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The principal limitations in the field of proteomics are technological in nature. Proteomics, and the sub-discipline of glycomics, are rapidly developing, technology-intensive fields. Separations, mass spectrometry, microarray, bioinformatics, and other tools have advanced rapidly to support the explosive growth of biomedical applications in this area. However, technologies and methods remain largely inadequate to address the majority of meaningful biological problems, particularly with respect to quantitative and real time measurements. Continued intensive development of advanced tools is essential to meet two needs. First, improvements in basic bioanalytical technologies are essential to these endeavors. This includes but is not restricted to robotics, sample preparation and pre-fractionation, analytical separations, gel and array imaging, quantitation, mass spectrometry, intelligent automated data acquisition, and database searching. Second, improved informatics technologies are essential for the conversion of data into meaningful results and interaction models. Improved informatics tools will also facilitate the integration and synergistic development of the basic analytical tools mentioned above. Additionally, the translation of advances in proteomics to a clinical setting should be a priority.

This PA replaces PA-01-051. The purpose of this program announcement is to encourage grant applications for the support of research designed to elucidate the diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology, genetics, treatment, and optimal means of service delivery in relation to Autistic Disorder ("autism") and autism spectrum disorders (Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, or "Atypical Autism"). This PA is meant to support the broad research goals of the Autism Research Matrix (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/autismiacc/researchmatrix.pdf). In February 2003, Congress requested that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) develop a set of autism research goals and activities for the next several years (House Report 109-10). Input into this activity included a meeting of autism investigators with a range of scientific expertise, as well as input from community members. Preparation for specifying this matrix involved a two-day meeting of an expert panel of scientists; public presentation and discussion of a draft matrix at the Autism Summit Conference in Washington DC on November 20, 2003; and adoption of the matrix by the Federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).

Analytic tools that can screen for particular characteristics at high rates are crucial to discovery science, and increasingly valuable in both basic research (e.g., phenotyping) and applied research (e.g., drug discovery). As such, they are in demand and represent a commercially viable technology, appropriate for funding under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The intent of this Program Announcement (PA) is to invite applications by small businesses for the commercial development of technologies for high throughput data acquisition and analysis that could aid the research fields of basic behavioral science or neuroscience relevant to the mission of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Only SBIR Phase I, Phase II and Fast Track grant applications are solicited; small business technology transfer (STTR) grant applications are not solicited by this PA.

Many brain tumors are highly invasive and therefore extremely difficult to treat. Cells from the primary tumor often infiltrate into surrounding brain tissues, so that removal of the main tumor mass is not sufficient to prevent recurrence. The goal of this Program Announcement with set-aside funds (PAS) is to promote studies that: (1) identify the properties of brain tumor cells that cause them to migrate; (2) determine how interaction of tumor cells with normal brain elements affects migration; and (3) translate understanding of these parameters into interventions that target invading tumor cells. Interdisciplinary studies that apply new concepts and methodologies from developmental neuroscience, genomics, precursor cell biology and other related fields are particularly encouraged.

Participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) invite applications for R01 awards to support Research Partnerships for Improving Functional Outcomes (RPIFO) for basic, applied, and translational multi- disciplinary research that addresses important biological, behavioral, medical, and/or psychosocial research problems related to rehabilitation or health maintenance of individuals with acute or chronic disease. In the context of this program, a “partnership” is a multi-disciplinary research team that applies an integrative, systems approach to develop knowledge and/or methods to improve functioning, promote health, and increase participation in community life. The partnership must include appropriate individuals with clinical expertise related to rehabilitation in combination with biomedical, psychosocial-behavioral, engineering, epidemiological, and/or health services researchers. The Principal Investigator (PI) also serves as the project manager and must be capable of leading the proposed research and partnership. An RPIFO may propose outcomes-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, translational or hypothesis-driven research at universities, national laboratories, medical or nursing schools, large or small businesses, or other public and private entities or combinations of these entities. It is expected that an RPIFO will have a well-defined, public health-related goal that can be assessed based on objective milestones.

