COORDINATION OF VASCULARIZATION AND LUNG DEVELOPMENT
RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2002
RFA: HL-03-006
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov)
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: February 19, 2003
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: March 19, 2003
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations
PURPOSE OF THIS RFA
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) invites
applications to address the interactive relationships between
vasculogenesis, including angiogenic/angiostatic modulation, and the
developing lung. The purpose of this RFA is to stimulate research that
will increase our knowledge of these interactive processes by supporting
fundamental studies focusing on the cellular and molecular mechanisms
that coordinate the formation of the lung and its vasculature during the
process of normal lung development or that contribute to arrested or
aberrant lung development. It is expected that these studies will
involve a systems biology approach to lung development and will gather
information on the temporo-spatial expression of regulatory genes,
growth factors and receptors involved in the process of vasculogenesis
and angiogenesis during lung development. Such new information would
provide the basis for intervention to reverse arrested alveolization,
which is a feature of the chronic lung disease observed in very-low-
birth-weight premature infants. Such new information might also clarify
some of the apparent associations between early developmental events and
the pathobiology of adult lung disease.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Background
The development of the lung vasculature is a highly orchestrated
process, involving the formation of new vessels, followed by cessation
of further vascular proliferation. During development, there are two
distinct and separate processes, vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, which
are considered responsible for organ vascularization. Vasculogenesis is
the organization of undifferentiated endothelial cells into vascular
structures. It is followed by angiogenesis, whereby previously formed
vessels extend into under-vascularized regions. In this process,
endothelial cells proliferate and sprout from the previously formed
vessels, forming new vascular structures.
The precise alignment of lung structural components and vasculature is
required for normal pulmonary function. Infants born with congenital
alveolar-capillary dysplasia die of respiratory failure because of
failure to oxygenate effectively. However, little is understood about
the mechanisms that regulate and coordinate growth and differentiation
of normal lung and its vasculature or about the factors that lead to
disrupted alignment of the vasculature and the arrested growth of
alveolar structure observed in the presentation of bronchopulmonary
dysplasia (BPD) in the post-surfactant era.
There is great potential for treating a variety of neonatal diseases by
employing various factors to stimulate normal vascular development or to
interfere with pathological processes, but realizing that potential
depends on clarification of the many complex relationships that are
operative during normal lung development. Growth factors such as basic
fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) are known to enhance migration, proliferation and
dedifferentiation of endothelial cells, leading to the appearance of
vascular structures in tissue undergoing repair. Other findings suggest
that the unique temporal and spatial expression of specific VEG-F
isoforms during lung development promotes the vascular patterning of the
lung as it develops. Likewise, an important balance between angiogenic
modulators like interleukin 8 (IL8) and angiostatic modulators like
interleukin 10 (IL10) may be modulated by a biochemical cascade of
cytokine signals which may serve to regulate normal development, but
which may also be elaborated excessively as a consequence of conditions
which result in injury. For instance, intermittent hypoxia is a
relatively common condition, which occurs during maternal sleep
disordered beathing and during apnea of prematurity, producing
deleterious fluctuations in the levels of free radicals, cytokines, and
growth factors leading to lung injury. The control of vascularization
in the developing lung via paracrine mechanisms represents an important
area of scientific overlap between organ development and the repair of
injured tissue.
Problems and opportunities in studying the process of lung development
arise from the fact that different lung components e.g. the vasculature,
the extracellular matrix and the parenchyma of the lung, are interacting
with one another while they are developing concurrently. For instance,
reduction in the level of the transcription factor Fox f1 causes
neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage and abnormalities in the process of
alveologenesis, implicating it in the regulation of mesenchyme-
epithelial interaction critical for lung morphogenesis. Little is known
about the composite of early, complex interactions of this type, which
ultimately determine the structure and function of the adult pulmonary
vasculature.
