Internships in Environmental Health Policy and Ethics
The NIEHS, one of the National Institutes of Health, is offering a limited number of internships in environmental policy and ethics. Interns participating in the Program in Environmental Health Policy and Ethics (PEHPE) examine policy issues and conduct research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Potential projects examine issues in environmental regulation and policy, the impact of new technologies on risk assessment and risk management, toxicogenomics, environmental justice, and protection of human subjects in research. Applicants with existing research projects and those interested in developing a project to satisfy the requirements of an academic degree are strongly encouraged to contact the program director prior to applying.
The program will begin with a one-week workshop on environmental regulation, health policy, and ethics. Following the workshop, interns will define a research project in association with the program director and a faculty mentor. Interns will participate in weekly seminars on issues in environmental policy and ethics, case discussions, and policy debates. Interns will present results of their research and analysis at a policy symposium in August 2001.
Internships are limited to five months. Stipends are based on academic and professional experience, in accordance with the current U.S. government schedule.
Applicants should be pursing an undergraduate or advanced degree in environmental health science, policy, law, ethics, philosophy, or a related field. In exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to more established researchers and teachers. Interns will be selected on the basis of their previous accomplishments, commitment to scholarship, and professional interests. Internships should play an integral role in advancing the applicant's professional development. No prior experience in environmental health policy or ethics in necessary.
Interested applicants should submit an application including a rŽsumŽ or curriculum vitae, a brief statement of interests and goals for the internship (750 words or less), two letters of reference, a writing sample, and academic transcripts.
Internships begin in late spring, typically soon after the end of the academic year, and end on or before 30 September 2001. Application materials must be received by 1 March 2001. Notification of acceptance will be 15 April 2001.
Contact: Richard R. Sharp, Director, PEHPE, NIEHS, PO Box 12333, 79 Alexander Drive, Building 4401, Room 108, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2233 USA, 919-541-3489, fax: 919-541-4397, e-mail: sharp@niehs.nih.gov
Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Human Genetics and Genomic Research
This program announcement replaces the regular research grant (R01) component of PA-96-042, The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Genetics Research. This program announcement is designed to solicit research projects that anticipate, analyze, and address the ethical, legal, and social implications of the discovery of new genetic technologies and the availability and use of genetic information resulting from human genetics and genomic research. Of particular interest are studies that examine 1) the issues surrounding the completion of the human DNA sequence and the study of human genetic variation; 2) the issues raised by the integration of genetic technologies and information into health care and public health activities; 3) the issues raised by the integration of knowledge about genomics and gene-environment interactions into nonclinical settings; 4) the ways in which new genetic knowledge may interact with a variety of philosophical, theological, and ethical perspectives; and 5) how socioeconomic factors, gender, and concepts of race, ethnicity, and culture influence the use and interpretation of genetic information, the utilization of genetic services, and the development of policy.
This program announcement emphasizes the ongoing commitment of the National Institutes of Health to support research and educational activities related to these and other ethical, legal, and social implications of human genetics and genomic research. The ultimate mission of the research program is to support research and education activities that 1) promote genetic privacy and fair use of genetic information, 2) encourage the responsible integration of new genetic information and technologies into clinical and nonclinical settings, 3) ensure that genetic research is conducted in an ethical manner, and 4) improve public and professional understanding about genetics, genome technology, and related ethical, legal, and social issues. Also of interest are studies that examine conceptual education or literacy issues such as what constitutes genetic literacy and how various audiences learn genetic information.
Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-00-133.html.
Contact: The ELSI Research Program, National Human Genome Research Institute, Building 31, Room B2B07, 31 Center Drive, MSC 2033, Bethesda, MD 20892-2033 USA, 301-402-4997, fax: 301-402-1950, e-mail: elsi@nhgri.nih.gov. Reference: PA No. PA-00-133
Aggregate Exposure Assessment for Pesticides: Longitudinal Case Studies
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support longitudinal case studies designed to assess aggregate, nonoccupational exposures to pesticides in defined populations aimed at addressing important public health issues. These issues may concern the toxicity of a particular chemical or class of chemicals and/or relate to a health end point and its potential link to pesticide exposures. Specifically, there is a need for information on aggregate human exposures to commercial pesticide chemicals such as pyrethroid insecticides, triazine herbicides, and residential use pesticides.
