Department of Defense (DOD) Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) Therapeutic Development Award

The summary for the Department of Defense (DOD) Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) Therapeutic Development Award grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Dept of the Army USAMRAA, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Department of Defense (DOD) Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) Therapeutic Development Award: The intent of the Therapeutic Development Award is to sponsor the development of therapeutics and the tools for their evaluation in preclinical model systems of NF1, NF2, and/or Schwannomatosis. The overall goal of this award mechanism is to accelerate the introduction of improved therapies for NF and Schwannomatosis into the clinical setting by supporting (1) the development of tools or platforms (including animal models) to identify lead agents or assess preclinical efficacy, and/or (2) the generation of the preclinical data necessary to conduct clinical trials after completion of the proposed research. The proposed studies are expected to be empirical in nature and product-driven, but may have a hypothesis-driven approach provided the focus is on therapeutics. Please note that the Therapeutic Development Award mechanism is designed to support the development of tools, platforms, and model systems to be used for preclinical testing of therapeutics for NF and/or Schwannomatosis. Investigators interested in developing and/or validating tools, platforms, or model systems for basic research (i.e., not for therapeutic studies) should apply instead to the NFRP FY06 Resource Development Award . Therapeutic Development Award proposals are limited to the areas of programmatic interest listed below. Proposals must focus on one or more of these areas to be considered for funding. Proposals that do not focus on at least one of the following areas will be administratively withdrawn. Development and/or validation of high-throughput screens or models to aid in defining targets with therapeutic potential Identification of novel therapeutics or lead agents through screening of libraries of small molecule compounds Development, modification, and/or validation of preclinical model systems for the pharmacological and/or pharmacokinetic testing of lead compounds and potential therapeutics Evaluation of novel and/or existing therapeutic modalities using established or validated novel preclinical model systems of NF1, NF2, and/or Schwannomatosis; Proposals must include preliminary data relevant to the phase(s) of the preclinical development process covered by the research in their proposals. If appropriate, the proposal should include a clear statistical plan of analysis. The NFRP is particularly interested in developing coordinated, multidisciplinary, goal/product-driven consortia focused on the development of therapeutics for NF1, NF2, and/or Schwannomatosis. Consortia should be dedicated to a single, synergistic preclinical development project or study rather than an additive set of subprojects (i.e., the combined efforts of the whole consortium provide greater benefit than the sum of individual research initiatives). Each consortium should comprise a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research team of scientists and/or clinicians who have made significant contributions or have specific expertise related to the central theme of the proposal. If a consortium is proposed, sufficient characterization of the consortium and justification for the collaborative partners must be included in the proposal. Letters confirming/supporting collaboration are required. Participating institutions must be willing to resolve potential intellectual and material property issues and to remove institutional barriers that might interfere with achieving high levels of cooperation to ensure the successful establishment and maintenance of the consortia. An intellectual and material property plan is required as part of the supporting documentation of this proposal (see Subsection V.L). Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to apply for this award mechanism. If a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company applies for this mechanism as an individual submitter or as part of a consortium (see below), the company is expected to leverage its own resources to complement the funding provided for the study by this award.