Note: The following website has been established as an information resource for this RFA: http://www.niams.nih.gov/rtac/funding/grants/muscular_dystrophy_2004.htm The information will be updated periodically. The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to establish Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers (MDCRCs),in order to increase basic and clinical research on all forms of muscular dystrophy. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS),the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)invite applications for MDCRCs that promote side-by-side basic, translational, and clinical research; provide resources that can be used by the national muscle biology and neuromuscular research communities; and provide training and advice about muscle diseases for researchers and physicians who provide initial diagnosis and treatment, including rehabilitation, care for cognitive and behavioral concerns, and therapy for other system complications. Taken together, the centers will constitute a cohesive program, the MDCRC Program, operating under guidelines for NIH cooperative agreements. The primary goal of this initiative is to establish research centers, each of which will bring together expertise, infrastructure and resources focused on major questions about muscular dystrophy. Centers should use innovative research designs and state-of-the-art technologies. Achieving high levels of expertise and resources may require multi-institutional consortia. Centers are expected to provide an environment and core resources that will enhance collaborations of established basic, clinical, and behavioral science investigators to study muscular dystrophy research questions. Further, the environment should promote cross-disciplinary research training. Each center should develop in accordance with available expertise, interests, and resources, but should also be responsive to national needs related to muscular dystrophy. Although the types of activities that should be included are indicated in these guidelines, specific approaches to accomplish them are left to applicants. In addition to the self-contained activities of individual centers, the MDCRCs will collaborate with other centers, overseen by a Steering Committee involving representation from each center and from NIH. The centers will be funded through NIH Cooperative Agreements with the goal of maximizing collaborative utilization of the unique resources in infrastructure, expertise, and clinical recruitment that will be created. This is a re-issuance of RFA AR-03-001, Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers. In FY 2003, NIAMS, NINDS, and NICHD awarded grants supporting three MDCRCs based on responses to the earlier RFA (see http://www.niams.nih.gov/ne/press/2003/10_14.htm) Investigators interested in applying for support of muscular dystrophy research using mechanisms other than this RFA should see NIH PAS-01-041, Therapeutic and Pathogenic Approaches for the Muscular Dystrophies at http://www.niams.nih.gov/rtac/funding/grants/pa/pas_01_041.pdf.

The goal of this Program Announcement with set-aside funds (PAS) is to invite applications for studying the integration of neurobiological and cerebrovascular mechanisms in the adult, aged and pediatric brain in health and disease. This PAS encourages studies focused on improving our understanding of the dynamic interactions within the neurovascular unit (NVU), a construct consisting of brain microvascular endothelium, glia, neurons and the extracellular matrix that maintains spatial relations among them. Knowledge of these interactions has the potential to stimulate new strategies for basic, translational and clinical research in many neurological disorders, including stroke, vascular dementia, and intracerebral hemorrhage. Among the challenges to be addressed are: generate new hypotheses and conduct exploratory work on microvessel–neuron communication; increase our knowledge about cell-cell signaling and how insults to the endothelium affect parenchymal cell damage, which applies not only to stroke, but may also contribute to understanding neurological disorders in which vascular changes are observed; and, elucidate mechanisms by which neurons communicate with blood vessels through interactions with non-neuronal cells in the microenvironment including endothelium, pericytes, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia.

This PA is designed to solicit research projects that anticipate, analyze and address the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of the discovery and use of new information and technologies resulting from human genetic and genomic research. Of particular interest are studies that examine issues and, where appropriate, develop policy options in the following areas: 1) intellectual property issues surrounding access to and use of genetic information; 2) the ethical, legal and social factors that influence the translation of genetic information to improved human health; 3) the issues surrounding the conduct of genetic and genomic research; 4) the use of genetic and genomic information and technologies in non-health care settings; 5) the impact of genetics and genomics on concepts of race, ethnicity, kinship and individual and group identity; 6)the implications, for both individuals and society, of uncovering genetic and genomic contributions to not only disease, but also ‘normal’ human traits and behaviors; and 7) how different individuals, cultures and religious traditions view the ethical boundaries for the uses of genetics and genomics. This Program Announcement is complemented by PA-04-051, the ELSI Small Grant (R03) Program (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-04-051.html). The R03 program is limited to applications requesting up to $50,000 in direct costs per year for no more than two years, makes use of a streamlined application process, and is designed to encourage the development of small, focused research projects by legal, historical, ethics and social sciences scholars. It is also designed to support smaller exploratory studies that may provide preliminary findings for larger research proposals.

The goal of this program announcement is to invite research applications investigating the role of diet composition in energy balance, including studies in both animals and humans. Both short and longer-term studies would be encouraged, ranging from basic studies investigating the impact of micro-or macronutrient composition on appetite, metabolism, and energy expenditure through clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of diets differing in micro- or macronutrient composition, absorption, dietary variety, or energy density for weight loss or weight maintenance.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) provide Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (Kirschstein-NRSA) to individuals for doctoral-level training. These Institutes award Kirschstein-NRSA individual predoctoral fellowships (F31) to promising applicants with the potential to become productive, independent investigators in their scientific mission areas. Each Institute has a unique scientific purview and different program goals and initiatives that evolve over time. Therefore, it is critical that all applicants consult the appropriate Institute website and contact the appropriate Institute office, both listed under “Where to Send Inquiries,” prior to preparing an application to obtain current information about each Institute's program priorities and policies with regard to fellowships. This action is of utmost importance since applications with marginal or no relevance to NIAAA, NIBIB, NIDCD, NIDA, NIMH, or NINDS programs will not be accepted for review or funding by the participating Institutes.