Developing medical countermeasures (MCMs) to protect civilians against intentional or accidental toxic chemical exposure that can lead to mass casualties is a major goal of the biodefense program at NIH. This goal is executed by the Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP) at NIAID in partnership with several other ICs across the NIH (NIH Strategic Plan and Research Agenda for Medical Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats). NIAMS has been a critical and active partner in this trans-NIH effort since the CCRPs inception in 2006. To broaden its research base and raise the awareness of the scientific community at large about the urgent need for broadly effective MCMs against chemical threats, the CCRP is encouraging its IC partners to issue IC-specific NOFOs to further engage their respective research disciplines that are not currently engaged in this research field.
The initiative encourages the NIAMS skin research community to contribute to the basic understanding of injuries caused by those toxic chemicals and materials identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as high-consequence public health Chemicals of Concern (CoC) and to explore the local and systemic mechanisms of chemical wound development, healing, and long-term consequences. This initiative will emphasize understanding commonalities in the fundamental mechanisms of skin injuries caused by CoCs, including vesicants (e.g., sulfur mustard, Lewisite, nitrogen mustard, phosgene oxime, and arsenicals) and toxic industrial/corrosive chemicals and materials (e.g., aqueous hydrochloric acid, oleum, nitric acid, and chlorosulfuric acid). The hope for supporting this initiative is that the fundamental knowledge gained would ultimately lead to the discovery and characterization of potential shared therapeutic targets (e.g., in signal transduction pathways and inflammation process) and the development of MCMs that are broadly effective against multiple CoCs.
This notice is intended for investigators who are neither currently nor have previously been supported by the CCRP, but whose research interests are relevant to skin chemical injuries and skin wound healing in general. It is assumed that the proposed project will represent a new direction for the applicant, which requires the applicants research lab to acquire new skills (e.g., handling toxic chemicals), gather new resources (e.g., establishing collaborative or contractual relationships with facilities certified to utilize restricted/controlled chemicals) and generate new preliminary data.
Therefore, this NOFO uses a planning mechanism (R34) to support such investigators in commencing the preparatory steps toward this new line of research. This means that the applicants do not need to present preliminary data supporting the proposed study in concept, publication records, or specific skills and proficiency in experimental execution in the chemical MCM field. However, the PD/PI should demonstrate prior experience in wound healing research and general knowledge relating to skin injury and healing.
An expected outcome of a proposed project is that the investigator has added within the laboratory (if needed) personnel with the skills and expertise to conduct studies in this area, established a working relationship with facilities certified for toxic chemicals (if needed), and gathered sufficient preliminary data to support a more comprehensive research project suitable under the other more translationally-focused CCRP NOFOs.
Applications Not Responsive to This PAR
The proposed study must contain two or more CoCs, one of which must be a vesicant, because the emphasis is to understand the common mechanisms by which CoCs cause pathologies and whether the processes overlap with vesicant injuries. If an application proposes to study only one chemical or does not include at least one vesicant, it is not responsive to the PAR.
If multiple vesicants are proposed, the vesicants must belong to different chemical categories, e.g., mustard (sulfur, nitrogen, 2-chloroethyl ethylsulfide or CEES), Lewisite, phosgene oxime, and arsenicals are considered distinct vesicants. Note that sulfur mustard, nitrogen mustard, and 2-chloroethyl ethylsulfide (CEES) are viewed as within the same chemical category for the purpose of this NOFO. Proposals to study only these three mustard analogs will be viewed as studying one vesicant, hence not responsive to this NOFO.
We encourage the potential applicants to consult with the program officials assigned to this NOFO to ensure that their applications are responsive in this regard.
Non-responsive applications will be returned without review.