Director, USAMRAA, 820 Chandler St, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014

A -- NEUROTOXIN EXPOSURE TREATMENT RESEARCH PROGRAM SOL CBD&&&-9804-0001 POC CRAIG D. LEBO, Contracting Officer WEB: U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity Homepage, http://www-usamraa.army.mil. E-MAIL: Click here to contact the Contracting Officer via e-mail., craig_lebo@ftdetrck-ccmail.army.mil. Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Program The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command is soliciting research proposals for studies on the pathophysiology and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and including environmental and stress exposure factors encountered in military operations which may be neurotoxic or lead to neurodegenerative conditions. An improved understanding of the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases will form the basis of potential preventive measures against the effects of military threat agents and military operational hazards, and also lead to treatment interventions for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Proposals may be submitted on a broad range of basic and applied science,including but not limited to these areas of interest: (1) mechanisms of damage and protection against neural cell death, including regulation of excitotoxins such as glutamate, oxidative stress effects, regulation of inflammatory processes and the protective role of antiinflammatory drugs, antioxidants, and anticonvulsants, (2) development and validation of new approaches to neuropsychological testing to improve early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, (3) new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, including neural cell transplantation, neuroprotection, and alteration of cell biology through gene-regulation and other novel methods, (4) influence of environmental factors such as exposure to environmental toxins, toxic military threat agents, and chronic psychological and physiological stress in the mediation of neural cell death. Proposals will be selected for funding on the basis of scientific quality as determined through an independent scientific peer reviewquality as determined through an independent scientific peer review and potential military relevance. Potential application to military populations will be considered in this award. Projects are typically 2-4 years in duration and must becompleted by 30 Sep 2004. Program projects will not be considered. Approximately $20M is available for the lifespan of these projects. Proposals must be submitted according to general instructions contained in the Broad Agency Announcement 95-1 (see http://www-usamraa.army.mil). Letters of intent containing a proposed title, brief description of project scope (<150 words), and investigator and institution identification, are requested by 8 July 1998; these are for planning purposes only and investigators will not receive feedback. Full proposals are due by 4:00 pm EST, Wednesday, 5 August 1998. Send letters of intent and proposals to: Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, ATTN: MCMR-AAA (Neurotox), Fort Detrick, MD 21702 5014 or electronically to craig_lebo@ftdetrck- ccmail.army.mil. (0114)

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