Notice of the intention of NHLBI to release a Program to encourage Longitudinal Studies of HIV-Associated Lung Infections and Complications (R01)

Notice Number: NOT-HL-06-129

Key Dates
Release Date: June 7, 2006

Issued by
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/)

The purpose of this Notice is to announce the intention to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) in the summer of 2006 to establish longitudinal research studies in existing HIV-infected cohorts and other groups of HIV-infected patients to characterize lung infections, other HIV-associated lung complications and their consequences. Establishment of studies that are ancillary to ongoing studies is encouraged. The receipt date for applications would be in the winter of 2006.

This RFA will support research teams capable of conducting longitudinal protocols. The PIs must demonstrate that they have access to HIV-infected cohorts, their teams must have the capability for doing basic research, and they must agree to share samples and data. An important function of the program will be to collect and store biological specimens for future mechanistic studies of the underlying pathogenesis of pulmonary complications associated with HIV-infection. Applicants will be strongly encouraged to include a small-scale hypothesis driven specific aim that will use samples and data from the clinical protocol(s) to explore possible directions for later basic science proposals that are beyond the scope of the RFA.

The RFA will use the investigator-initiated research project grant (R01) mechanism and will solicit applications for one data coordinating center and several clinical sites.

Relevant expertise for the clinical sites would include clinical research, epidemiology, multicenter studies, pulmonology including research bronchoalveolar lavage and pulmonary function testing, infectious diseases, immunology, virology, microbiology, oncology, lung pathology, lung imaging, and collecting and processing biological specimens.

The data coordinating site will require expertise in data coordination and management of multicenter clinical and epidemiological studies, maintaining web-based data sets and other web-based resources, biostatistics, pulmonology, infectious diseases, and in particular HIV infection, informed consent, and tissue repositories and biomedical/clinical informatics.

The initiative addresses wide gaps in our understanding of HIV in the lung, for example dual infection with HIV and TB infection in developing countries and re-examining lung complications in the context of multi-drug antiretroviral treatment. For example, the prevalence, course, and pathogenesis of drug resistant pneumocystis, or characterizing HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension, immune reconstitution syndromes, HIV-associated emphysema, HIV-associated lung cancer or sarcoidosis.

This Notice is to encourage investigators who believe that they have sufficient expertise to begin considering applying for this RFA program.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Interested parties may contact Dr. Hannah Peavy after 6/30/06:

Hannah H. Peavy, M.D.
Division of Lung Diseases
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Rockledge II, Room 10208
6701 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-7952
Telephone: (301) 435-0222
FAX: (301) 480-3557
Email: peavyh@nhlbi.nih.gov