Fellowships, Grants, & Awards.

Pathogen Countermeasures

Proposals for research on revolutionary pathogen and chemical countermeasures and advanced medical diagnostics are sought by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and are due 31 August 2000. Proposals may seek up to three years of funding. Teaming and integration of efforts are strongly encouraged.

Areas of interest include 1) strategies to defeat the ability of many different agents to enter the body, traverse the bloodstream or lymphatics, or enter target tissues; 2) identification of novel vulnerabilities common to many agents based on fundamental critical molecular mechanisms of agent survival or pathogenesis; 3) unique, robust vehicles for the delivery of pathogen and chemical agent countermeasures into or within the body; 4) modulation, including neuromodulation, of advantageous or deleterious aspects of the immune response to significant pathogenic micro-organisms or their pathogenic products; 5) decontamination of military personnel, materiel, and buildings; and 6) advanced medical diagnostics, such as detection of biomarkers that indicate exposure or infection, multiagent diagnostics that simultaneously identify a broad range of pathogens or their products in clinical samples or in the body, identification strategies covering known, unknown, and bioengineered pathogens, continuous monitoring systems for immediate recognition of infection in the body, and wearable diagnostics for noninvasive, broad-spectrum detection of infection in the body. DARPA is not interested in protective measures that work against only single biological threats or single pathogenic products.

Contact: Tom Baranoski, Commanding Officer, Attn: BAA 00-33/Code 544TB, SPAWARSTSCEN Charleston, 1 Innovation Drive, Hanahan, SC 29406-4200 USA, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail], Internet: http:// www.darpa.mil/DSO/. Reference: BAA 00-33

Health Care

Concept papers and initial project descriptions under the Local Initiative Funding Partners Program should be submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation by 1 August 2000. This program provides matching grants to enable grant-making organizations to sponsor innovative community-based projects in the areas of ensuring access to basic health care for all Americans, improving care and services for people with chronic conditions, and reducing the harm caused by alcohol, illegal drugs, and tobacco.

Eligible applicants include local charitable organizations, foundations, corporations, religious groups, special fund-raising entities, and individual benefactors. Full proposals, selectively invited from those who submit concept papers, will be due 5 December 2000.

Contact: Orrin T. Hardgrove, LIFPP, Health Research and Education Trust of New Jersey, 760 Alexander Road, PO Box 1, Princeton, NJ 08543-0001 USA, 609-275-4128, e-mail: thardgro@ njha.com, Internet: http://www.rwjf.org/

Planning Grants for In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers

The Biomedical Imaging Program of the National Cancer Institute invites applications for P20 planning grants that lead to the establishment of In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Centers (ICMICs). There are institutions that have most of the separate scientific components necessary for productive interaction but have no track record of performing multidisciplinary scientific research. These grants provide time and funds to accomplish two phases of activity. Phase I will be designed for the formal establishment of an organizational and operational structure of the pre-ICMIC. Phase II will provide the time and funds for the initiation of multidisciplinary development projects, and for these newly formed groups to complete recruitment efforts to bring in critical expertise.

This is a one-time solicitation. The NCI anticipates making approximately six three-year awards and plans to set aside $2.4 million for the initial year's funding. Annual budgets of $400,000 are suggested; applications exceeding $500,000 total cost limit will be considered unresponsive to the request and will be returned without further consideration. Funding in response to this request is dependent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Pre-ICMICs will provide institutions with the resources to set in place all of the components that would make them eventually competitive for a P50 ICMIC grant. The success of a pre-ICMIC will be determined by the quality and dedication of the investigators involved in the project. A director must be selected, as well as a multidisciplinary leadership team of investigators who are committed to the success of the pre-ICMIC. Final applications must be received by 18 August 2000. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/ grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-01-010.html.

