of awards for regular research grants is typically between $30,000 and $45,000 per year. Grants are usually for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up to two years.

In addition to its regular grants, the Society offers a special Delta Railroad Construction Grant for innovative proposals accelerating the discovery of treatments and a cure for FSHD. A Delta Grant can be funded for one year for up to $40,000.

As the Society has limited funds, our grants are considered "seed money."  If the project shows promise, it is hoped that other institutions will fund it thereafter. Many FSH Society fellows and grantees have noted that these grants have enabled them to go on to receive larger grants from other institutions.

Generally,  awards do not include salaries of the principal investigator. Indirect costs are not included, but fringe benefits are considered part of personnel costs and can be included.

Grant applications should be completed and sent by e-mail to the FSH Society.

A reference sheet is enclosed with each grant application for use by three or more applicant-selected personnel acquainted with the applicant’s relevant experience.

If reprints are included in the application, please provide electronic copies.

Applications are reviewed by primary reviewers as well as by the FSH Society's Scientific Advisory Board. The Society will notify the applicant about the funding decision by letter only.

Senior Researcher Fellowship and Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications

Support will be given for research projects that contribute to identifying and understanding the basic defect of FSHD.

The range of awards for fellowships is typically between $30,000 and $50,000. Fellowships are usually for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up to three years.

Indirect costs are not included, but fringe benefits are considered part of personnel costs and can be included.

Fellowships may be renewed for second and third years, subject to satisfactory progress reports at nine months.

A reference sheet is enclosed with each fellowship application for use by three or more applicant-selected personnel acquainted with the applicant’s relevant experience.

Applications should include the applicant's curriculum vitae, plus that of the research sponsor, and send by email to the FSH Society. If reprints are included in the application, please include provide electronic copies.

The Society will notify the applicant about the funding decision by letter only.

FSH Society, Inc.
BBRI  R353
64 Grove Street
Watertown, MA  02472 USA

Telephone: (617) 658-7878, -7877 or (781) 275-7781

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM EST.  Voicemail messages may be left after hours.

Fax: (617) 658-7879 or (781) 275-7789

E-mail: info@fshsociety.org

International Rett Syndrome Foundation Basic Research Grant Program

IRSF announces the availability of Regular Research grants for international biomedical research to promote the understanding of MeCP2 in the pathogenesis of the neurobehavioral phenotype of Rett syndrome (RTT). We seek to gain a better understanding of the underlying pathology of the disorder leading to an amelioration of the symptoms and a cure for RTT. IRSF seeks to encourage research that encompasses innovative therapeutic approaches and state of the art diagnostic techniques.

IRSF encourages applications within the following emphasis areas:

Understanding the role of MeCP2 during normal brain development

Characterizing the role of MeCP2, including MeCP2 target genes, in normal structure and function of the developing and adult nervous system

Determination of the relationship between patterns of expression of MeCP2, FoxG1, CDKL5, and related proteins in the nervous system and the neurologic and behavioral phenotypes of patients with RTT and/or related animal models

The investigation of neuronal abnormalities that result from MeCP2 dysfunction

The role of microglial and macroglial cells in development as it relates to RTT

Understanding mechanisms and systems leading to aberrant behavior in RTT

The development of assistive technologies to improve the quality of life of individuals affected by RTT

Support for other advances in therapy such as physical therapy, communication and education

The two year Regular Research Grants are designed to assist investigators establish hypotheses relevant to Rett syndrome research and obtain future funding from other agencies. The maximum funding level for research grants is $100,000 over two years.

Frequency:

Awards will be made in one cycle in 2013

Timeline:

Letters of Intent due: July 1, 2013

Invitation of full applications by: July 19, 2013

Applications due: August 19, 2013

Please Note: IRSF requires all applicants to use our online submission process.

For application submission inquiries, please contact:

Janice Ascano, Ph.D. Manager of Grants and Research - jascano@rettsyndrome.org | 917-267-4504

For program related inquiries, please contact:

Steve Kaminsky, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer - skaminsky@rettsyndrome.org | 301-961-1559

American Academy of Implant Dentistry Research Foundation Research Grants Program

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry Research Foundation (AAIDRF) Research Grants Program is intended to provide limited support for meritorious dental implant research projects which include, but are not limited to, the following purposes:

• To conduct research which determines the feasibility of a larger research project. This may be described as the conduct of pilot studies of venture research.
• To develop and test new techniques and procedures.
• To carry out a small clinical or animal research project.
• To analyze existing data.

Eligibility

Investigators from any scientific discipline and at any stage of their career may apply for a grant. These awards are appropriate for new investigators and those changing areas of research or resuming research careers.

Terms and Conditions of the Award

The proposed project may be related to, but the aims must be distinctly different from, those of pending grant applications. The request may be used to supplement projects currently supported by Federal or non-Federal funds or to provide interim support for projects under review.

Applicants may request up to $25,000 (total costs) for the entire budget to fund the project for up to a two-year grant period. Successful applicants who require additional time to perform the proposed research may request extensions of the grant period without additional funds. This grant is not renewable; however, grantees under this program are encouraged to apply for a regular Research Project Grant to a Federal agency, e.g., the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Veterans Administration, or the Department of Defense, to maintain continuity in their studies.