An operational understanding of how to foster precise alignment of lung
structural components and vasculature is required for successful
function of lung transplants, tissue implants and/or revitalization and
construction of operative artificial organs. BPD, which is now
primarily seen in very low birth weight premature infants who are
surviving in increased numbers in the post-surfactant era, is believed
to be a clinical example of developmental mis-alignment. The prevailing
view of this disorder is that arrested development of the vasculature
may be the factor that limits formation of alveolar structure.
Knowledge gained through studies on the developing vasculature could
potentially yield an appropriate clinical approach to this problem.
Likewise, understanding these interactions is fundamental in estimating
the potential utility of any approach to therapeutic intervention in the
area of adult lung injury and vascular proliferative disease.
Understanding the influence of parallel development of the lung and its
vasculature could uncover information useful in preventing the
development of co-morbid conditions later in life. For example, in the
neonatal rat, the number of alveoli increases logarithmically during the
first week of life. Dexamethasone treatment during this critical period
of lung development in rats resulted in sustained lung hypoplasia and
increased the severity of subsequent, hyperoxia-induced, pulmonary
hypertension. In other studies, vitamin A, which appears to stimulate
the generation of alveoli in adult mice, has been shown to effect the
localization of VEGF at axonal points in the vasculature of neonatal
rats, and may, thereby, stimulate the development of alveolar
capillaries.
Objectives and Scope
This RFA is intended to stimulate investigations of the molecular
mechanisms that coordinate the development of lung vasculature and
parenchyma. Multidisciplinary studies that bring together investigators
with expertise in developmental biology of the lung and vasculature are
encouraged. New approaches that address basic areas that have the
potential to lead to development of novel treatments for developmental
and congenital abnormalities are also encouraged. In addition to those
discussed above, some research topics that will be responsive to this
program are listed below. These are only examples, applicants are
encouraged to propose other topics that address the overall goals of
this initiative, consistent with the SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS section below.
o assess the temporo-spatial relationships between the expression of
genes governing the regulation of lung structural development and genes
involved in pulmonary vascularization
o develop methods to explore whether vascularization initiates
structural organization, or whether signals liberated by the developing
lung activate recruitment of vascular primordia into the developing lung
and participate in their structural differentiation
o address the positive and negative roles of inflammation during the
coordinated development of the lung and the pulmonary vasculature.
o track the simultaneous progression of vascular and parenchymal stem
cells during lung development.
o develop vascularized lung tissue for eventual clinical replacement of
damaged tissue.
o Characterize the effects of intermittent hypoxia on the coordination
between vasculogenesis and the developing lung, and elucidate the
underlying pathological mechanisms.
MECHANISM OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the NIH R01 (investigator-initiated research project
grant) award mechanism. As an applicant you will be solely responsible
for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. This RFA
is a one-time solicitation. Future unsolicited, competing-continuation
applications based on this project will compete with all investigator-
initiated applications and will be reviewed according to the customary
peer review procedures. The anticipated award date is September 30,
2003.
This RFA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular budgeting
format. (see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm).
Specifically, if you are submitting an application with direct costs in
each year of $250,000 or less, use the modular format.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
The NHLBI intends to commit approximately $4,000,000 in FY 2003 to fund
8 to 10 new and/or competitive continuation grants in response to this
RFA. An applicant may request a project period of up to four years and a
budget for direct costs of up to $250,000 per year. 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. Although the financial plans of the NHLBI to provide
support for this program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent
upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of
meritorious applications.
Since the total costs for a subcontract or consortium are included in
the direct cost request, one additional module of $25,000 above the cap
may be requested for the facilities and administrative costs associated
with third party agreements. A module requested for this purpose must
be clearly identified in the budget justification section of the
application, and will be restricted for this purpose only at the time of
award.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS
You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the
following characteristics:
o For-profit or non-profit organizations
o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges,
hospitals, and laboratories
o Units of State and local governments
o Eligible agencies of the Federal government
o Domestic or foreign
o Faith-based or community based organizations
INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to
carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their
institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from
underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with
disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Grantees" Meetings
The NHLBI will sponsor meetings to encourage the exchange of information
among investigators who participate in this program. In the preparation
of the budget for the grant application, applicants should factor in
travel funds for an annual program meeting to be held in Bethesda,
Maryland. Applicants should also include a statement in their
application, indicating their willingness to participate in such
meetings.