Contact: Anne E. Menkens, Biomedical Imaging Program, NCI, Executive Plaza North, Suite 800, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-496-9531, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]

Molecular Epidemiology of Prostate Carcinogenesis

The National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the NIEHS invite investigator-initiated research grant applications of molecular epidemiologic studies for advancement in understanding prostate cancer development and progression. The purpose of this initiative is to stimulate development and application of biological markers of prostate cancer risk and tumor aggressiveness and for utilization in chemoprevention studies. Of special interest are studies of markers to elucidate multiethnic differences in prostate cancer susceptibility. Transitional molecular epidemiology studies characterizing and validating biomarkers while determining optimal biological specimens and the most suitable procedures for collection, processing, and storage are encouraged.

Topics of interest to the NCI include 1) etiology and tumor progression, including differences in genetic predisposition due to variations in susceptibility and low-penetrance genes, DNA repair activities, cell cycle progression, or chromosome sensitivity to mutagens or in hormonal metabolism; gene--environment interactions for understanding modification of prostate cancer risk and influence on tumor progression; suspected premalignant processes as independent or joint risk factors that contribute to the transition from latent to invasive cancer; and biologic characteristics in precancerous lesions and tumors that can better define the natural history of prostate cancer and predict prognosis; 2) biomarkers, including assessment and validation of genetic and epigenetic markers that predict tumor progression from localized to disseminated prostate cancer; validation of existing biomarkers of risk in human populations with simultaneous consideration of biological variables and lifestyle risk factors; identification, assessment, and validation of novel biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis, including comparison with current indicators such as PSA; development and clinical validation of new biological markers associated with prostate cancer biology with determination of their role in responses to specific forms of systemic therapy; and development and validation of surrogate markers that can serve as intermediate end points for intervention or clinical trials testing preventive modalities; 3) diet and lifestyle factors; pilot intervention studies of dietary nutrients; role of lifestyle factors, occupational and environmental exposures, sexual behavior, and anthropometry; and effect of dietary intake singly and jointly or interacting with endogenous parameters; and 4) primary prevention.

Topics of interest to the NIDDK include identification of risk factors associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia or chronic prostatitis and clarification of their possible relationships to the development of prostate cancer.

Topics of interest to the NIEHS include 1) elucidation of the role of environmental response genes in the development of prostate cancer; 2) enhanced understanding of the impact of occupational and environmental exposures on the risk of prostate cancer; and 3) exploration and elucidation of the role of timing of environmental exposures during critical periods of normal prostate gland development relevant to future risk of carcinogenesis, and mechanisms by which environmental exposures acting as initiating or promoting agents at various time periods affect the risk and latency of prostate cancer.

This program announcement will expire two years from the first receipt date. Because the nature and scope of the research proposed in response to this announcement may vary, it is anticipated that award size will also vary. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ guide/pa-files/PA-00-080.html.

Contact: Kumiko Iwamoto, NCI, Executive Plaza North, Suite 535, Bethesda, MD 20892-7395 USA, 301-435-4911, fax: [phone], e-mail: ki6n@ nih.gov; Leroy Nyberg, NIDDK, Natcher Building, Room 6AS-13G, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-594-7717, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; or Gwen W. Collman, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-4980, fax: [phone], e-mail: collman@ niehs.nih.gov. Reference: PA No. PA-00-080

Planning Grants for Biomedical Epidemiologic and Intervention Studies

The National Institute on Aging and the NIEHS will provide grant support for planning and protocol development of biomedical epidemiologic and intervention studies in research areas supported by the Geriatrics Program.

Applications may be submitted by foreign and domestic for-profit and nonprofit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government, and eligible agencies of the federal government. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators.

The mechanism of support will be the NIA Planning Grant (R21), which will provide up to $150,000 in direct costs for one year. The award cannot be renewed. Applicants should note that NIA or NIEHS funding of a planning grant does not imply a commitment by NIA or NIEHS to fund the proposed full-scale study, nor even to accept a subsequent application for such a study.

Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/ PA-99-145.html.

Contact: Evan C. Hadley, Associate Director, Geriatrics, NIA, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 3E327, MSC 9205, Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 USA, fax: [phone], e-mail: hadleye@exmur. nia.nih.gov; or Gwen W. Collman, Program Administrator, Environmental and Molecular Epidemiology, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-4980, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PA-99-145

Cancer Education

Grants are available from the National Cancer Institute to support the development and implementation of curriculum-dependent programs to train predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates in cancer research settings that are highly interdisciplinary and collaborative.

