Research Updates

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANTS

REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications Available on proposalCENTRAL: August 4, 2011
Application Deadline: September 26, 2011 (5:00 pm Eastern)
Peer Review: October – November 2011
Funding Notification: December 2011
Funding: Will begin January 2012 – March 2012

All applications must be submitted through proposalCENTRAL (https://proposalcentral.altum.com/)

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH GRANTS

The Arthritis Foundation is pleased to announce a new round of Innovative Research Grants for funding in 2011. This request is for specific targeted research projects in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA), Juvenile Arthritis (JA), and for projects related to the needs of all patients with arthritis.

Applicants for these IRGs should keep in mind that the goals of our research program are to:

• promote development of personalized medicine and best practices for patients with RA and JA;

• encourage discovery and development of new interventions for OA;

• gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of arthritis.

These goals have been selected on the basis of what is perceived by patients with arthritis as having the greatest potential for developing new interventions for patients with arthritis.

Proposals should be responsive to these primary goals as well as the more specific questions listed below.  These IRGs are for the support of research projects that can be accomplished within a period of up to two years. Funding is provided up to a level of $100,000 per year for no more than two years. The award amount includes indirect costs not to exceed 8 percent per year. These grants typically cover the cost of salaries, consumable supplies, equipment, travel and other items to conduct the proposed research.

Applicants must be independent, self-directed researchers for whom the institution provides space and other resources.  Project duration and funding levels should be appropriate to the research described but should not exceed these limits. Multi-institutional collaborations are encouraged. These multiinstitutional proposals may include collaborators from outside the United States but the lead institution must be based in the USA.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Individuals with doctoral degrees (MD, PhD, DO or equivalent) at the assistant professor level or higher at any nonprofit U.S. institution are eligible to apply. Evidence of independence is required. Individuals at the NIH and CDC are not eligible to apply.

CITIZENSHIP

Principal Investigator must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.

RESEARCH PROJECTS TARGETED TO THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC AREAS ARE

REQUESTED:

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

We invite projects that will:

1. Identify new biomarkers that predict either development of RA, have a correlation with disease progression, help estimate response to treatment, or provide warning of the likelihood of adverse responses to interventions. Examples include autoantibody systems, new genetic markers, and imaging technologies that contribute to disease detection or prognostication, etc.

2. Identify new environmental triggers for RA or lead to a better understanding of how known environmental triggers or host-environmental interactions promote emergence of RA.

OSTEOARTHRITIS

We invite projects that will:

1. Identify the circumstances and mechanisms whereby joint motion and mechanical stress either promote joint health or lead to joint failure.

2. Elucidate how post translational modifications in proteins and other novel triggers of inflammation contribute to biomarker development and/or to the pathogenesis of OA.

3. Increase our understanding of pain and/or provide new approaches to pain control for patients with osteoarthritis.

JUVENILE ARTHRITIS

For the purposes of this RFA, the term juvenile arthritis (JA) refers to all inflammatory pediatric rheumatic disorders including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), juvenile dermatomyositis, childhood systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic vasculitis, and systemic and localized scleroderma in children.

We invite projects that will:

1. Identify the role of the innate immune system in patients with JA (excluding systemic JIA).

2. Lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of uveitis associated with JIA.

3. Increase our understanding of pain and/or provide new approaches to pain control for patients with JA.

4. Perform comparative effectiveness research relevant to JA. Projects utilizing the CARRA Registry are encouraged.

5. Elucidate mechanisms of synovial pathophysiology in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

PROJECTS RELEVANT TO ARTHRITIS

We invite projects that will:

1. Develop novel approaches to advanced drug targeting technology in order to achieve better outcomes in RA, OA and JIA.

PEER REVIEW

All research proposals funded through the Arthritis Foundation undergo a national peer review process in which proposals are ranked according to scientific merit. An online review mechanism is used to assign an initial priority score. Each grant will be evaluated and scored by at least three experts in the field. A secondary review by lay members of the Arthritis Foundation will also evaluate proposals to assess how closely proposed projects align with the research goals of the Foundation. Applicants will be provided with a very brief critique listing reasons for the assigned score.

ASSISTANCE WITH APPLICATIONS

For questions regarding eligibility, policies, terms and conditions or application instructions, please contact the Arthritis Foundation Research Department at Grantsupport@arthritis.org or 404.965.7537. For technical assistance with proposalCENTRAL, please call 1.800.875.2562.