The EPA is seeking grant proposals that describe studies for assessing pesticide exposure that incorporate estimates of temporal and interindividual variability. Successful proposals will be those that effectively include and address as many of the following as possible in longitudinal studies: 1) the identification of study hypotheses that are supported by rationales for the selection of the population of concern (characteristics and numbers) and the target pesticides in relation to the environmental and public health issues associated with their use; 2) the development of approaches for assessing pesticide exposures via multiple pathways and routes (e.g., inhalation, dietary and nondietary ingestion, and dermal contact), emphasizing temporal variation in exposure and exposure-related factors; 3) the development of improved methods for assessing exposures to specific classes of pesticides, including methods to determine the temporal nature of various sources and the resulting impact on exposure; 4) the evaluation of exposures to pesticides resulting from various sources (e.g., agricultural application to food crops, residential lawn treatment, indoor residential uses, pet uses) and apportionment of the exposures and doses; 5) the development of methods to account for short-term, intermittent exposures to pesticides and evaluation of the importance of aggregate exposures under such conditions; and 6) the development of assessments of pesticide exposure that include evaluations of the uncertainty and variability associated with the exposure estimates.
Up to $6 million is expected to be available in FY 2001 for awards in this program area. The projected award range is $250,000-350,000 per year. This amount includes direct and indirect costs for up to four years.
Instructions for applying for a Science To Achieve Results (STAR) grant are found on the National Center for Environmental Research Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa/. Standard instructions for submitting a STAR application and the necessary application forms are available on this Web site. Applicants should note that for this solicitation only, the research plan may be as long as 25 pages, rather than the 15 pages stated in the standard instructions. The deadline for receipt of applications is 7 March 2001.
Contact: Chris Saint, 202-564-6909, e-mail: saint.chris@epa.gov. E-mail inquiries are preferred. Reference: 2001-STAR-G1
Environmental Statistics Center
In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the National Research Center on Statistics and the Environment by means of a five-year cooperative agreement. This center has provided a national capability to identify and perform cutting-edge research in environmental statistics that will further application of statistics to the environmental sciences and facilitate the professional development of future environmental statisticians. The EPA proposes through this solicitation to open this center to recompetition for an additional five-year period.
Research on the environment is important for understanding and responding to threats to human and ecosystem health posed by various types of pollution. While we have a good understanding of many of the components that make up the environment, we have much less knowledge about the interactions between components. Such an understanding is imperative for finding acceptable responses to threats to the environment. Research to aid in recognizing and responding to these threats requires the use of statistics, from sampling and data collection to analysis and modeling.
This announcement invites proposals for statistical research that improves the methodology or theory of statistics relevant to environmental research. Examples of such research include 1) the design, evaluation, and placement of environmental monitoring networks; 2) accounting for meteorologic and copollutant effects on estimation of status and trends in air toxics; 3) statistical approaches to environmental epidemiology and toxicology; 4) methods to expand the use of epidemiologic data in risk assessment for characterizing and reducing uncertainty in environmental risk assessment; and 5) methods for linking information about contaminant source, transport, human and ecosystem interactions, and adverse effects.
Additional information and application instructions are available on the National Center for Environmental Research Web site at http://es.epa.
gov/ncerqa/rfa/envistat01.html. Applications must be received by 21 March 2001.
