Notice Number: NOT-RM-08-004

Key Dates
Release Date: November 15, 2007

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)

The National Institute of Health plans to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in the fall of 2007 as part of the NIH Roadmap 1.5 Human Microbiome Project (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/hmp/ ).  The goal of the HMP is to extensively characterize the human microbiome and create a technological and data research resource that will enable in-depth study of its variation  in relation to any of a number of relevant variables (e.g.,  genotype, disease, age, nutrition, medication and environment) and its influence on health and disease. The RFA will invite applications for projects that will examine, through molecular approaches, the relationship between changes in the human microbiome and human health and disease.  Applicants will be asked to address the following objectives:

• Identification of an important biological system that holds the potential to demonstrate the relationship between the human microbiome and health or disease.  Included in this objective is the identification of an existing or readily accessible set or collection of donors/samples, consented in a way consistent with HMP guidelines (which will be posted at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/hmp/), which can be studied to determine the role (if any) played by the microbiota in the chosen anatomical region or regions in the specific health condition to be studied;
• Use of high-throughput, cost-effective technologies to produce a data set that can be used to study the human microbiome in the selected body region(s) under specified conditions, and to make those data publicly available;
• Design and/or adaptation of analytical tools that will allow conclusions to be drawn about the relationship of the human microbiota to health and disease. 

The RFA is expected to be published in November 2007 with an expected receipt date in May 2008. Individuals interested in applying for this RFA may be interested in attending an international meeting December 9-10 at which there will be discussion of forming an International Human Microbiome Consortium.  Successful applicants for this RFA will be expected to participate in this international consortium.  Those applicants interested in attending the meeting may contact ([email protected]) for further information.  Prospective applicants are encouraged to send only one representative per laboratory due to limited space and the intention of the HMP to include as many interested parties as possible.

Inquiries

Please send direct inquiries regarding this Notice to:

Jane L. Peterson on behalf of the Human Microbiome Working Group  (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/hmp/members.asp) 
National Human Genome Research Institute
5635 Fishers Lane
Room Number 4076
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone: (301) 496-7531
FAX:  (301) 480-2770
Email: [email protected]