DoD Gulf War Illness, Research Advancement Award

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The FY19 GWIRP Research Advancement Award supports applied research in GWI that is aimed at continued expansion and validation of markers and treatments that are supported by evidence in the GWI field. The Research Advancement Award targets the Qualification phase of the research pipeline as outlined in Section II.A.2 . Preliminary Data: Inclusion of preliminary data in the field of GWI and other supporting information is required. The project should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on existing evidence in the GWI field that holds translational potential. Impact: Applications must articulate how results will lead to a clinical impact for Veterans with GWI even if a clinical impact is not an immediate outcome. All applications must focus on features of GWI and Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War affected by GWI. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) to clearly and explicitly articulate the project’s potential impact on GWI. The types of activities supported include, but are not limited to, expansion of limited data on candidate markers, mechanistic targets; therapeutics and interventions; validation and advanced research on druggable mechanistic targets, identification and development of leading compounds, and collection of preclinical data for repurposing an existing approved drug or for new Investigational New Drug (IND) application submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Applicants proposing to test FDA-approved drugs in animal models for efficacy must explain why preclinical testing is required prior to clinical pilot trials in humans. Biorepository Contribution Option: In FY17, the GWIRP awarded infrastructure support for a GWI Biorepository. The Boston Biorepository, Recruitment, and Integrative Network (BBRAIN) for GWI has now been established for the retention and distribution of Gulf War Veteran biospecimens and/or data related to GWI research. Applicants to the FY19 GWIRP are encouraged to contribute Gulf War Veteran biospecimens and data to this repository network. The FY19 GWIRP Research Advancement Award offers a nested Biorepository Contribution Option with higher levels of funding for qualified applications as described in Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions . For the application to qualify for a higher level of funding, the applicant must submit a Biorepository Contribution Statement (see Attachment 10 ) providing a detailed accounting of proposed costs and a commitment to work with protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by the BBRAIN for quality assurance purposes. For additional details about BBRAIN, refer to the section below titled Access to Data and/or Previously Collected Biospecimens from Veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War . The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public. The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY19 GWIRP Research Advancement Award will not exceed $700,000 . Refer to Section II.D.5, Funding Restrictions , for detailed funding information. If applying under the Biorepository Contribution Option, direct costs will not exceed $720,000.

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