Funding News - Applications on the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Human Genetics and Genomic Research (Educational Approaches) Sought

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) encourage grant applications for research on innovative educational approaches to increase knowledge and understanding of genetics and genomic research and its ethical, legal and social implications.

The NIH is currently engaged in a research effort called the Human Genome Project, which is designed to characterize the human genome and the genomes of selected model organisms. Knowing the entire sequence of the human genome and understanding more about genetic variation among individuals and groups will raise a number of ethical, legal, and social issues. Many of these issues may be of special concern to individuals from diverse communities who traditionally have not been involved in genetics and genomic research, or who may have been adversely affected in the past by certain types of research.

Examples of potential research include studies to: examine the issues surrounding the completion of the human DNA sequence and the study of human genetic variation; examine the issues raised by the integration of genetic technologies and information into health care and public health activities; examine issues raised by the integration of knowledge about genomics and gene-environment interactions into non-clinical settings; explore the ways in which new genetic knowledge may interact with a variety of philosophical, theological, and ethical perspectives; and explore how socioeconomic factors, gender, and concepts of race, ethnicity, and culture influence the use and interpretation of genetic information, the utilization of genetic services, and the development of policy.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. Robert Finkelstein, Program Director, Neurogenetics Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2136, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: (301) 402-1501; fax: (301) 496-5748; e-mail: rf45c@nih.gov.

For a more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the web site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-134.html.