This program is particularly applicable to cancer prevention and control, epidemiology, nutrition, and the behavioral and population sciences. However, it should also be considered by other highly interdisciplinary areas of research (such as imaging and molecular diagnosis) that will require sustained leadership, dedicated faculty time, specialized curriculum development, interdisciplinary research environments, and more than one mentor per program participant to achieve their education and research career development objectives. Application deadlines include June 1, October 1, and February 1. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/ grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-00-064.html.

Contact: Lisa Begg, Cancer Training Branch, NCI, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 7011, MSC 8346, Bethesda, MD 20892-8346 USA, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PAR-00-064

Innovative Grants on Immune Tolerance

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases invite applications for exploratory/developmental research project grants to support novel work on the molecular mechanisms and applications of antigen-specific immune tolerance, which is the selective and long-term inactivation of immune responses. The projects should involve a high degree of innovation and have a clearly articulated potential to improve understanding of immune tolerance. Investigators new to immune tolerance are particularly encouraged to develop projects in this area.

Research projects will be supported by the exploratory/developmental research grant mechanism, which provides the resources to carry out preliminary feasibility tests for new research hypotheses. Letters of intent are requested by 1 August 2000 for applications that are due 14 September 2000.

The goal of this initiative is to support truly innovative projects on immune tolerance and to encourage investigators working in other areas of research to bring novel perspectives and expertise to this field. High-risk, high-impact projects that have the potential to significantly increase our understanding of the mechanisms that induce long-lived, antigen-specific immune tolerance for application to human disease are sought. Studies relevant to the etiology and/or treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus are of particular interest to the NIDDK. Studies on HIV/AIDS are excluded from this program. Within a two- or three-year funding period, it is expected that successful projects will yield sufficient data to support a well-planned and rigorous future grant application to continue the work by competing within the general pool of unsolicited applications.

Highly innovative short-term pilot projects to evaluate new but as yet speculative concepts in immune tolerance may include, but are not limited to, research in the following areas: 1) the mechanistic basis for differences in tolerance induced by systemic versus mucosal routes, 2) identification and characterization of promising new T or B cell molecular targets for tolerance induction, 3) the parameters of tolerance induction to nonpeptide self antigens, alloantigens, or allergens, 4) the molecular events responsible for the loss of tolerance to self antigens, 5) methods to extend the duration of antigen-specific tolerance, 6) novel technologies to identify and quantitate tolerant T or B cells, 7) development or application of cell and tissue engineering methods m predictably induce tolerance rather than immunity, 8) characterization of novel antigen-specific immunosuppressive cell types, 9) identification of mechanisms by which currently known tolerogenic biological or pharmaceutical agents induce and maintain immune tolerance, 10) development of simple and reliable assays for the identification of tolerant states in humans, and 11) development of "vaccine" strategies to induce antigenspecific tolerance to disease-related autoantigens or allergens. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/ RFA-AI-00-006.html.

Contact: Helen Quill, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation, NIAID, 6700-B Rockledge Drive, Room 5140, Bethesda, MD 20892-7640 USA, 301-496-7551, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; or Barbara Linder, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, NIDDK, Building 45, Room 5AN18A, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-594-0021, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: RFA AI-00-006

Beryllium-Induced Disease

The goal of this proposed research initiative is to encourage and support studies that will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of chronic beryllium disease (CBD). The participating institutes and agencies are interested in supporting research in (but not limited to) the following areas: 1) the genetic basis of beryllium sensitivity and development of CBD, 2) inflammation and granuloma formation, 3) development of in vitro and in vivo models of beryllium sensitivity, 4) biomarkers of beryllium sensitivity and progression of CBD, and 5) methods of prevention.

Applicants must use Application Form PHS 398, which has annual due dates of February 1, June 1, and October 1. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/ pa-files/PA-99-075.html.

