Extramural Policy and Review Activities

Receipt, Referral, and Review

NIDA received 956 applications, including both primary and dual assignments, for which the Office of Extramural Affairs (OEA) managed the programmatic referral process during this Council cycle. Of these, NIDA received the primary assignment on 736 applications.

OEA arranged and managed 19 grant review meetings in which 240 applications were evaluated. OEA's reviews included applications in chartered, standing review committees and Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs). In addition, OEA's Contracts Review Branch (CRB) arranged and managed 4 contract proposal and contract proposal concept reviews.

NIDA's chartered committees consist of NIDA-E (Treatment Review Committee), NIDA-F (Health Services Review Committee), NIDA-L (Medications Development Committee), and NIDA-K (Training Committee). In addition to meetings of each of these committees, OEA staff held 14 Special Emphasis Panels for a variety of reasons:

Conflicts with the chartered committees
Center Grant Applications
Program Project Grant applications
Behavioral Science Track Award for Rapid Transition (B/START)
Imaging Science Track Awards for Research Transition (I/START)
Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21)
Conference Grants (R13)
NIH Pathway To Independence (PI) Awards (K99/R00)
Minority Institutions' Drug Abuse Research Development Program (MIDARP)

Completed Contract Reviews from the Contracts Review Branch since the last Council are as follows:

Concept Review

• N01DA-8-7766: Synthetic Peptides & Other Drugs of Abuse - Purity Determination, Stability Testing & Quantitative Analysis

Phase I SBIR Contract Reviews

• N43DA-8-5539: Topic 096 - Tools to Measure Intervention Costs, Cost Effectiveness, and Net Economic Benefits
• N43DA-8-8874: Topic 091 - Design and Synthesis of Treatment Agents for Drug Abuse

Phase II SBIR Contract Reviews

• N44DA-8-4404: Rehabilitation for Methamphetamine Induced Impulsivity

CTN-Related Review Activities

The Data and Safety Monitoring Board(s) met:

September 17, 2007 via web conference to review and discuss the progress of study protocol CTN 0029, A Pilot Study of Osmotic-Release Methylphenidate (OROS MPH) in Initiating and Maintaining Abstinence in Smokers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

October 19, 2007 via web conference to review a proposed ancillary study titled, "An Evaluation of Neurocognitive Function, Oxidative Damage, and their Association with Treatment Outcomes in Methamphetamine and Cocaine Abusers."

November 16, 2007 to review and discuss the progress of study protocol CTN 0028, Randomized Controlled Trial of Osmotic-Release Methylphenidate (OROS MPH) for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders (SUD).

November 19, 2007 to re-review the proposed study protocol CTN 0032, HIV Rapid Testing and Counseling in Drug Abuse Treatment Programs in the U.S.

November 29, 2007 to review and discuss the progress of study protocol CTN 0030, Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study (POATS).

December 18, 2007 to review and discuss the progress of study protocol CTN 0027, Starting Treatment with Agonist Replacement Therapies (START).

Certificates of Confidentiality

Between August 1 and December 13, 2007, OEA processed 112 Certificate applications, including 25 for extension of expiration dates and 4 for amended protocols.

Staff Training and Development

The OEA Symposium Series, a forum for staff training and sharing of ideas and information, continued through the Fall. Activities included open forums for discussions and presentations that included NIDA's use of the cooperative agreement mechanism with presentations by Drs. Redonna Chandler, Bennett Fletcher, Kevin Conway, Christine Colvis and Dick Hawks.