Assay Development for High Throughput Screening for Nicotinic Receptor Subunits (R21)

Post Date

September 16th 2010

Application Due Date

January 18th 2011

Funding Opportunity Number

RFA-DA-11-007

CFDA Number(s)

93.279

Funding Instrument Type(s)

Grant

Funding Activity Categories

Education
Health

Eligibility Categories

State Governments
County Governments
City or Township Governments
Special District Governments
Independent School Districts
Public and State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
Federally Recognized Native American Tribal Governments
Public Housing Authorities or Indian Housing Authorities
Non-Federally Recognized Native American Tribal Organizations
Non-Profits With 501 (c) (3) Status With The IRS (Except Higher Education Institutions)
Non-Profits Without 501 (c) (3) Status With The IRS (Except Higher Education Institutions)
Private Institutions of Higher Education
For-Profit Organizations (Except Small Businesses)
Small Businesses
Other

Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.

Funding

• Estimated Total Funding:

  $1500000

• Award Range:

  $None - $150000

Grant Description

Purpose. This FOA, issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), requests applications that propose to develop biological assays that will facilitate the discovery of new molecular probes for investigating the biological function of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Membrane-spanning subunits (alpha and beta) aggregate in pentamers to form various combinations of functional nAChR ion channels. Genetic association studies have implicated variants in the 5-3-4 cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunit gene cluster on chromosome 15q24-25.1 for the risk of nicotine addiction, tobacco dependence, smoking, and lung cancer. Other studies have implicated the 6-subunit in nicotine addiction. This FOA seeks applications proposing to develop biological assays for constitutive receptor combinations involving 3, 5, 6, and/or 4 subunits, suitable ultimately for configuration as high throughput screening (HTS) assays. Once developed, these HTS-ready assays can, and will be expected to be, submitted for screening (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RM-09-011.html ) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Molecular Libraries Production Centers Network (MLPCN) to identify biologically active compounds in a large library of small molecule chemical structures. The chemical structures uncovered through development and use of these assays could then be used for selective ligand development and as possible lead molecules to guide drug discovery in the development of tobacco smoking cessation medications. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will use the NIH Exploratory/Developmental (R21) grant mechanism with modifications. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Approximately $1.5 million will be available for this FOA in 2011. NIDA anticipates making approximately 5-7 awards in 2011. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the mechanism numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.

Contact Information

• Agency

  Department of Health and Human Services

• Office:

  National Institutes of Health

• Agency Contact:

  NIH OER Webmaster
  FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV
  

• Agency Mailing Address:

  If you have any problems linking to this funding announcement, please contact the NIH OER Webmaster

• Agency Email Address:

  FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV

• More Information:

  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-11-007.html