Notice Number: NOT-GM-07-108
Key Dates
Release Date: June 22, 2007
Response Date: July 20, 2007
Issued by
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) ( http://www.nigms.nih.gov/ )
This is a time-sensitive Request for Information (RFI) soliciting input that will assist a working group of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council as it carries out an assessment of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI).
This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation for applications or an obligation of the part of the government. The government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the government's use of that information.
Background: The mission of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) includes the support of basic biomedical research in fields such as cell biology, biophysics, genetics, developmental biology, pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioinformatics, computational biology, and certain clinical areas. In supporting basic research the NIGMS employs various grant mechanisms that provide funding for both individual investigator-oriented projects as well as larger collaborative projects involving multiple investigators. More information is available via the NIGMS homepage, noted above.
The Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) is a large collaborative research effort that the NIGMS has supported for nearly seven years. The PSI, which is implemented through an integrated group of research centers and smaller projects, is experimentally determining the three- dimensional structure of proteins in pursuit of its overall goal of making the three-dimensional atomic-level structures of most proteins easily obtainable from knowledge of their corresponding DNA sequences. The specific goals of PSI-1 (2000-2005) were: 1) to develop methodology and technology to increase success rates and lower costs of structural determination; 2) to construct and automate the protein production and structural determination pipeline; and 3) to determine unique protein structures. The specific goals of PSI-2 (2005-2010) are: 1) to increase the number of sequence families with structural representatives, including families with high biological impact; 2) to continue methodology and technology development, especially for challenging classes of proteins such as membrane proteins; and 3) to facilitate the use of structures by the broad scientific community. More detailed information on the goals, contributions and organization of this large project is available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/News/Reports/psi2_update_052007.htm.
Responses Sought: The NIGMS Advisory Council and Institute leadership have requested that an assessment of the PSI be undertaken. This assessment (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/About/Council/PSIAssessment/) will be carried out by a panel of investigators that will meet in the fall of 2007 to consider the status of the project and its impact on the biomedical research enterprise. NIGMS is inviting scientists, scientific organizations, and other interested parties to participate in this assessment by responding to these questions.
- How do structural biology in general and the PSI in particular impact your research?
- How have PSI results been useful to you or your colleagues?
- Do you believe there have been positive and/or negative consequences of the PSI? If so, please describe them.
- What is your opinion of the overall goal for the PSI, i.e., making the three-dimensional atomic-level structures of most proteins easily obtainable from knowledge of their corresponding DNA sequences? Please provide your reasoning.
- How likely do you think it is that the PSI will meet its overall goal? Please provide your reasoning.
- What is your opinion of the merits, relative to one another, of the specific goals of PSI-1, which were 1) to develop methodology and technology to increase success rates and lower costs of structural determination, 2) to construct and automate the protein production and structural determination pipeline, and 3) to determine unique protein structures?
- What is your opinion of the merits, relative to each other, of the specific goals of PSI-2, which are 1) to increase the number of sequence families with structural representatives, including families with high biological impact; 2) to continue methodology and technology development, especially for challenging classes of proteins such as membrane proteins; and 3) to facilitate the use of structures by the broad scientific community?
- In terms of impact, how do the contributions of PSI-1 and PSI-2 compare to those of structural biology pursued outside the PSI?
- How are PSI results being integrated into the research of the broader biomedical community?
- Are there unmet needs that the PSI could address following its current production phase? If so, please describe them.
- Do you have further comments about the PSI?
How to Submit a Response
By sending an email to this address, [email protected], you will receive an automatic email message containing the questions listed above. Use the “reply” email function to add your responses to those questions and return the completed email to NIGMS.
Please limit comments to approximately 500 words per question.
Responses will be accepted until 12 midnight EDT on July 20, 2007.
While the NIGMS will not initiate the release of the compiled information, it is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/foia/efoia.htm).
Inquiries
Inquiries concerning the Notice may be directed to:
Warren Jones, Ph.D., Chief
Biochemistry and Bio-related Chemistry Branch
Pharmacology, Physiology, & Biological Chemistry Division
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Building 45, Room 2As.43E
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-6200
Tel: (301) 594-3827
E-mail: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
