Clinical Collaborators for the NIH Roadmap Nanomedicine Initiative
The network of NIH Nanomedicine Development Centers requests letters from clinical investigators interested in collaborating in the nanomedicine research enterprise. Clinical investigators, with ongoing preclinical/translational research programs, will be expected to participate in the activities of one or more of the NIH Nanomedicine Development Centers (NDC) and to explore opportunities for potential medical applications that build on the science emerging from one or more of the centers. Approximately $2,000,000 annually for two years will be available to support three to five projects from clinical collaborators.
Interested individuals must submit a short "Letter of Interest in Collaboration" (LIC) to determine if they qualify for submitting a more extensive application (See below, "Instructions: Letter of Interest in Collaboration").
- Letter of Interest in Collaboration (LIC) Receipt Date: December 10, 2007
- Invited Application Receipt Date: Mar 24, 2008
- Earliest Anticipated Start Date: May, 2008
NIH Nanomedicine Development Centers (NDC)
As part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, the Nanomedicine Initiative, envisioned as a 10-year program, awarded eight NDCs beginning in the fall of 2005. Each NDC supports multidisciplinary studies of nanoscale biomolecular complexes or pathways operating in living cells. For descriptions of the research at each NDC, links to each NDC website, information about the NIH Nanomedicine Initiative or the NIH Roadmap return to our homepage.
Background
Nanomedicine is an emerging biomedical research field with the overarching goal of precisely manipulating cellular processes, by repairing or building new nanoscale structures inside living cells, in order to treat disease or repair damaged tissue. NIH envisions Nanomedicine as a multidisciplinary effort built upon the strengths of researchers in probing and understanding the biological, chemical and physical properties of living tissues. Since the intracellular machinery operates at the nanoscale, (~1-100 nanometers), the NIH Nanomedicine Roadmap initiative initially seeks to quantitatively characterize cellular molecular components at a level of precision to enable the controlled engineering of nanomachinery inside single cells. At this early stage of the program, NDC research activities are weighted toward basic biological, physico-chemical, engineering, and computational sciences involving measurements of single molecules and other intracellular complexes that require specialized tools to probe and control structures at the nanoscale.
Nanomedicine: Bench-to-Bedside
Research at each NDC is conducted on one or more fundamental cellular processes, such as ion transporters, chaperonins, cytoskeleton, DNA packaging motors, and DNA repair machinery, where defects in structure and function may lead to a wide range of diseases. However, this initiative requires that work at these centers will be applied to specific medical applications.
To this end, each of the NDCs has begun to explore more clinically relevant avenues of investigation in what is termed a "Pathway to Medicine." Application of advances made by NDCs may be appreciated by clinician researchers who have thorough knowledge of a disease and an active research program that could exploit the tools and concepts being developed at these centers. It is expected that interactions with investigators leading independent, clinically-related research programs will help identify and draw NDC activities towards appropriate clinical applications.
Instructions: Letter of Interest in Collaboration (LIC)
The purpose of the LIC is to provide NIH and NDC personnel an overview of the applicant's current clinically related research program and to outline a research project that complements the research at one or more NDCs. Descriptions of the NIH Nanomedicine program and the work at each NDC are available at our homepage
Once familiar with ongoing NDC work, potential applicants are encouraged to contact the NDC principal investigator to begin to explore the collaborative potential. First contact with Principal Investigators should be an email that includes an outline or abstract of your potential project. Be sure to include "Nanomedicine LIC" in the subject line to alert PIs that your email relates to this announcement. Note that it is not required that a formal collaboration agreement is established before the submission of the LIC. If an LIC is selected, the investigator will be invited to submit a more extensive application for funds (notification and instructions for preparing the application will be sent on or about December 20, 2007). In that final application step, the applicant is expected to work with the appropriate NDC investigators in developing the collaborative research plan.
Applicant Eligibility
Interested individuals must become familiar with the ongoing capabilities of the NDCs. The applicant's research program will need to focus on a specific clinical target.
The purpose of the LIC is to attract new collaborators with fresh ideas to work with one or more NDCs. Current NDC personnel, consultants, other collaborators (current or prospective) are not eligible to submit LICs.
Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to submit an LIC. The track record of an applicant is critical and must include an ongoing research program in a medical field. Experience with translational research is a strong plus.
Clinical certifications are preferred (MD, DVM, DDS, etc.) although individuals with substantial experience with pre-clinical models and/or translational research are invited to submit an LIC (PhD or equivalent).
