Funding Opportunities
The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) encourages and supports research related to the causes, mechanisms, prevention, and treatment of all forms of dystonia, the third most common movement disorder. Through a peer-review process, all applications are reviewed and ranked by the DMRF’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council, who then make recommendations to the Board of the Directors for funding. Types of Awards Fellowships A two-year Fellowship is designed to assist post-doctoral fellows establish careers in research relevant to dystonia. The DMRF supports hypothesis-driven research at the genetic, molecular, cellular, systems, or behavioral levels that may lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of dystonia or to new therapies for dystonia. Funding for fellowships is $50,000 per year for two years. Research Grants Research grants are available in support of hypothesis-driven research at the genetic, molecular, cellular, systems, or behavioral levels that may directly or indirectly lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and to new therapies for any or all forms of dystonia. Although early-onset primary generalized dystonia is of special interest, we also support studies on the focal dystonias, including laryngeal dystonia/spasmodic dysphonia, as well as secondary dystonias. Funding for grants is available up to $65,000 per year for 1 or 2 years. The deadline for grant and fellowship applications is December 15, 2008. Applications and guidelines will be available September 15.
Dystonia Medical Research FoundationNational Headquarters One East Wacker Drive, Suite 2810 Chicago, Illinois 60601-1905 Phone: 312-755-0198 Toll free: 800-377-DYST (3978) In Canada: 800-361-8061 Fax: 312-803-0138 Email: dystonia@dystonia-foundation.org
The 2009 AFAR Research Grants The Program The major goal of this program is to assist in the development of the careers of junior investigators committed to pursuing careers in the field of aging research. AFAR supports research projects concerned with understanding the basic mechanisms of aging. Projects investigating age-related diseases are also supported, especially if approached from the point of view of how basic aging processes may lead to these outcomes. Projects concerning mechanisms underlying common geriatric functional disorders are also encouraged, as long as these include connections to fundamental problems in the biology of aging. Projects that deal strictly with clinical problems such as the diagnosis and treatment of disease, health outcomes, or the social context of aging are not eligible. Examples of promising areas of research include: Aging and immune function Genetic Control of longevity Neurobiology and neuropathology of aging* Invertebrate or vertebrate animal models Cardiovascular aging Aging and cellular stress resistance Metabolic and endocrine changes Age-related changes in cell proliferation Caloric restriction and aging DNA repair and control of gene expression Biology of the menopause Aging and apoptosis Biodemographic analysis of aging Comparative gerontology Evolutionary biological aspects of the biology of aging *Applicants proposing a project in Alzheimer's Disease research, should apply for the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Alzheimer's Disease. (This program is currently under review for renewal in 2009.) It is anticipated that approximately 15 grants of up to $75,000 each will be awarded in 2009. Applicants may propose to use the award over the course of one or two years as justified by the proposed research. Funds may not be requested for overhead or indirect costs. Funding will begin July 1, 2009. Recipients of this award are expected to attend the AFAR Grantee Conference. The purpose of the meeting is to promote scientific and personal exchanges among recent AFAR grantees and experts in aging research. Eligibility The applicant must be an independent investigator with assigned independent space and must be within the first four years of a junior faculty appointment (instructor, assistant professor or equivalent) by July 1, 2009. The AFAR Research Grant Program does not provide support for: Postdoctoral fellows in the laboratory of a senior investigator Investigators who have already received major extramural funding for research on aging (such as an R01 grant) Senior faculty, i.e. at the rank of Associate Professor level or higher Former AFAR Research Grant recipients NIH Intramural program employees Applicants for the 2009 Glenn/AFAR Breakthrough in Gerontology (BIG) award Application Guidelines
Four criteria are used to determine the merit of an application: Qualifications of the applicant; Quality of the proposed research; Excellence of the research environment; Likelihood that the project will advance the applicant's career in aging research. If you are using animals in your research, please review Principles of Animal Use for Gerontological Research. Application Procedures All candidates must submit applications endorsed by their institution (only not-for-profit settings in the United States.) The deadline for receipt of all applications and supporting materials is December 16, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Please refer to the AFAR instruction sheet and application for complete application procedures. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applications are reviewed in two stages: The initial screening takes place in mid-April, after which candidates are advised of the status of their applications via email. A final decision about grant awards is made in early June. The award start date is July 1, 2009. AFAR can provide critiques only for those applications that are reviewed, at the second stage, by their Review Committee. Reporting Requirements Investigators will be required to submit a brief narrative report on the progress of their research five months after the start date of the award. Final narrative and financial reports are required within three months following the end date of the award. American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) | 55 West 39th Street, 16th Floor | New York, NY 10018 Phone: (212) 703-9977 | Toll-free: (888) 582-2327 | Fax: (212) 997-0330 E-mail: grants@afar.org or info@afar.org
