ALR Funded Grant Application

2012 Grant Application Announcment

The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) is pleased to announce that the applications for the ALR’s Functional Genomics and Molecular Genetic Pathways in SLE grants are now available online.  Please click here for the program guidelines.  You can also access the application site directly at https://proposalcentral.altum.com. 

Research Grants:  Approved grant applications will be eligible to receive a 2-year award for up to $350,000 USD (up to $175,000 USD per year for two years).  Research grants must provide evidence of preliminary data.  Guidelines for application and submission are also available on the websites listed above.

Pilot Grants: Approved grant applications will be eligible to receive a 1-year award for up to $75,000 USD.  Pilot grants are for projects that are not supported by preliminary data.  Guidelines for application and submission are also available on the websites listed above.

Deadlines associated with this grant program are as follows:

•  Grant Applications:      Due to ALR by February 15, 2012

Program Goals

Applications submitted should focus on two principal areas: (1) functional validation to determine which candidate genes/variants identified in human lupus have an authentic role in the disease and (2) detailed elucidation of the molecular pathways modulated by these candidate genes/variants identified in human lupus.

There are public resources available to facilitate functional validation of genes/variants involved in lupus.  ALR encourages investigators to take advantage of all of these resources.  All proposals submitted must be based on information in the public domain. 

Responsive applications will propose research to elucidate the functional implications of the genetic variants identified in human lupus studies. Lupus-associated genes studied in animal models that are not among those also identified in human studies are not appropriate topics for this grant mechanism.

ALR will focus support on: 

• Human Studies:  Functional validation studies could use human DNA samples from phenotypically well-characterized individuals to correlate a gene variant with a particular phenotype.  Such human studies are particularly encouraged.
• Genetic Models:  Established genetic models as well as emerging genetic models can be used to look at in vivo gene/variant function.
• RNA interference:  RNAi depletion of candidate genes in cells, tissues or whole organisms can be used to identify phenotypes. 
• Imaging strategies:  Imaging of cell trafficking in vivo might be useful in characterizing the impact of lupus-associated gene variants on immune responses or inflammation.
• Systems-level approaches:   Bioinformatic resources (i.e., interactome, gene expression, proteomic, metabolomic, and anatomical databases) can be mined to generate testable hypotheses concerning the function of candidate genes and groups of genes. 
• Cellular or circuit-level approaches:  Studies might compare gene/variant functional consequences at the cellular and circuit levels, especially with respect to a drug challenge.
• Epigenetics:  Functional validations of epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in the context of lupus, including potential maternal and paternal imprinting or X chromosome inactivation, are of interest.
• Comparison of wild type and gene variant functions:  The molecular alteration associated with a gene variant frequently does not reveal whether the function of a particular gene is increased, decreased, or leads to unexpected functional consequences.  Approaches using in vivo transgenes, in vitro biochemical assays, or other validation methods that can address these issues will help to identify the most promising molecular targets for therapeutic interventions. 
• Identification of functionally significant sequences in disease-associated genomic regions: While some genomic regions show strong statistical association with a diagnosis of SLE, in many cases the specific sequences responsible for the association have not yet been identified. Deep sequencing approaches can be used to define the specific regulatory or coding sequences responsible for the association with SLE and their impact on cell function.

 Application Requirements

Applications are open to investigators working at established research institutions (both for profit and not-for profit) as well as investigators at state health agencies, the FDA, VA and at intramural divisions of NIH.  Applications may be submitted by investigators working anywhere in the world.  Non-U.S. applicants whose projects involve human subjects must work at institutions that have human subjects committees that operate in a substantially similar manner to a U.S. Institutional Review Board.

If you have any questions or require any additional information regarding the application process, please contact Diomaris Gonzalez, Assistant Director of Research Administration at (212) 218-2840; 1-800-867-1743 or at research.admin@lupusresearch.org.