General Clinical Research Centers
Applicants from institutions that have a General Clinical Research
Center (GCRC) funded by the NIH National Center for Research Resources
may wish to identify the GCRC as a resource for conducting the proposed
research. If so, a letter of agreement from either the GCRC program
director or principal investigator should be included with the
application.
Restrictions and Exclusions
Studies are limited to a systems biology approach to lung development.
Therefore, applications focused exclusively on lung vascular development
will not be considered responsive. Likewise, applications focused
exclusively on lung structural development, or primarily on growth
factors and growth factor receptors, will not be considered responsive.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity
to answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into
three areas: scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants
management issues:
o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to:
Dr. Mary Anne Berberich
Division of Lung Diseases
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 10102, MSC 7952
Bethesda, MD 20892-7952
Telephone: (301) 435-0222
FAX: (301) 480-3557
Email: berberim@nhlbi.nih.gov
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to:
Dr. Anne P. Clark
Chief, Review Branch
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7214, MSC 7924
Bethesda, MD 20892-7924 (20817 for express/courier service)
Telephone: (301)435-0270
FAX: (301) 480-0730
Email: clarka@nhlbi.nih.gov
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:
Mr. Owen O. Bobbitt
Grants Operations Branch
Division of Extramural Affairs
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7926
Bethesda, MD 20892-7926
Telephone: (301) 435-0177
FAX: (301) 480-0422
Email: bobbitto@nhlbi.nih.gov
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that
includes the following information:
o Descriptive title of the proposed research
o Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator
o Names of other key personnel
o Participating institutions
o Number and title of this RFA
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does
not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information
that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review
workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent should be sent, on or before the date listed at the
beginning of this document, to Dr. Anne Clark at the address listed
under WHERE TO SEND INQUIRES.
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant
application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). The PHS 398 is
available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in
an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo,
Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS: All applications
submitted to this RFA must use the modular budget format. Applications
requesting up to $250,000 per year in direct costs must be submitted in
a modular grant format. Applications requesting one module ($25,000)
above the cap due to subcontract or consortium facilities and
administrative costs associated with third party agreements must also be
submitted in modular format and may request up to $275,000 per year in
direct costs. The modular grant format simplifies the preparation of
the budget in these applications by limiting the level of budgetary
detail. Applicants request direct costs in $25,000 modules. Section C
of the research grant application instructions for the PHS 398 (rev.
5/2001) at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
includes step-by-step guidance for preparing modular grants. Additional
information on modular grants is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.
USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev.
5/2001) application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page
of the application. Type the RFA number on the label. Failure to use
this label could result in delayed processing of the application such
that it may not reach the review committee in time for review. In
addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face
page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. The RFA
label is also available at:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.
SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original
of the application, including the Checklist, and three signed,
photocopies, in one package to:
Center For Scientific Review
National Institutes Of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892-7710
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and
all five collated sets of Appendix material must be sent to Dr. Anne
Clark at the address listed under WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES.
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by the application
receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA. If an application is
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without
review.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application
in response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently
pending initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending
application. The CSR will not accept any application that is
essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the
submission of substantial revisions of applications already reviewed,
but such applications must include an Introduction addressing the
previous critique.