Visiting Scientist Award
The IARC is offering a Visiting Scientist Award for a qualified and experienced investigator with recent publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals who wishes to spend from six to twelve months at the IARC working on a collaborative project in a research area related to the Agency's programmes: epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental chemical carcinogenesis, cancer etiology and prevention, infection and cancer, molecular cell biology, molecular genetics, molecular pathology and mechanisms of carcinogenesis.Candidates are requested to contact the relevant Scientific Groups in order to set up a collaborative project. For details on scientific programmes and research groups please consult the IARC Web site: http://www.iarc.fr/en/Research-Groups/Clusters-Groups, or contact the IARC at the address below.Applicants must belong to the staff of a university or a research institution and should provide written assurance of a post to return to at the end of the period of award.Deadline for receipt of applications is: 30 November 2008Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of April 2009. There will be an annual remuneration of up to US$80,000-, which will take into account the on-going salary of the visiting scientist plus the cost of travel. The Award should be taken up no later than 30 November 2009.Fellowship application forms and more detailed information are available from:Fellowship ProgrammeINTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR RESEARCH ON CANCER (IARC)150 cours Albert-Thomas, 69008 Lyon, FranceTel: +33 (0)472 73 84 48; Fax: +33 (0)472 73 80 80; E-mail: vsa@iarc.fr
Within Our Reach Rheumatoid Arthritis Grants
Application Deadline The application deadline is December 1, 2008. Applicants are responsible for submitting all required documents prior to this deadline. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the REF office by e-mail or by phone at (404) 633-3777. For more information about this award, please contact the REF office by e-mail or by phone at (404) 633-3777.
American College of RheumatologyResearch and Education Foundation 1800 Century Place Suite 250 Atlanta, GA 30345
Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Program Announcement: Head And Neck Carcinogenesis Key Dates Release Date: July 1, 2008 Application Submission Date: Ongoing Peer Review Dates: Ongoing Earliest Anticipated Start Date: Ongoing Summary Fanconi anemia is a rare hereditary disease characterized by bone marrow failure, developmental anomalies, a high incidence of myelodysplasia (MDS) and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (AML), squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and cellular hypersensitivity to cross linking agents. The function of the proteins is largely unknown, but many of them form complexes with each other and in one canonical “pathway” seven or eight of the known Fanconi anemia (FA) proteins bind together in a nuclear complex, a complex apparently required for the monoubiquitination of two of the three proteins not found in the core complex, FANCD2 and FANCI. Once this occurs, FANCD2 and FANCI translocate to damage-induced nuclear foci containing BRCA1, BRCA2 and Rad51. The functions of FANCD2 and FANCI in these nuclear complexes are unclear. Although more than 90% of the research in this field focuses on mechanisms of genotoxicity, a goal of the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund is to encourage investigative approaches dealing with the tissuespecific issues of the FA phenotype. Some have argued that because hypersensitivity to genotoxic stress is a feature of all somatic cells in FA, tissue-specific outcomes (specific epithelial malignancies and bone marrow failure, for example) are less likely to be related simply to genetic instability than to other functions of the protein. In fact, multiple biochemical functions have been ascribed to some of the FA proteins and, in some cases, these functions are cytoplasmic and not nuclear. The role of the Fanconi anemia proteins in protecting normal individuals against sporadic head and neck cancers is entirely unknown. The natural course of the disease in FA patients is unique. The onset of head and neck cancers in patients with Fanconi anemia (age 18-40) is decades earlier than in non-FA patients with this type of cancer and, unlike non-FA patients, the majority of such patients are neither tobacco smokers nor alcohol drinkers. The management of FA patients with this malignancy is also challenging. For example, FA patients may experience potentially lethal toxic effects from radiation and chemotherapy doses conventionally prescribed to patients with head and neck cancers. Therefore, clinical management is limited to surgical approaches and less-than-fully tested pharmacologic modalities that do not lead to DNA damage. This funding opportunity will use the investigator-initiated award mechanism to support work focused on the molecular pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in patients with FA. We expect that the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application. We expect that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the number, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received. Eligible Applications The goal of this initiative is to foster studies on the molecular pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers in patients with Fanconi anemia. Applications focusing primarily on hematopoietic malignancies, bone marrow failure, developmental anomalies, endocrinopathies, or general functions of the FA proteins in DNA damage and repair responses will not be accepted for review under this RFA. Applications from the following will be considered: Eligible domestic and foreign institutions/organizations, including for-profit or nonprofit, public or private, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government. Eligible principal investigators include any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research. Applicants may submit only one application. Content and Form of Application Submission Applications must be prepared using the most current Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (Fund) research grant application instructions and forms.
Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, Inc. 1801 Willamette Street, Suite 200 Eugene, OR 97401 Telephone: 541-687-4658 Family Support Toll-Free Line (in United States): 1-888-FANCONI (888-326-2664) Fax: 541-687-0548 E-mail: info@fanconi.org
Jackson Gabriel Silver Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa CareerDevelopment AwardThis award is offered for the first time in 2009 and is funded by a generous gift from theGrossmann/Silver family. It is intended to assist an individual in the transition fromfellowship to established investigator. It provides career development support for ajunior investigator pursuing research that has significant potential to benefit the study andtreatment of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The ultimate goal of theproposed research is to provide new efficacious treatment modalities, and ultimately acure for the patients suffering from recessive dystrophic EB.The proposed research must relate to and benefit the study of recessive dystrophicepidermolysis bullosa. Research areas may include, but are not limited to moleculardiagnostics; skin repair and tissue regeneration; molecular therapies, including gene-,cell- and protein-based approaches; stem cell research; tissue engineering; and othernovel approachesApplicant Eligibility Requirements:• M.D.; M.D., Ph.D.; Ph.D.; or D.O. degree• Appropriate initial training in biomedical research (i.e., two to three-yearfellowship or postdoctoral training)• Junior faculty member in a department or division of dermatology or anotherprogram at the sponsoring institution that is approved by the dermatologychair, through an Assistant Professor level, at the time of funding• Junior investigator in the early stages of his/her career• Demonstrates a strong commitment to skin research• Strong institutional commitment for the individual’s career development• NOT a recipient of an NIH career development award
To meet the application deadline, can my application be postmarked by October 15th?No. To be considered for a 2009 research award, your complete research application must besent so that it is RECEIVED at the Foundation office on or before Wednesday, October 15,2008. Your application should be sent to the following address:Medical and Scientific CommitteeDermatology Foundation1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 870Evanston, IL 60201-4808
Science of Human Appearance Career Development AwardThis career development award (CDA) provides annual salary support for thecareer development of individuals who wish to understand the cell and molecularmechanisms of altered human appearance or of therapeutic interventions. This CDArecognizes the specialty’s sizeable increase in focus on human appearance and thepaucity of high quality research in the area. This award is intended to support researchaddressing human appearance issues caused by aging and/or environmental factors.Funding is available for research involving the cell and molecular mechanisms of humanappearance including those mechanisms involved in hyper or hypo-pigmentation, aging,photoaging, or dry skin NOT related to disease or congenital defects. Funding can also beused to study cell and molecular mechanisms involved in therapeutic interventions suchas non/minimally-invasive devices, peels, fillers, antioxidants, retinoids, and other topicaland systemic agents. Research focusing on skin cancer or actinic keratosis is not suitablefor this award category.The research proposal is expected to be hypothesis-driven. The successful applicant willlikely make cell and molecular or biophysical measurements on altered human skin inrelation to normal skin. This CDA will not support clinical trials. However, it willsupport mechanism of action research on devices and agents such as those mentionedabove.The applicant is required to spend sufficient time to carry the project to completion.The career plans, required in the research proposal, will detail the ways in whichthe applicant, aided by one or more mentors, will acquire expertise in the science ofhuman skin appearance. The applicant’s mentor and mentorship program are veryimportant selection criteria.Applicant Eligibility Requirements:• M.D.; M.D., Ph.D.; Ph.D.; or D.O. degree• Dermatologist applicant must have completed a U.S. dermatology residencyprogram• Ph.D. applicant must have completed at least 2 years post-doctoral training• M.D. applicant must have a strong laboratory collaborator. Ph.D. must have astrong connection with an M.D. conducting appearance work• Junior faculty member in a department or division of dermatology, throughAssistant Professor level, at the time of funding• High level of interest in the science of human skin appearance• Strong institutional commitment for the individual’s career development• NOT available to an individual receiving simultaneous salary support fromother granting agencies
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