New Preventing Preterm Birth Initiative
The
Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth
(GAPPS) is now accepting letters of inquiry for a new grant program, the
Preventing Preterm Birth initiative
(PPB).
GAPPS seeks projects that explore gestational origins, biological mechanisms and the immunological response to infection and nutritional deficiency which lead to preterm birth, especially in the developing
world.
This competition is expected to fund 6-10 grants. It is anticipated that, depending upon the scope of work proposed, the total budget for each project including institutional, indirect costs, will not
exceed $2,000,000 US dollars for the entire three to four year funding period.
Internal review deadline: 5PM, Jan. 24, 2012
External deadline for LOI: Jan. 31, 2012
Please contact
le.li@usask.ca if you have an interest in pursuing this opportunity and our International Research Office team would be very pleased to assist with the development of LOIs.
The PPB review committee will review all letters of inquiry submitted, and selected applicants will be invited to submit a full grant proposal.
Successful proposals may include one or more of the following components, among others:
1. Evaluation of the causal or mechanistic linkage between infection/inflammation, microbial ecology, and immunity during pregnancy and the pathways and physiological changes that lead to PTB and SB.
These may include, but are not limited to:
a. Determination of the microbiology and associated shifts in microbiota and in host factors that predispose to PTB and SB.
b. Determination of the immunologic responses and profiles associated with maternal and/or fetal infections (such as malaria, helminth infections, acute microbial infections, altered female reproductive
tract microbiota, etc.) that are critically involved in PTB and SB.
2. Comprehensive analyses of micro- and macro- nutrients, nutritional biomarkers, and the identification of the mechanisms by which nutrition influences fetal and maternal physiology in ways that may
promote PTB and SB.
3. Evaluation of the effect of duration and degree of maternal exposure to adverse environmental conditions (such as household air pollution or exposure to environmental toxins) in the developing world
that generate risk of PTB and SB.
4. Other studies of specific hypotheses related to infectious agents and/or conditions, pre-pregnancy health conditions that impact fetal development, or environmental exposure that could lead to a
better understanding of risk and mechanisms leading to PTB and SB, will also be considered.
5. Studies utilizing human cohorts, particularly from low and middle-income countries, are encouraged, and encouraged to follow commonly adopted standard operating procedures for prospective specimen
collection. Any research consortium agreement with investigators will be negotiated as part of the grant itself and specifics regarding data sharing and collaboration should be detailed in the proposal. Data sharing should comply with established formats and
protocols.
Details and application instructions are available at
http://www.gapps.org/healthybirth.