Principal investigators should not send supplementary material without
first contacting the Scientific Review Administrator (SRA). The SRA
will be identified in the letter sent to you indicating that your
application has been received. If you have not received such a letter
within three weeks after submitting the application, contact Dr. Anne
Clark at the address listed under WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR
and responsiveness by the NHLBI. Incomplete applications will be
returned to the applicant without further consideration. And, if the
application is not responsive to the RFA, CSR staff may contact the
applicant to determine whether to return the application to the
applicant or submit it for review in competition with unsolicited
applications at the next appropriate NIH review cycle.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be
evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer
review group convened by the NHLBI in accordance with the review
criteria stated below. As part of the initial merit review, all
applications will:
o Receive a written critique
o Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications
under review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o Receive a second level review by the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Advisory Council.
REVIEW CRITERIA
The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health.
In the written comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the
following aspects of your application in order to judge the likelihood
that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit
of these goals:
o Significance
o Approach
o Innovation
o Investigator
o Environment
The scientific review group will address and consider each of these
criteria in assigning your application=s overall score, weighting them
as appropriate for each application. Your application does not need to
be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific
impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For example, you may
propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative
but is essential to move a field forward.
(1) SIGNIFICANCE: Does your study address an important problem? If the
aims of your application are achieved, how do they advance scientific
knowledge? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or
methods that drive this field?
(2) APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and
analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the
aims of the project? Do you acknowledge potential problem areas and
consider alternative tactics?
(3) INNOVATION: Does your project employ novel concepts, approaches or
methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does your project
challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or
technologies?
(4) INVESTIGATOR: Are you appropriately trained and well suited to carry
out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to your experience
level as the principal investigator and to that of other researchers (if
any)?
(5) ENVIRONMENT: Does the scientific environment in which your work
will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed
experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific
environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there
evidence of institutional support?
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, your
application will also be reviewed with respect to the following:
o PROTECTIONS: The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans,
animals, or the environment, to the extent they may be adversely
affected by the project proposed in the application.
o INCLUSION: The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both
genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as
appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Plans for the
recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. (See
Inclusion Criteria included in the section on Federal Citations, below)
o DATA SHARING: The adequacy of the proposed plan to share data.
o BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested
period of support in relation to the proposed research.
RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: February 19, 2003
Application Receipt Date: March 19, 2003
Peer Review Date: June/July 2003
Council Review: September 4-5, 2003
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: September 30, 2003
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Scientific merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH: It is the
policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their
sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research
projects unless a clear and compelling justification is provided
indicating that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of
the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from
the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43).
All investigators proposing clinical research should read the AMENDMENT
"NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in
Clinical Research - Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide
for Grants and Contracts on October 9, 2001
(https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html), a
complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_
2001.htm. The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition
of clinical research, updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance
with the new OMB standards, clarification of language governing NIH-
defined Phase III clinical trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398,
and updated roles and responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural
community. The policy continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase
III clinical trials that: a) all applications or proposals and/or
protocols must provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as
appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic
groups, including subgroups if applicable, and b) investigators must
report annual accrual and progress in conducting analyses, as
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN
SUBJECTS: The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals
under the age of 21) must be included in all human subjects research,
conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and
ethical reasons not to include them. This policy applies to all initial
(Type 1) applications submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998.
All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should
read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as
participants in research involving human subjects that is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm.
REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS: NIH
policy requires education on the protection of human subject
participants for all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research
involving human subjects. You will find this policy announcement in the
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT:
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been
revised to provide public access to research data through the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1)
first produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with
Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency
in support of an action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a
regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. It is important for
applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment. NIH has
provided guidance at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application
should include a description of the archiving plan in the study design
and include information about this in the budget justification section
of the application. In addition, applicants should think about how to
structure informed consent statements and other human subjects
procedures given the potential for wider use of data collected under
this award.
URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and
proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page
limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet
addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to
the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the
Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity
may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of
"Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority
areas. This RFA is related to one or more of the priority areas.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.837, 93.838, and 93.839 and is not
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order
12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards are made under
authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act
as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants
policies described at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm and
under Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition,
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in
which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or
early childhood development services are provided to children. This is
consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and
mental health of the American people.