ALCOHOL AND TISSUE INJURY
Call for Pilot Project Research Proposals
Clinical and Basic/Translational Projects
Submission Deadlines: |
|
Letter of Intent: |
Yearly Feb 15 (email to Thomas McIntyre) |
Proposal: |
Upon invitation approximately March 15 yearly |
Awards: Sponsors: |
2 pilot projects with direct costs up to $25,000 |
Purpose
The NIAAA/NIH-funded P50 Northern Ohio Alcohol Center (NOAC) is seeking applications for basic/translational or clinical projects related to the pathophysiological effects of alcohol on health. The Center seeks to expand the research community and to provide essential support necessary for a successful research application by Assistant to Full Staff/Professor. Topics may include:
The overall goal of the Northern Ohio Alcohol Center (NOAC) is to identify specific molecular targets of ethanol-induced damage, understand the complex adaptive and maladaptive responses of cells and systems to damage as well as address community-based issues related to alcohol use and abuse. The goal in providing pilot investigations is to expand both the pool of investigators in the broad area of alcohol research, to facilitate use of the P50 Clinical and Animal/Cell Models Cores, but also to facilitate work that otherwise might not be undertaken. Success for this mechanism would include novel outcomes that would lead to a larger, more detailed investigation.
Eligibility
Proposals may be submitted by Faculty members (This includes project scientist/project staff, but not post-doctoral fellows or research associates) in the Northeast Ohio region.
Letter of Intent
If you are interested in an exploratory project in the broad area of alcohol research, a one-page letter of intent that includes:
Selection Criteria and Review Process
Projects will be assessed based on: a) relevance to NOAC themes and goals; b) scientific quality; c) likelihood of receiving R01 funding in the future; d) collaborations/synergies with other NOAC investigators and use of NOAC Cores.
Proposals will be reviewed by the External Advisory Board of the NOAC. Based on these reviews and programmatic goals, the Executive Committee will make recommendations for funding. For questions, please contact Laura Nagy at [email protected] or 216.444.4021 or Tom McIntyre at [email protected].
View publications from the Northern Ohio Alcohol Center on NIH RePORTER:
View PublicationsThe Animal Model and Cell Isolation Core provides centralized facilities and standardized protocols for in vivo models of acute and chronic ethanol exposure, as well as the use of in vitro primary cell cultures isolated from ethanol-exposed animals.
These services allow Northern Ohio Alcohol Center (NOAC) investigators, as well as investigators new to alcohol research, rapid access to the tissues and cells needed to test novel and innovative hypotheses without the delay of developing these techniques in individual laboratories.
We also provide access to our animal/cell models and biorepository as a national and international resource.
For more information or to request a service, please contact us.
Animal Model Core
Tissue and cellular samples from animals exposed to control and ethanol diets, as well as other models of acute and chronic liver diseas .
Cell Isolation Core
Hepatocytes, Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells isolated by Core personnel using in situ perfusion protocols.
Tissue Harvesting
The Animal Core routinely provides samples to individual investigators either on ice, fixed in formalin for histology, frozen in optimal cutting temperature compound for immunohistochemistry, flash frozen or freeze-clamped in liquid nitrogen for biochemical assays or stored in RNA later. Blood is processed to serum or plasma, as required, aliquoted, inventoried and stored appropriately until further analysis. Additional tissue samples and fixation of tissues via thoracotomy are also available.
Phenotypic Characterization of Ethanol Exposure
Basic phenotyping measures including ALT/AST, triglyceride concentrations, Oil Red O, Sirius red staining, hydroxyproline concentration, blood ethanol and CYP2E1 expression or activity.
Zebra Fish Facility
Access to samples exposed to ethanol.
Biorepository
We maintain an extensive biorepository of samples on experiments conducted since 2006. Please contact us to request tissue.
Please contact us to request more information on services. Users will be sent a form to describe the proposed study design, which will be reviewed by the Core Director.
User will supply animals necessary for experiments and cover the per diem housing costs and charges for diet, drugs and sample collection materials based on the study design.
If the user requests isolated cells, users will provide an account number for a charge-back for each hepatocyte/Kupffer cell isolation, to cover the cost of biochemicals, gradients and cell culture media required for isolation of purified cell populations.
If there are conflicting/competing requests for access to services, priority will be given to Research Components and Pilot Projects directly supported by the P50. Next priority will be to NIAAA funded NOAC members and last priority to investigators outside of the NOAC.
The availability of biological samples from individuals with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), as well as samples from appropriate liver disease controls, heavy drinking, yet healthy controls and non-drinking healthy controls, is an essential first step in the translation of basic research advances to the clinic.
The Clinical Core of the NOAC can provide NOAC investigators to access to de-identified biological samples (tissue biopsy, plasma/serum, urine, DNA and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with different stages of alcohol-associated liver disease, non-alcohol associated liver disease as well as healthy control and heavy drinking subjects.
Samples are limited and approval for use must be obtained from the NOAC executive committee after review of investigator’s proposal. Please contact Laura Nagy ([email protected]) to apply for use of our Clinical Core.
De-identified clinical/biological samples are available from the following biorepositories:
Northern Ohio
External Advisory Board