Funding News - Emerging Technologies to Study Reproductive Neuroendocrinology Sought

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) encourage grant applications for emerging technologies to study nervous system control of reproduction.*

The purpose of this program announcement is to stimulate the development of new technologies and the application of existing innovative technologies to answer questions regarding the neuroendocrine control of reproduction that previously could not be answered due to limitations in technology.

The NINDS is particularly interested in the application of innovative technologies to study neural control of reproductive function in clinical populations and animal models of neurological disorders where reproductive function is compromised. Other areas of research interest include: non-invasive, high-resolution brain imaging techniques to assess in vivo changes in hypothalamic reproductive function; electrophysiological, cell imaging, and molecular techniques for the in situ assessment of the activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and of other neurons involved in the control of GnRH neuronal function; laser capture microdissection approaches coupled to gene profiling technology to define the existence of cell-specific changes in gene expression in phenotypically identified cells within the neuroendocrine brain and pituitary gland; genomic and genetic approaches to identify novel genes and gene networks involved in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction; and nanotechnology to identify the sub-cellular mechanisms underlying the transsynaptic and glial control of GnRH neuronal function.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. Emmeline Edwards, Program Director, Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2109, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: 301-496-9964; fax: 301-402-2060; e-mail: ee48r@nih.gov.

*For a more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-079.html.