The Department of Health and Human Services is accepting applications for the Centers for Neurodegeneration Science (CNS) program.  Washington University is eligible to submit one application.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Aging (NIA) invite qualified investigators from academic institutions or non-profit research institutions to submit an application for a Center for Neurodegeneration Science (CNS).  The CNS program builds on the previous success of the NIEHS Collaborative Centers for Parkinson's Disease Environmental Research (CCPDER), provides increased flexibility for investigators and extends the scope to include researchers who study the environmental mediation of other human neurodegenerative diseases.

The interaction of genetic and environmental factors in neurodegenerative disease presents unique scientific challenges and opportunities.  The CNS Program is founded on the premise that the combined research efforts of clinical and basic scientists will be required to clarify the causes of neurodegenerative disease.  Interdisciplinary research approaches are needed to enable scientists to incorporate risk and protective factor clues emerging from epidemiologic investigations with results from human genetic studies, clinical trials, disease models in animals and alternative organisms, and basic cellular and molecular neurobiologic studies of vulnerable neuronal populations.  Such integration is essential for rapidly identifying the initiating and/or sustaining environmental stressors and primary biologic events that participate in the injury to the neuronal populations targeted by specific neurodegenerative diseases.  This knowledge will provide novel therapeutic targets for intervention of existing disease and prevention strategies for reducing exposure in vulnerable individuals.

NIEHS intends to commit approximately $4 million/year for this program.  NIA intends to contribute approximately $500,000/year to fund components of successful CNS applications that are relevant to the NIA mission (i.e., projects that focus on etiology and/or clinical features of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias).  The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) recognizes the importance of this topic to understanding the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.  NINDS may provide additional funding for projects that are strongly relevant to their research priorities.  Two or three awards are anticipated to fund applications submitted in response to this funding announcement (FOA).  Awards are anticipated to begin on May 1, 2008.  Applications received from investigators previously funded under the NIEHS CCPDER (Collaborative Centers for Parkinson's Disease Environmental Research) Program will be considered new applications.  An applicant may request a project period of up to five years and a budget for direct costs up to $1 million per year.  The budget ceiling of $1 million for direct costs will remain fixed for each year of support requested through this award.

If you wish to submit a proposal for the University, please forward the following materials for internal review:

1. Cover page (see below)
2. A brief description of the proposed center (one to three pages)
3. Curriculum vitae for the proposed program director and co-directors.

For additional information and the Cover page form, click here.

Materials should be electronically submitted to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  no later than 11:59 PM on June 5, 2007.

**Please note that the full proposal is due by July 24, 2007.  Optional Letters of Intent are due June 24, 2007 (see details at http://internalcompetitions.wustl.edu/research/grants.nsf/Current?OpenView or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-07-003.html).