Funding News - Applications for Mechanisms in Immunomodulation Trials Requested

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) invite grant applications for clinical trials of immunomodulatory interventions for immune system mediated diseases, and preventive and therapeutic vaccines for non-HIV/AIDS infectious diseases.*

The mechanisms underlying immunologic interventions are poorly understood even in cases where efficacy has been shown. In addition, clinical trials supported by industry and other sources, including NIH, often do not include studies of underlying mechanisms. High priority should be given to the inclusion of patients and the use of patient samples from clinical trials in immunologic diseases for studies of the basic underlying mechanisms of therapeutic effect, immunologic function, and disease pathogenesis.

Potential areas of research interest include: quantitation of disease-related, autoreactive, or alloreactive lymphocytes using methods such as MHC/peptide tetramers, chimeric antibodies, or very early activation antigens; assessment of reagents that can identify newly recognized populations of regulatory T cells which appear to be altered in autoimmune disease; identification and evaluation of cytokine and cytokine receptor polymorphisms and analysis for genetic linkage to disease; immune mechanisms of vaccines; use of high throughput technologies to identify and evaluate genes activated in disease sites; identification of useful surrogate markers by correlation of the above parameters with disease activity and/or response to intervention or vaccine; comparison of immune parameters from samples of peripheral blood with those from sites of disease; and assessment for the presence of molecular evidence of potential causative environmental agents.

APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: Applications will be accepted monthly on the 9th of each month. The last receipt date will be June 9, 2004.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. Ursula Utz, Program Director, Neural Environment Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2134, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: 301-496-1431; fax: 301-480-2424; e-mail: uu1p@nih.gov.

*For a more detailed description of this request for applications, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-04-001.html.