In this Issue:
1. American Reinvestment and Recovery Act News
2. Funding Opportunity News
3. NIDCR News
4. NIH/HHS News
5. Science Advances
AMERICAN REINVESTMENT AND RECOVERY ACT NEWS
Recovery Act Limited Competition: Building Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research (RC4)
NIH is seeking applications for a new program entitled Building Sustainable Community-Linked Infrastructure to Enable Health Science Research, also known as the "Community Infrastructure" grants program:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-010.html
U.S. institutions/organizations may apply who propose to develop or expand needed infrastructures that will fundamentally transform collaboration and communication between academic health centers and local communities.
This RFA is not intended to fund research or evaluation projects, clinical trials, or public health campaigns. Rather, the intent is to fund projects to develop infrastructure for productive and sustainable academic-community research partnerships that can be leveraged in the future for efficiently conducting research that includes--and is relevant to--affected communities. NIH strongly encourages applicants to propose infrastructures that may build upon or be linked to existing infrastructures supported by other Federal agencies. NIH has designated up to $30 million in FY 2009-2010 to fund 30 or more grants, contingent upon the submission of a sufficient number of scientifically meritorious applications. Letters of intent are due November 12, 2009; applications are due December 11, 2009.
Also see the related Notice:
Clarification of Eligibility as Primary Applicant for the RFA-OD-09-010
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-10-006.html
Notice About NIH Population Tracking Requirements for ARRA Awards
NIH released a Notice on October 16 that describes expectations for implementing Population Tracking requirements for clinical research protocols supported or conducted with ARRA funds. For additional information see:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-10-003.html
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NEWS
Major Changes for Applications Submitted for January 25, 2010 and Beyond
A number of changes will take effect for applications submitted for January 25, 2010 and beyond. The changes, which are a result of the Enhancing Peer Review at NIH Initiative, include:
*Restructured application forms (applicants will need to download the new forms)
*New instructions, including shorter page limits
The timeline for these changes was announced in an NIH Guide Notice on December 2, 2008:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-023.html
Applicants are advised to read about requirement changes now so they can begin writing the Research Strategy section of the application. In December, applicants should go back to the updated Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or reissued Parent Announcement and download the new application package and instructions. For due dates on or after January 25, applicants should submit applications using the new application form and instructions.
Additional information about the application changes is available at:
http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/restructured_applications.html
Also see the flyer:
http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/docs/flyer_for_application_changes.pdf
and a detailed one-pager:
http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/docs/information_for_applicants.pdf
Many mechanisms, including the R01, will shorten from a 25-page research plan to a 12-page research strategy section. The research strategy sections of other activity codes (e.g. R21, R03) will be reduced from 15 to 6 pages. Multi-component applications (e.g. P01s) will generally have 12 or 6 pages for each project and core. There will be a “jumbo” option allowing for a 30-page research strategy that will be used on a limited basis and will require approval through the OER Office of Extramural Programs.
The new page limits will apply to all applications, including competing continuations, competitive revisions, and resubmissions (amended applications). In late October/early November, changes will be made to all FY2011 funding opportunity announcements that have receipt dates of January 25, 2010 or later, to ensure that instructions in the funding opportunity announcements are consistent with the new application instructions.
Proposals Welcome for 2010 NIH Director’s Transformative Research Projects Program
A major goal of the NIH is to foster bold and creative investigator-initiated research. In pursuit of this goal, the Transformative Research Projects Program has been created under the auspices of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research to enhance submission and support of exceptionally innovative, high risk, original and/or unconventional research that has the potential to have a profound impact in clinical, basic, and or behavioral/social science arenas.
NIH Roadmap Transformative Research Awards provide up to $25 million total costs per year for a single project. The NIH encourages applications for the Transformative Research Projects Program from scientists representing all disciplines relevant to the NIH mission, including the biological, behavioral, clinical, social, physical, chemical, computational, engineering, and mathematical sciences. Interdisciplinary teams as well as individual investigators with bold ideas are encouraged to apply.