Contact: Chris Saint, 202-564-6909, e-mail: saint.chris@epa.gov. Reference: 2001-STAR-F1
Reproductive Genetics
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) invites qualified researchers to submit new applications for research projects that address issues in the area of reproductive genetics. The purpose of this initiative is to support new studies on the genes and genetic mechanisms influencing sex determination, human fertility, the role of differential expression of parental alleles (i.e., genomic imprinting and X-inactivation) in reproduction, and other topics in reproductive genetics. The studies targeted by this program announcement are expected to identify and characterize the relevant genes, determine their function in normal human reproduction and reproductive development, identify functional partners and the nature of their interactions, and further our understanding of the multiple adverse health consequences of mutations or dysregulation of these genes.
As the Human Genome Project nears its goal, the coding sequence of all the human genes is becoming available, and the focus of research must shift from gene identification to functional genomics. Studies using innovative statistical or technical methods, such as quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis or gene chip technology, are highly encouraged. The NICHD encourages researchers interested in reproduction to lead the way in determining the functional role of genes involved in the development of the gonads and external genitalia, gametogenesis, infertility, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure, and reproductive aging. Studies on the genetic epidemiology of reproductive disorders such as those listed above must begin with the collection of large affected families for classic linkage studies and/or QTL analysis. We also encourage research into epigenetic mechanisms crucial in embryonic development, such as the establishment and maintenance of imprinting patterns, the role of methylation in gametogenesis, the implications of imprinting for assisted reproductive technologies, and the reproductive determinants and consequences of X-inactivation (or the escape from X-inactivation).
Applications may be submitted by domestic, foreign, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations, both public and private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this program announcement may not exceed five years. Modular grant applications will request direct costs in $25,000 modules up to a total direct cost request of $250,000 per year. More information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/
guide/pa-files/PA-01-005.html.
Contact: Susan Taymans, Reproductive Science Branch, Center for Population Research, NICHD, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8B01, MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510 USA, 301-496-6517, fax: 301-496-0962, e-mail: taymanss@mail.nih.gov. Reference: PA No. PA-01-005
Beta Cell Biology Consortium
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is seeking applications to establish a Beta Cell Biology Consortium for the purpose of intensifying investigator-initiated research; attracting new investigators into the field; encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to research in this area; fostering the application of basic research to generate new research tools and approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of diabetes; and establishing a comprehensive database for the beta cell. Through the consortium, individual Beta Cell Biology Programs will have access to information, resources, technologies, expertise, and reagents that are beyond the scope of any single research effort.
One of the goals of this request for applications is to build upon the foundation of the ongoing Functional Genomics of the Developing Pancreas Consortium through the initiation of a series of complementary projects to further understand the function of the beta cell, and to generate reagents and assays needed for the development of novel cellular therapies for diabetes. In addition to the Functional Genomics of the Developing Pancreas Consortium, major scientific advances and technologic breakthroughs in basic disciplines such as developmental biology, stem cell biology, mouse genetics, imaging, bioengineering, and bioinformatics demand that a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, coordinated, collaborative approach on several fronts be utilized to generate key reagents, assays, and new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The NIDDK will fund as components of the Beta Cell Biology Consortium approximately five Beta Cell Biology Program applications, each supporting a multidisciplinary team. A Beta Cell Biology Program could consist of several collaborating investigators representing one or more institutions. Each program, consisting of at least three projects and one or more cores, must address at least two of the six targeted scientific areas: 1) beta cell development, 2) prospective identification and purification of pancreatic stem/progenitor cells, 3) development of clonogenic assays for evaluating potential stem cells, 4) evaluation of pancreatic islets for transplantation, 5) functional imaging of the beta cell, and 6) cell culture modeling of the human pancreatic beta cell. Each program must include a plan that addresses the need for data coordination within the consortium.
Each program will be in the general form of a program project, composed of several projects and one or more cores relating to the overall theme of the program. The NIDDK plans to commit up to $7.25 million in FY 2001 to fund approximately five new awards for Beta Cell Biology Programs. It is anticipated that an additional $500,000 in direct costs per year will be used to establish a bioinformatics coordinating center in FY 2002. An applicant may request a project period of up to five years. The award for each program will be limited to $1 million in direct costs per year. The number of awards to be made is dependent on the receipt of a sufficient number of applications of high scientific merit and on the availability of funds.
