Notice of Change in RFA-AI-12-020, "Partnerships for Interventions to Treat Chronic, Persistent and Latent Infections (R21/R33)," to clarify the "Specific Areas of Research Interest" section of the FOA

Notice Number: NOT-AI-12-030

Release Date: May 1, 2012

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

This Notice is to inform potential applicants that the NIAID is revising RFA-AI-12-020, Partnerships for Interventions to Treat Chronic, Persistent and Latent Infections (R21/R33), to clarify the Specific Areas of Research Interest section of the FOA.

The following modification to this FOA is being made:

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Specific Areas of Research Interest

CURRENT LANGUAGE:

This initiative seeks to stimulate basic and early-stage translational research focused on development of novel intervention strategies to clear persistent, chronic or latent infectious agents from the host. Responsive applications will define and address a therapeutic need specific to a targeted pathogen.

Examples of possible intervention strategies include, but are not limited to:

• Targeting pathogen latency establishment and/or maintenance mechanisms;
• Targeting mechanisms enabling pathogen evasion of host immune responses;
• Enhancing pathogen susceptibility to existing interventions;
• Modulation of pathogen-specific immune cells;
• Restoration and/or enhancement of specific aspects of the immune system
• Targeting of specific metabolic sub-populations responsible for chronic infections
• Eliminating replication competent viral nucleic acids from infected cells

Responsive applications must address discovery and/or development of new interventions against one or more agents where the clinical relevance of persistent, chronic and/or latent infection or reactivation there from, in immune-competent hosts is well-established in the scientific literature. 

NEW LANGUAGE:

Specific Areas of Research Interest

This initiative seeks to stimulate basic and early-stage translational research focused on development of novel or enhanced intervention strategies that target established persistent, chronic or latent infections.  Ideally, these strategies will seek to clear the infectious agent(s) from the host, but other approaches that seek to completely and permanently suppress the agent’s pathogenic processes and that do not involve the use of ongoing interventions, will also be considered. Responsive applications will define and address a therapeutic need specific to a targeted pathogen.

Examples of possible intervention strategies include, but are not limited to:

• Targeting pathogen latency establishment and/or maintenance mechanisms;
• Targeting mechanisms enabling pathogen evasion of host immune responses;
• Enhancing pathogen susceptibility to existing interventions;
• Modulation of pathogen-specific immune cells;
• Restoration and/or enhancement of specific aspects of the immune system
• Targeting of specific metabolic sub-populations responsible for chronic infections
• Eliminating replication competent viral nucleic acids from infected cells

Responsive applications must address discovery and/or development of new or enhanced interventions against one or more agents where the clinical relevance of persistent, chronic and/or latent infection, or reactivation there from, in immune-competent hosts is well-established in the scientific literature. 

All other aspects of the FOA remain unchanged and applicants must meet all requirements of RFA-AI-12-020.

Please direct all inquiries to:

Christopher Beisel, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
6610 Rockledge Dr., Room 5145
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: 301-496-7453
Email: [email protected]