The deadline for submitting Transformative Research Project applications is January 22, 2010, with Letters of Intent due by December 22, 2009. See the instructions in the RFA:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-09-022.html
Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available at:
http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/T-R01/
NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Announces New Funding Opportunity
The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research has announced a new funding opportunity that will support partnerships between scientists from the pain and neuroplasticity fields. These partnerships are expected to lead to insights into the neuroplastic changes that occur during the transition from acute to chronic pain. Funding is available through competitive revisions that add a collaborative, one-year pilot study or a new specific aim to an active NIH grant. Applications are due November 23, 2009. See the announcement at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-264.html
In the next two years, this Blueprint initiative will be expanded to promote larger collaborative projects on the transition from acute to chronic pain, and to train new investigators in state-of-the-art methods for studying pain.
NEW PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
Biotechnology/Regenerative Medicine/Biomaterials
Cancer
Neurobiology/Pain
NEW REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONSAIDS
All Dental and Craniofacial Research
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Microbiology
NIH Roadmap Initiatives
NOTICES
New Concept Clearances
Concepts represent early planning stages for initiatives in which NIDCR seeks to support research in an understudied and significant area of science. Approval by the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council does not guarantee that a concept will become a program announcement (PA), request for applications (RFA), or request for proposals (RFP). NIDCR bases this determination on scientific and programmatic priorities balanced with the amount of funds available. The following concept clearances were approved at the September 2009 Council meeting:
Collaborative Research on the Transition From Acute to Chronic Pain: New Models and Measures in Clinical and Preclinical Pain Research
Pathophysiology and Clinical Studies of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
Building a Genetic and Genomic Knowledge Base in Dental and Craniofacial Conditions and Diseases
Formative Research Towards the Development of Effective Behavioral and Social Interventions to Improve Oral and Craniofacial Health
Find more details about these Concept Clearances at:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/AboutUs/Councils/NADCRC/RecentlyClearedConcepts/
NIDCR NEWS
NIDCR to Accept Applications for Summer Dental Student Awards
To enable future dentists to experience careers in research, the NIDCR offers an outstanding summer training opportunity for dental students. The NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award is designed to give talented dental students hands-on research experience and exposure to the latest advances in oral health research. Selected candidates are assigned to mentors who conduct research in the students’ areas of interest. Participation in the program may result in presentation of research findings at a scientific meeting or co-authorship of scientific publications.
The NIDCR provides a competitive stipend for all summer researchers. Acceptance of this reward requires a minimum eight-week commitment. The nominating dental school must agree to support air or ground transportation for their students. NIDCR will accept online applications for the Summer Dental Student Award from November 15, 2009 – January 15, 2010. For additional information on how to apply, please visit:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Funding/Training/SummerDentalStudentAward.htm
or contact Dr. Deborah Philp, Program Director, dphilp@dir.nidcr.nih.gov, (301) 594-6578.
Also read the story: "Who Wants to Be a Researcher? Summer Students Make their Choice at NIDCR":
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/CareersAndTraining/CareersinDentalResearch/
Dr. Julio Frenk to Deliver 2009 David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture
On Tuesday, December 15 at 11:30 a.m., Dr. Julio Frenk, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, will deliver the 2009 David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture. An eminent authority on global health, Dr. Frenk will talk about "Globalization and Health: The Role of Knowledge in an Interdependent World." The lecture will be held in the Masur Auditorium in the Clinical Center (Building 10) on the NIH campus and is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a reception hosted by the Friends of the NIDCR.
The lecture also will be videocast at:
http://videocast.nih.gov/
Jointly sponsored by the NIDCR and the Fogarty International Center, the annual lecture series honors the late David E. Barmes, a longstanding World Health Organization employee, special expert for international health at NIDCR, and ardent spokesman for global health.