A single LIC may propose work with one or more NDCs. Alternatively, applicants may submit up to three separate LICs targeted to three different NDCs. There is no institutional limit on the number of LICs that may be submitted.
Applicants are encouraged to contact NDCs before submitting LICs.
There must be good evidence that the applicant can work with the NDC intellectually as well as logistically (including location). If not located in the same region, applicants must provide evidence that they can achieve good interactions and overcome logistical limitations.
Domestic applicants only.
Key Dates:
- LIC Receipt Date: Dec 10, 2007
- Notification Date: Dec 20, 2007 (approximately)
- Application Receipt Date: Mar 24, 2008
- Application Evaluation: April, 2008
- Earliest Anticipated Start Date: May, 2008
- LICs must include each of the following sections (A-I).
LICs must include each of the following sections (A-I):
A) Abstract (1/2 page)
*Note: Combined sections B-E cannot exceed a total of 5 pages.
B) Clinical target and challenges for treating or curing the disease
- Introduction and Background
- Describe the medical target or disease. Describe the challenges to diagnosis or treatment for the clinical target that you think might be amenable to manipulation at the nanoscale in the context of the research and technological capabilities under development by the NDC network.
C) Current Research Program
- Describe your current research program
- What are the short term goals (less than 2 years)? Long-term goals (~10 years)
D) Proposed Research
- Describe your model system
- Specific Aims — what do you propose to do within 2 years?
- Approach — In broad terms, how do you intend to tackle your aims?
E) NDC Collaboration
- Describe the intellectual and scientific synergies, complementarities, and unique collaborative opportunities with NDC(s). How will the research at the NDC impact your proposed studies?
- Describe your expected participation in NDC activities and NDC personnel in your proposed research.
F) Milestones and Timeline (1 page)
- Include milestones and a timeline. Efforts should be appropriate for a two year award. However, in anticipating additional studies within the timeframe of the NIH Nanomedicine Initiative (ie., until about 2014), include expected major milestones and a timeline to preclinical or clinical studies after the initial two year funding period.
- Note: A Gantt chart (or equivalent) will be required in the full application to illustrate the planned work, interactions of personnel, and project schedule.
G) References (1 page)
- A list of literature citations may be included.
H) Resources (no limit)
- Provide a list of Other Research Support and describe the resources available for your studies.
I) Curriculum Vitae (2 pages per person)
- Include CV of key personnel. NIH 398 format is preferred.
LIC Formatting Details:
- Font: Times New Roman or equivalent; 12 point or larger
- Margins: 1 inch
- Page limits: See above, sections A-I.
Cover page: Include Principal investigator's name and address, telephone number, email address, institution, title, and department.
Submitting an LIC (Due Date: December 10, 2007)
Email a PDF copy of your LIC:
To: nano@nih.gov
Subject: NDC LIC
Notification and instructions for submitting the application for funds will be sent by email on or before December 15, 2007.
Funds Available
The Nanomedicine initiative is funded through 2009, and has targeted $2,000,000 per year in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for these clinical awards. Although it is anticipated that three to five projects will be chosen, the number will depend on the availability of funds and the merit of the applications received. Continuation beyond 2009 will depend on continuation of the Nanomedicine initiative and availability of funds. Successful applicants will be funded as subcontracts by one or more of the NDCs. The awards will be subject to the restrictions and regulations of the NDC institution and the parent NIH award to the NDC.
Additional Information
Dr. Richard S. Fisher
NIH Roadmap Nanomedicine Initiative Project Team Leader
National Eye Institute
Division of Extramural Research
5635 Fishers Lane MSC 9300
Bethesda, MD 20892-9300
Tel: 301-451-2020
nano@nih.gov
Evaluation:
NDC personnel and NIH program staff will evaluate LICs and will invite the most meritorious to submit an application for funds. Evaluation of the LICs will include the following criteria:
- Does the proposed project clearly articulate a specific and significant medical target?
- Will the project take advantage of the tools, concepts, and knowledge of one or more NDCs?
- Does the project bring new capabilities, model systems, etc. to the NDC(s) that complement work at the center(s)?
- Is there a clear trajectory to pre-clinical or clinical studies?
- Will the investigator(s) participate in NDC activities including meetings, discussions of research directions, planning, data acquisition, and evaluation of results?
- Is the timeline reasonable for a two-year award and are there appropriate contingency plans to ensure some progress is made towards the medical target?
