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Participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invite applications for R01 awards to support Bioengineering Research Partnerships (BRPs) for basic and applied multi-disciplinary research that addresses important biological or medical research problems. A BRP is a multi-disciplinary research team applying an integrative, systems approach to develop knowledge and/or methods to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat disease or to understand health and behavior. The partnership must include appropriate bioengineering or allied quantitative sciences in combination with biomedical and/or clinical investigators. A BRP may propose design-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven research at universities, national laboratories, medical schools, large or small businesses, or other public and private entities or combinations of these entities. On October 11, 2001, NIH issued a related program announcement (PA) PA-02-011 for Bioengineering Research Grants (BRGs). The BRGs differ from the BRPs in that the BRG research will be performed in a single laboratory or by a small number of investigators.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) invite grant applications for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards to support research and development of small animal imaging devices and methods that can be applied broadly to research on diverse biological or disease processes. A similar Request for Applications (RFA) for small animal imaging research and development to be supported by individual Research Project Grant (R01) awards can be found at (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-EB-03-002.html). The primary focus of this Program Announcement (PA) is research and development related to devices, methods, and imaging agents for the investigation of biological and disease processes in small animals. The integration of systems and methods with complementary imaging and/or spectroscopy modalities is also included as appropriate to provide anatomic, physiologic, metabolic, and molecular-level information in small animal models of disease. The motivation for this PA is that recent discoveries in genomics and molecular and cell biology have led to the development and wide use of small animal models of human disease. One of the limitations with the use of these models is the need to sacrifice large numbers of animals for ex vivo tissue and molecular analysis. Imaging instrumentation and methods that permit imaging on the scale of small animals offer an opportunity to address this problem by enabling noninvasive investigations of biological processes in vivo. This capability provides the potential for longitudinal studies in the same animal. The coupling of animal models of human disease with advances in imaging technology presents an extraordinary opportunity for biomedical imaging to play an important role in the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Several dedicated small animal imaging systems have been developed and a few commercialized, although technological hurdles still exist that limit the realization of the full potential of small animal imaging for biomedical research and drug development. Progress is needed to improve throughput, sensitivity, and spatial and temporal resolution of small animal imaging devices, to provide quantitative information through improved reconstruction methods that incorporate models of physical effects, and to provide improved methods for system validation. System optimization incorporating the design of molecular probes that serve as links to particular biological processes in vivo is also a focus. Further improvements in system design, image processing and analysis software, and data sharing technology, coupled with improvements and innovations in animal handling techniques during imaging, are needed to make small animal imaging technology more accessible to molecular biologists and pharmaceutical scientists desiring to use animal models as tools for biomedical research and drug discovery and development.

This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications to plan and develop collaborative research and capacity building projects on brain disorders throughout life relevant to low- and middle-income nations. Applicants are expected to develop innovative, collaborative research programs that would contribute to the long-term goal of building sustainable research capacity in neurological/neurodevelopmental (including sensory, motor, cognitive and behavioral) impairment throughout life. This RFA is joined by the following Institutes and Centers: NIH sponsors include the Fogarty International Center (FIC), National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS); for Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and for Mexico, the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologa (Conacyt). These sponsoring organizations seek domestic and international collaborative applications which address brain disorders in the developing world and which build research capacity of low- to middle-income countries to address brain disorders within their country or region. This first phase of the "Brain Disorders in The Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan" initiative, beginning in fiscal year 2003 (FY03), will consist of two-year planning/development grants using the R21 grant mechanism. The R21 grant will provide support to initiate preliminary studies and to organize, plan, prepare, and assemble an application for a more comprehensive R01 grant involving collaboration between high-income and low- to middle-income country investigators and which incorporates both research and capacity building. The main goals of the R21 applications should be to assess needs, develop collaborations and needed resources, show feasibility and generate preliminary data for the collaborative research to be proposed in a follow-up R01 submission. The applicants should propose specific milestones and a timeline to meet these goals. During the R21 award period, the applicant should: o further define the type and area of research to be developed; o develop and solidify collaborative relationships and understandings with the partners in the developed and developing countries involved; o assess current resources and needs, such as and including the need for an institutional review board (IRB) for studies involving human subjects; o develop and initiate a plan to address these needs to enable the proposed research and capacity building to be successfully carried out; o identify the training and other capacity-building opportunities to be incorporated into the research application in the context of the proposed research; o initiate cross-training of collaborators where necessary for the proposed research; and o conduct pilot studies and generate preliminary data; Projects should: 1) Involve a partnership between high-income and low-to middle-income country individuals or research teams; 2) lead to pursuit of basic, epidemiological, clinical, prevention, intervention or health services research in the area of brain disorders of relevance to low- to middle-income countries; and 3) build capacity as necessary in the proposed research area to enable further research to take place. An RFA for the second competitive phase of the "Brain Disorders in The Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan" initiative is currently planned to be issued in fiscal year 2005 (FY05), subject to availability of funds. That RFA is planned to provide support for collaborative research and capacity building to high-income and low- to middle-income country partners through the R01 mechanism. The second phase RFA competition, as currently planned, will not be limited to the R21 grantees under this competition, but will be open to all eligible applicants.

