Fellowships, Grants, & Awards.

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.

Examples of 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.

Examples of 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.

Examples of 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. Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated in the application kit. Application kits are available by calling 301-435-0714, e-mailing [e-mail], or on the Internet at http:// grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

Contact: Kumiko Iwamoto, NCI, Executive Plaza North, Suite 535, Bethesda, MD 20892-7395 USA, 301-435-4911, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; 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: [e-mail]. 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.

Applications should be submitted on Application Form PHS 398. Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, NIH, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910 USA, by calling 301-435-0714, or by e-mailing grantsinfo@ nih.gov. Applications are also available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

Contact: Evan C. Hadley, Associate Director, Geriatrics, NIA, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 3E327, MSC 9205, Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 USA, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]; 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. Applicants must use Application Form PHS 398. Application kits are available by calling 301-437-0714, by e-mailing [e-mail], or on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ forms.htm.

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 to 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 antigen-specific tolerance to disease-related autoantigens or allergens.

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 betyllium sensitivity, 4) biomarkers of betyllium 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. Application kits are available by calling 301-437-0714, e-mailing [e-mail], or on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

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

Exploratory Grants for Genomic Imprinting and Environmental Disease Susceptibility

The NIEHS invites research grant applications from interested investigators to conduct timely, innovative, and mechanistic research on the importance of genomic imprinting in determining susceptibility to environmentally induced diseases through a program of exploratory investigator-initiated R21 grants.

The exploratory/developmental (R21) grant mechanism is used for pilot projects or feasibility studies to support creative, novel, high risk/high pay-off research that may produce innovative advances in science. This announcement is to encourage applications from individuals who are interested in testing novel or conceptually creative ideas to understand the potential role that environmental agents play in causing epigenetic changes in the DNA that can alter imprint gene expression, thereby resulting in a multitude of genetic diseases including cancer and neurobehavioral disorders. The final receipt date will be 1 October 2002.

Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and nonprofit organizations such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government, and eligible agencies of the federal government. Applications may be from a single institution or may include arrangements with one or more institutions (e.g., consortia, if appropriate). Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal investigators.

Applicants will be responsible for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed project. Applicants may request up to $100,000 per year in direct costs. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this announcement may not exceed two years. These grants are nonrenewable, and continuation of projects developed under this program will be through the traditional unsolicited investigator-initiated grant program. Amended applications will be accepted. Application kits may be obtained from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, NIH, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910 USA, 301-435-0714, e-mail: [e-mail]. Inquiries concerning this announcement are strongly encouraged.

Contact: Jose M. Velazquez, Scientific Program Administrator, Chemical Exposures and Molecular Biology Branch, Office of Program Development, Division of Extramural Research and Training, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, MD EC-21, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-4998, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PA-00-034

Indigenous Systems of Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) 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.

Contact: Marguerite Evans, NCCAM, Building 31, Room 5B58, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-402-5860, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]

Senior Scientist Awards

Applications for Senior Scientist Awards are invited by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Mental Health. These awards provide salary support for up to five years as a means of enhancing the recipients' skills and dedication to their area of research.

Candidates must be senior scientists and recognized leaders in their fields with a record of original contributions. They should also have grant support at the time of the award. Scientists whose work is primarily theoretical may also apply.

Applicants must use Application Form PHS 398, which has annual due dates of February 1, June 1, and October 1. Application kits are available by calling 301-435-0714, e-mailing [e-mail], or on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

Contact: 1) at NIAAA: Ernestine Vanderveen, Division of Basic Research, 301-443-2531, e-mail: [e-mail]; Harold Perl, Division of Clinical and Prevention Research, 301-443-0788, e-mail: [e-mail]; or Darryl Bertolucci, Division of Biometry and Epidemiology, 301-443-4898, e-mail: [e-mail]; 2) at NCI: Lester Gorelic, 301-496-8580, e-mail: [e-mail]; or Andrew Vargosko, e-mail: [e-mail]; 3) at NCCAM: Neal West, 301-402-5867, e-mail: [e-mail]; 4) at NIDA: Andrea Baruchin, Office of Science Policy and Communications, 301-773-6071, e-mail: [e-mail]; Charles Sharp, Division of Basic Research, 301-443-1887, e-mail: [e-mail]; Arthur Horton, Division of Clinical Research, 301-443-4060, e-mail: [e-mail]; Ann Blanken, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, 301-443-6543, e-mail: [e-mail]; or Jamie Biswas, Medications Development Division, 301-443-5280, e-mail: [e-mail]; or 5) at NIMH: Henry Khachaturian, Office of Science Policy and Program Planning, 301-443-4335, e-mail: [e-mail]; Walter Goldschmidts, Division of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Research, 301-443-3563, e-mail: [e-mail]; Della Hann, Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research, and AIDS, 301-443-9700, e-mail: [e-mail]; or Enid Light, Division of Services and Intervention Research, 301-443-1185, e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: PA No. PA-00-021