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent by 16 March 2001, with final applications due 17 April 2001. More information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-01-014.html.
Contact: Sheryl M. Sato, Program Coordinator, Cellular Basis of Metabolic Diseases, DDEM, NIDDK, 2 Democracy Plaza, Room 6105, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 5460, Bethesda, MD 20892-5460 USA, 301-594-8811, fax: 301-480-3503, e-mail: ss68z@nih.gov. Reference: RFA No. DK-01-014
Role of Hormones and Growth Factors in Prostate Cancer
This initiative will explore the mechanisms of action of hormones and growth factors in the regulation of prostate development, growth, and tumorigenesis, focusing on studies of hormone and growth factor action including the mechanisms of action of nuclear hormones, the roles of nuclear accessory proteins, and the signal transduction pathways important for nuclear hormone action in the prostate. Focus will also be on growth factor action in the prostate, including growth factors, binding proteins, receptors, and signal transduction pathways. Studies may also examine the patterns of gene expression in the prostate in vivo or in prostate cells in response to hormone or growth factor action. Moreover, since there are some studies that indicate that environmental factors also increase the risk for development of prostate cancer, an additional focus will be on studies that explore the role of environmental factors in effecting hormonal/growth factor action in the prostate. Finally, studies on the development and potential use of hormone/growth factor analogs, agonists, or antagonists with potential clinical utility to modify prostate growth and tumor development and/or progression are encouraged.
Studies may include but are not limited to 1) hormone/growth factor regulation of prostate development, function, growth, or tumor development; 2) novel cell culture or transgenic model systems that allow for study in vitro or in vivo of gene expression in the prostate or prostate cells; 3) novel factors associated with nuclear hormone action in the prostate involved in tumorigenesis; 4) orphan nuclear receptors with roles in prostate structure, function, or disease development or progression; 5) the structural biology of the androgen receptor focusing on interactions with other receptor interacting proteins, coactivators or corepressors, hormone, or hormone response elements; 6) the roles of heat shock or other chaperone proteins in regulating hormone function in the prostate; 7) the use of DNA arrays, bioinformatics approaches to proteomics, or in silico methods of analysis to evaluate gene expression during growth factor or hormone signaling among different cells in the prostate during development, stages of tumor development, or tumor progression; 8) the mechanism of action of nuclear hormones working through nonreceptor-mediated events leading to the initiation of cancer in prostate cells; or 9) the roles of environmental factors that may interact with or influence the effects of hormones and growth factors on prostate growth, development, or tumor development.
For FY 2001, a total of $4.6 million has been committed by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the NIEHS to fund approximately 20-25 grants. Applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent by 27 February 2001, with final applications due 27 March 2001. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-01-008.html.
Contact: Ronald Margolis, Molecular Endocrinology, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, NIDDK, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Room 6107, Bethesda, MD 20892-5460 USA, 301-594-8819, fax: 301-435-6047, e-mail: rm76f@nih.gov; Frank Bellino, Biology of Aging Program, NIA, Gateway Building, Suite 2C231, Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 USA, 301-496-6402, fax: 301-402-0010, e-mail: bellinof@exmur.nia.nih.gov; Suresh Mohla, Tumor Biology and Metastasis Branch, Division of Cancer Biology, NCI, 6130 Executive Boulevard, EPN Suite 5000, Rockville, MD 20892-7364 USA, 301-435-1878, fax: 301-480-0864, e-mail: sm82e@nih.gov; Michael E. McClure, Organs and Systems Toxicology Branch, Division of Extramural Research and Training, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Mail Drop EC-23, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA, 919-541-5327, fax: 919-541-5064, e-mail: mm461n@nih.gov. Reference: RFA No.
DK-01-008
Last Updated: January 8, 2001
