Notice Number: NOT-RM-09-008

Key Dates
Release Date: January 2, 2009

Issued by
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/), on behalf of the Roadmap Molecular Libraries Initiative.

The purpose of this notice is to provide additional guidance to investigators preparing applications to the Assay Development for High-Throughput Screening Program PAR-08-024 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-024.html).

Background: The Roadmap Assay Development for High Throughput Screening (HTS) Program serves as a key incubator funding the development of assay projects for HTS that will be eligible to advance to the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN; https://mli.nih.gov/mli/mlpcn/mlpcn-probe-production-centers/) when completed. These HTS-ready assays are then screened by a Network Center against the Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository (MLSMR; http://mli.nih.gov/mlsmr/index.php), and promising small molecule hits further developed as molecular probes. At present, projects funded in the Assay Development for HTS Program are eligible for rapid entry into the MLPCN in Year 2 of the R21 award. In year 2 Investigators are asked to submit a Fast Track request for screening to the Program Director that is based on their progress report at the end of Year 1 of the award. A Roadmap Molecular Libraries Project Team then provides a technical review of these requests on a monthly basis, placing an emphasis on project readiness and the need for probes to the proposed target. Upon approval by this Project Team the projects are immediately assigned to a Network Screening Center for implementation, and the investigator is awarded $25,000 (direct costs) to be used in facilitating an effective collaboration between the assay provider and the assigned Center on the HTS and probe development project.

CLARIFICATION: In the present notice, the NIH is advising applicants to the PAR-08-024 Program that they do not need to request Year 2 funding in the R21 application in order to enter the MLPCN with their assay project after its preparation is completed (as funded by Year 1 of the award). R21 applications can be limited to a Year 1 request for funding of assay development (up to $100,000 in direct costs), and will still be able to enter the MLPCN when the assays are HTS-ready by using the Fast Track request process described in the preceding section. Upon approval of this request by the Project Team, investigators funded by the R21 will receive $25,000 (direct costs) via a Roadmap Supplement, to be used (as previously described) in establishing an effective Investigator:Center collaboration.

Inquiries

Further information regarding eligibility for the PAR-08-024 Program, and information on preparing Fast Track requests for MLPCN entry, can be obtained by contacting Mark Scheideler, Ph.D., Program Director for the Roadmap Assay Development for HTS and Fast Track Programs, at the following email address: scheidelerm@ninds.nih.gov