The Foundation reserves first right of refusal on all papers resulting from the approved/funded project.

Applications received by August 1 will be considered for award announcement at the AAIDRF Annual Meeting. 

American Academy of Implant Dentistry
211 E. Chicago Avenue, Suite 750
Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
(312) 335-1550
(877) 335-AAID (2243)
Fax:  (312) 335-9090
info@aaid.com

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Target Validation Program Fall 2013 Review Cycle

Part of our annual Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research, the Target Validation program supports work seeking to determine if manipulating a novel biological target has impact in a Parkinson’s disease (PD)-relevant animal model—an essential early step to the development of potentially promising therapies.

Fall 2013 Review Cycle

Informational Conference Call*: March 27, 2013 at 12pm US ET
Pre-proposals Due: May 29, 2013 – 6pm US ET
Full Proposal Invitations: June 19, 2013
Full Proposals Due (by invite only): August 7, 2013 – 6pm US ET
Anticipated Award Announcement: October 2013
Anticipated Funding: November 2013

*MJFF will hold a 45-minute conference call on the dates and times listed above to clarify and explain the goals of this funding initiative and answer applicant questions. To participate in the call and receive call-in details, please RSVP via email to conferencecalls@michaeljfox.org.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Research into the etiology and pathophysiology of PD has identified an increasing number of genetic and cellular targets where therapeutic intervention could benefit people with PD., including:

Epidemiological studies that have identified both protective and risk factors for PD.

Genetic studies that have implicated candidate genes whose protein products may underlie PD pathogenesis.

Biochemical studies from cellular and whole organism model systems that point to biological pathways important in PD etiology and pathogenesis, as well as examination of cell death and trophic factor signaling pathways that have pointed to potential protective targets.

Emerging understanding of dopamine neuronal development and maintenance in adulthood that has provided potential targets to restore/protect dopaminergic function in PD patients.

Improved understanding of the neurochemistry and neurophysiology of the basal ganglia and related neuronal circuits that have suggested ways to alter neuronal function that could help treat motor and non-motor symptoms of PD not addressed by current therapeutics.

Better understanding of the physiological and molecular pathways underlying treatment-induced complications that have revealed potential targets for interventions to ameliorate these troubling side effects.

Although such discoveries provide great insight into the pathobiology of PD, translation into therapeutic interventions requires additional applied work. Target validation studies determine whether manipulating the availability or function of a biological target can beneficially impact a disease-relevant pathway. Such data, along with information about the target's location in relevant disease tissues and evidence supporting a link between the target and human PD, can all make a strong case for further therapeutic development.

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies, who are generally the best suited to carry promising therapies forward into the clinic, must carefully weigh the evidence and risk-benefit of a target before deploying significant resources. MJFF believes that promoting critical target validation studies within academic and industry laboratories can help ‘de-risk‘ these investments and ultimately accelerate the creation of improved therapies for people with PD.

PURPOSE
The Target Validation program supports work to determine whether manipulation of a defined biological target provides a disease-relevant beneficial outcome in a whole animal, mammalian model of PD. MJFF does not have any pre-conceived preferences for particular targets submitted to the Target Validation program. However, we recommend applicants consider the following:

The target should be clearly defined, such as a specific gene or structural/functional feature of a protein (e.g., its enzymatic activity, protein conformation or ability to interact with other proteins).

Applicants may propose a variety of methods to manipulate a target, including but not limited to use of pharmacological tools or biologic strategies (small molecules, antibodies, RNAi, viral vector-mediated gene delivery, etc.). Applicants may also propose use of previously established genetically engineered animal models (e.g., knockout or over-expression of the target gene of interest) assessed for PD-relevant features or sensitivity to PD-associated factors.

Proposals may include intermediate tests using in vitro, ex vivo and/or model organisms (e.g., Drosophila, C. elegans) to optimize the ideal target manipulation strategy, but must ultimately include within the grant funding period an evaluation of the target manipulation in a whole-animal mammalian model of PD.

Note: proposals focused on new target identification and proposals testing cellular transplantation approaches are not appropriate for the Target Validation program. Moreover, proposals seeking to generate new genetic (knockin, knockout, transgenic) models are generally not appropriate for this program given the lengthy time of animal model generation/characterization and the two-year timeframe of the funding program. Applicants seeking support for therapeutic development should submit to the Therapeutic Pipeline Program or contact MJFF research staff for guidance.

FUNDS AVAILABLE
The Target Validation program supports two-year grants up to $250,000 total costs inclusive of both direct and indirect costs. No more than 25% (Academic institutions) or 10% (for-profit organizations) of the direct costs may go to indirect costs.

Eligibility Requirements
Applications may be submitted by:

U.S. and non-U.S. biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies or other for-profit entities, either publicly or privately held,

U.S. and non-U.S. entities, public and private non-profit entities, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government.

Post-doctoral fellows are NOT eligible to apply as Principal Investigators to the Target Validation program.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Grand Central Station
P.O. Box 4777
New York, NY 10163-4777