NIH/HHS News
NIH Opens Website for Submission of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines for Approval
NIH is now accepting requests for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines to be approved for use in NIH-funded research. Information may be submitted through NIH Form 2890, an interactive Web form, which is found at:
http://stemcells.nih.gov/
NIH Establishes Working Group for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Eligibility Review
NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced on September 21 the members of a new working group of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD): the Working Group for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Eligibility Review. The group is chaired by Jeffrey R. Botkin, M.D., M.P.H., a professor at University of Utah's School of Medicine. Included among its members is NIDCR grantee Jeffrey Murray, M.D., from the University of Iowa. The Working Group will consider categories of hESCs and make recommendations to the ACD regarding their eligibility for use in NIH-funded research. See additional information about the new working group:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2009/od-21.htm
NIH published its Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research on July 7, 2009:
http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines.htm
The Guidelines establish policy and procedures under which the NIH will fund human stem cell research and help ensure that NIH-funded research in this area is ethically responsible, scientifically worthy, and conducted in accordance with applicable law.
NIH Announces 115 Awards to Encourage High-Risk Research and Innovation
On September 24, NIH announced that it is awarding $348 million to encourage investigators to explore bold ideas that have the potential to catapult fields forward and speed the translation of research into improved health. The full complement of awards is granted under three innovative research programs supported by the NIH Common Fund's Roadmap for Medical Research: the NIH Director's Transformative R01 (T-R01) Awards, Pioneer Awards, and New Innovator Awards. The Common Fund, enacted into law by Congress through the 2006 NIH Reform Act, supports cross-cutting, trans-NIH programs with a particular emphasis on innovation and risk taking. A portion of these New Innovator Awards is also supported by funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. See additional details:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2009/od-24.htm
NIH Announces Expansion of Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network
NIH has announced a second phase of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), including funds for 19 research consortia. The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortia and a Data Management Coordinating Center (DMCC) will be awarded a total of just over $117 million over the next five years. The research conducted with the new funding will explore the natural history, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of more than 95 rare diseases. NIDCR is one of the NIH Institutes providing funding and scientific oversight for the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. Additional details are found at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2009/od-05.htm
NIH Grantees Win 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine is shared by three NIH grantees: Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Ph.D., of University of California, San Francisco; Carol W. Greider, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Jack W. Szostak, Ph.D., of Massachus
etts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Howard
Hughes Medical Institute. The three researchers, supported by NIH funding for decades, are honored for discovering how telomeres, through the enzyme telomerase, protect chromosomes against degradation. Their discoveries added a 
new dimension to the scientific community’s understanding of the cell, shed light on disease mechanisms, and introduced new directions for the development of potential new therapies. NIDCR has previously supported the research of Dr. Blackburn.
SCIENCE ADVANCES
Scientists Discover Protein Receptor for Carbonation Taste
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/NewsReleases/
Ever wonder why you can taste the bubbles in a soda? Researchers report that they have discovered how the process of tasting carbonation begins in the mouth.
NIDCR Launches the FaceBase Consortium
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/NewsReleases/
Although about half of all birth defects involve the face and skull, scientists remain unclear about why most occur. The NIDCR's new FaceBase Consortium will build needed research infrastructure and begin to bring greater clarity to this intriguing area of biology.
Rapid Test for Sjögren’s Syndrome
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/
Scientists have developed a promising but still experimental diagnostic test for primary Sjögren’s syndrome. This rapid test just got faster.
Immune Peptide Shows Potential to Help Diagnose Oral Cancer
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/
When microbes invade oral tissues, they often receive a blast of an antimicrobial peptide called β-defensin. Scientists found that oral cancer cells are less adept at producing β-defensins, suggesting a new way to detect a developing cancer.
Scientists Generate Skin-like Replacement Tissues
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/
Scientists used pluripotent human stem cells to engineer complex, three-dimensional skin-like tissues. With further research and refinement, these fabricated tissues have the potential to replace badly damaged oral mucosa.
Study Confirms Dentin Grows More Brittle With Age
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/
Bones are not the only mineralized tissue in the body that grows more brittle with age. Dentin, the core material of our teeth, also becomes brittle. A new study explains some of the changes.
Scientists Discover Another RNA in Saliva
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/
Scientists found previously that measuring mRNA levels in saliva could be used to detect oral cancer. Now, another type of RNA might help to further improve the accuracy of this investigational test.