Contact: George Malindzak, Organs and Systems Toxicology Branch, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, MD EC-23, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-3289, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; Robert Musson, Division of Lung Biology and Disease Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 10108, MSC 7952, Bethesda, MD 20892-7952 USA, 301-435-0222, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; Roy M. Fleming, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Building 1, Room 3053, MS-D30, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA, 404-639-3343, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; or Paul J. Seligman, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Health Studies, Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874 USA, 301-903-5926, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PA-99-075

Traditional, Indigenous Systems of Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is seeking developmental studies to establish the methodological feasibility and strengthen the scientific rationale for proceeding to full-scale clinical trials on the use of traditional, indigenous systems of medicine as practiced in the United States.

Potential studies might include 1) quantitative research (case studies, interviews) to describe diagnostic and treatment approaches and explore patient and health care provider preferences and beliefs; 2) diagnoses, including comparisons with those of other traditional indigenous systems of medicine as well as with conventional biomedicine; 3) studies to refine the intervention strategy; 4) studies to refine the control strategy, including comparisons of different types of controls and validation of blinding procedures; 5) studies to refine the target population and develop adequate recruitment procedures; 6) studies to develop realistic protocols; 7) studies to establish the clinical usefulness of commonly used assessment procedures, especially quality-of-life measures, as well as psychosocial, functional, and physiological measures; and 8) collection of preliminary data for establishing measures of efficacy and safety for subsequent sample size calculations.

Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/ pa-files/PA-00-041.html.

Contact: Marguerite Evans, NCCAM, Building 31, Room 5B58, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-402-5860, fax: [phone], e-mail: mel60@ nih.gov. Reference: PA Number PA-00-041

Head, Knockout Mouse Core Facility, NIEHS

The NIEHS, located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is recruiting to fill a managerial position for the Division of Intramural Research Transgenic Knockout Core Facility Head as a staff scientist. The candidate is expected to have expertise in mouse molecular genetics or a related discipline. The successful applicant will serve as a research scientist in the Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology generating mutant mice via embryonic stem cell technologies. Additional duties will include planning and providing scientific oversight in the conduct of targeting vector designing and serving as a resource of expertise regarding mouse genetics and embryology.

Minimum qualifications include a Ph.D., D.V.M., or M.D. in mouse molecular genetics or equivalent. Priority will be given to individuals with more than five years of postdoctoral experience in mouse molecular genetics or a directly related field. Experience in the design of targeting vectors, screening of embryonic stem cells, and mouse colony husbandry is essential. For additional information concerning this position, contact Dr. Yuji Mishina at [e-mail] or fax [phone].

Applications from women and minority groups are particularly encouraged. The NIEHS/NIH is an equal opportunity employer. The initial appointment is for five years and is renewable every five years indefinitely. Salary will be commensurate with background. Interested parties should submit a curriculum vitae, bibliography, and brief statement of research interests, and arrange for the submission of three letters of recommendation to be sent by 31 July 2000.

Contact: Phil Hanson, NIEHS Human Resource Management Branch, PO Box 12233, MD EC-11, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-7811. Reference: HNV 00-14

Postdoctoral Research Opportunities at the NIEHS

Listed below are opportunities to conduct research with NIEHS scientists in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Applicants must not possess more than five years of postdoctoral experience. To apply, submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, bibliography, and names of three references to the hiring scientist at the corresponding laboratory and mail drop in care of NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA. The cover letter should include the position title and HNV number. These vacancies are also available on the NIEHS World Wide Web site (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/vacancy/postdoc.htm).

Minorities, women, and handicapped individuals are encouraged to apply. All applicants receive consideration without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, physical or mental handicap, political affiliation, age (with statutory exceptions), or any other nonmerit factor. Positions are open until filled.

Molecular Neurobiology (HNV 98-29)

The signal transduction pathways regulating expression of neuropeptide and cytokine genes in neural and glial systems are being investigated through studies on the effects of neuropeptides on the biosynthesis and release of cytokines in microglial cells and potential roles of cytokines in neurodegeneration. Applicants should have experience in neuropharmacology, neurochemistry, or molecular biology.

Contact: Jau-Shyong Hong, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Chemistry, MD F1-01, 919