FYI from the NHLBI Index

September 2005: Vol. 6, Issue 2
Research and Resources

NHLBI Research Initiatives

• Anemia in the Elderly
• Biology of RNA Interference: Stability, Delivery, and Processing by Tissues
• Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network
• Directed Stem Cell Differentiation for Cell-Based Therapies for Heart, Lung, Blood, and Aging
• Hispanic Community Health Study - Field Centers and Coordinating Center
• Lung Response to Inhaled Highly Toxic Chemicals
• Muscular Dystrophy: Pathogenesis and Therapies
• Nutrition and Diet in the Causation, Prevention, and Management of Heart Failure
• Pediatric Heart Network
• Proteomic Studies of Platelet Functions
• Research on Sleep and Sleep Disorders
• Short-Term Training Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research

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NHLBI Research Initiatives

From time to time, the NHLBI invites investigators to submit grant applications or contract proposals for specific research programs. We are currently soliciting applications for the programs described below. Unless a due date is mentioned, applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year. For full details of these and other research initiatives, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/inits/index.htm or the Web page that is linked each initiative number.

Anemia in the Elderly

• Initiative Number: RFA AG-06-002
• Applications due: January 20, 2006
• Objective: To explore the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical aspects of anemia in the elderly.

Biology of RNA Interference: Stability, Delivery, and Processing by Tissues

• Initiative Number: RFA HL-05-019
• Applications due: January 18, 2006
• Objective: To increase the understanding of the biology of RNA Interference, an effective post-transcriptional strategy for silencing genes, in order to explore its therapeutic potential for a wide range of heart, lung, and blood diseases.

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network

• Initiative Number: RFA HL-06-001
• Applications due: March 10, 2006
• Objective: To promote the evaluation of new cell therapy treatment strategies for individuals with cardiovascular disease.

Directed Stem Cell Differentiation for Cell-Based Therapies for Heart, Lung, Blood and Aging Diseases

• Initiative Number: PA-05-043 and PA-05-044
• Objective: To develop methods to direct the differentiation or development of stem cells along specific cell lineages to yield replacement cells for clinical use.

Hispanic Community Health Study – Field Centers and Coordinating Center

• Initiative Number: RFP-NHLBI-HC-06-01 and RFP-NHLBI-HC-06-02
• Applications due: December 1, 2005
• Objective: To identify, recruit, examine, and follow community-based cohorts of Hispanic adults in an effort to identify factors that influence risk, such as nutrition habits, access to health care, and the role of family and community.

Lung Response to Inhaled highly Toxic Chemicals

• Initiative Number: PA-05-058
• Objectives: To stimulate research on airborne chemical threats that affect the upper and lower respiratory tract, and identify potential therapies to prevent or limit development of pulmonary edema, a major complication of chemical irritation

Muscular Dystrophy: Pathogenesis and Therapies

• Initiative Number: PA-05-038
• Objectives: To study the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies (MD), a group of diseases characterized by progressive weakness and wasting of muscles, and to develop therapies for them. Premature death due to MD is often due to cardiac or respiratory failure.

Nutrition and Diet in the Causation, Prevention, and Management of Heart Failure

• Initiative Number: PA-05-089
• Objective: To investigate the role of nutrition and diet in cardiomyopathies and heart failure (HF) in order to develop a science base for preventive approaches in high-risk individuals and for rational nutritional management of patients in various stages of HF.

Pediatric Heart Network

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-05-10
• Applications due: September 23, 2005
• Objectives: To provide an infrastructure for multi-center clinical research; to evaluate medical, interventional, and surgical therapies; and to serve as a clinical trials training ground for fellows and junior faculty. The mission of the Network is to improve the health of children and adults with structural congenital heart defects, as well as children with inflammatory heart disease, heart muscle disease, and arrhythmias.

Proteomic Studies of Platelet Functions

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-05-020
• Applications due: January 12, 2006
• Objective: To use proteomic tools to develop more quantitative definitions of platelet disorders and uncover new markers of platelet function, which in turn may improve the prediction of platelet function and better guide clinical therapy.

Research on Sleep and Sleep Disorders

• Initiative Number: PA-05-046
• Objectives: To advance biomedical knowledge related to sleep or sleep disorders, to improve understanding of the functions of sleep, to enhance timely diagnosis and effective treatment of sleep-related disorders, and to implement and evaluate innovative community-based public health education and intervention programs.

Short-Term Training Program to Increase Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25)

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-05-018
• Applications due: July 19, 2006
• Objective: To provide opportunities for under-represented racial and ethnic minority students and for socially, culturally, economically, or educationally disadvantaged students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to be exposed to biomedical research in areas relevant to cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases, and sleep disorders.

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