This RFA is intended to promote productive re-entry of NIH-trained foreign investigators into their home countries as part of a broader program to enhance the scientific research infrastructure in developing countries, to stimulate research on a wide variety of high priority health-related issues in these countries, and to advance NIH efforts to address health issues of global import. The specific goal of this initiative is to provide funding opportunities for the increasing pool of foreign biomedical and behavioral scientists, clinical investigators, nurses, and other health professionals with state-of-the-art knowledge of research methods to advance critical issues in global health upon their return to their home countries. After their term of research training, developing country participants supported by this RFA are expected to continue independent and productive scientific careers, including expert training and consultation and/or research of biomedical issues within their home institutions.

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) seek developmental planning grant applications for the establishment of an infrastructure for eventual Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers (MDCRCs). This initiative supports the planning of new or expansion of existing resources for future competitive MDCRCs. These planning grants will enable applicants to effectively organize and integrate multidisciplinary research capacities and core resources to enhance collaborations of basic, clinical, and behavioral science in muscular dystrophy research and to promote cross-disciplinary research training. Participation in this RFA will not itself be a factor in the review of any Center application. Investigators may respond to current (e.g., RFA AR03- 001) or future solicitations for center grant applications without first having participated in this developmental planning initiative. Investigators interested in applying for support of muscular dystrophy research using mechanisms other than centers or this developmental planning initiative should see NIH PAS01-041, "Therapeutic and Pathogenic Approaches for the Muscular Dystrophies" (http://www.niams.nih.gov/rtac/funding/grants/pa/pas_01_041.pdf).

This PA solicits applications to develop new genetic-based methods and technologies for the purpose of mapping functional neuronal circuits and synaptic changes in the mammalian nervous system. Emerging genetic and transgenic technologies can be used to single out functionally related cells or neuronal populations for analysis or intervention. This PA would support the development of genetic-based tools to map neuronal interconnectivity, to monitor functional changes, or to drive functional changes within neuronal circuits as the first step in an effort by the NIH to create integrated genomic and functional connectivity maps of the mammalian nervous system. Other corollary efforts needed to generate integrated connectivity maps such as improved neuroinformatics and the development of a large consortia of investigators, however, are outside the scope of this program announcement. Wide distribution to the scientific community of the methods and resulting resources developed under this program is essential for the eventual goal of creating large-scale functional connectivity maps of the mammalian nervous system. The unrestricted distribution of methods and resources developed under this program will also facilitate the rapid transfer of technology for the development of diagnostic tools and treatment interventions for brain disease.

In response to continuing research progress and opportunity, and in recognition of continuing Congressional interest to intensify and to expand basic and clinical research in Parkinson's disease, The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) invite qualified investigators to submit grant applications for the establishment of Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Centers of Excellence. The purpose of this Program Announcement (PA) is to encourage additional research opportunities and discoveries that will lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson's Disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, based on a better understanding of the fundamental cause(s) of the disease. It is expected that these Centers will form a consortium of investigators that will foster an environment that will enhance research effectiveness in a multi-disciplinary setting, utilizing specialized methods relevant to the study of these disorders. There were two previous requests (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-98-001.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-99-004.html.

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 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Eye Institute (NEI), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) seek research to understand racial/ethnic disparities in the development of the microvascular (nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy), and macrovascular (cardiovascular disease and stroke) complications of diabetes.

Dystonia is defined clinically as involuntary, often sustained, co- contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles causing abnormal and often painful postures or movements. It is generally believed to be centrally mediated. Dystonia occurs due to many different etiologies. Although the prevalence and disease burden of this group of disorders is not well known, it is estimated by some sources that this debilitating movement disorder affects over 500,000 individuals in the USA. Some forms of dystonia are associated with specific genetic and/or environmental risk factors, but the underlying pathophysiological pathways remain elusive. The purpose of this program announcement is to solicit applications for new studies on the underlying causes of human dystonia, secondary consequences of these movement disorders, and potential therapeutic strategies for treating these conditions.