OpportunityTitle: Assay Development for High Throughput Screening for Nicotinic Receptor Subunits (R21)
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Other Eligible Applicants include the following:  Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Description: Purpose. This FOA, issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), requests applications that propose to develop biological assays that will facilitate the discovery of new molecular probes for investigating the biological function of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Membrane-spanning subunits (alpha and beta) aggregate in pentamers to form various combinations of functional nAChR ion channels. Genetic association studies have implicated variants in the 5-3-4 cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunit gene cluster on chromosome 15q24-25.1 for the risk of nicotine addiction, tobacco dependence, smoking, and lung cancer. Other studies have implicated the 6-subunit in nicotine addiction. This FOA seeks applications proposing to develop biological assays for constitutive receptor combinations involving 3, 5, 6, and/or 4 subunits, suitable ultimately for configuration as high throughput screening (HTS) assays. Once developed, these HTS-ready assays can, and will be expected to be, submitted for screening (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RM-09-011.html ) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Molecular Libraries Production Centers Network (MLPCN) to identify biologically active compounds in a large library of small molecule chemical structures. The chemical structures uncovered through development and use of these assays could then be used for selective ligand development and as possible lead molecules to guide drug discovery in the development of tobacco smoking cessation medications. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will use the NIH Exploratory/Developmental (R21) grant mechanism with modifications. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Approximately $1.5 million will be available for this FOA in 2011. NIDA anticipates making approximately 5-7 awards in 2011. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the mechanism numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.
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