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

A -- NEUROTOXIN EXPOSURE TREATMENT RESEARCH PROGRAM SOL CBD-NRP-0502 POC Craig D. Lebo, Contracting Officer, 301-619-2036 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 disease, 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 disease. We solicit proposals on a broad range of basic and applied science, including but not limited to these areas of interest: (1) influence of environmental factors such as exposure to toxic substances, head injury, shock, radiofrequency radiation and chronic stress in the mediation of neural cell death, (2) development and validation of new approaches to early detection of neurodegenerative disease, (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. Proposals will be selected for funding on the basis of scientific quality and military relevance. Scientific quality is assessed by independent peer review. Projects are typically 2-4 years in duration and must be completed by 30 September 2006. Program projects will not be considered. Approximately $9M is available for the lifespan of these projects. A special category of "concept exploration" proposals (CEP) will also be considered this year. CEPs allow investigators to conduct pilot studies and develop preliminary data for novel hypotheses that fall within the specific topic areas, with the intent that full proposals submitted to future solicitations may further expand on CEP successes; total direct costs for these studies should not exceed $100K; approximately 10 concept exploration proposals are expected to be funded; previously untested concepts and investigators new to this field of research will receive priority. Proposals must be submitted according to general instructions contained in the Broad Agency Announcement 99-1 (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 encouraged and should be sent by 16 August 2000; these are for planning purposes and investigators will NOT be sent any response to letters of intent. Full proposals are due by 4:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, 20 September 2000. Send letters of intent and proposals to: Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, ATTN: MCMR-AAA (Neurotox), 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5014. Posted 05/02/00 (W-SN450295). (0123)

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