Apply for a Research Grant

The PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 foundation whose mission is to provide research, education, and support for people affected by Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). The PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Foundation offers grants to support PSC researchers to conduct research that addresses an important and novel, basic or clinical research question related to PSC and closely allied diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) (ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease). The applicant must be either at an academic institution, or at a pharmaceutical/biotechnology company with an interest in pursuing PSC as an indication for treatment. The goal of funding is to help encourage investigators to conduct research in a promising new area. Funding is limited to $30,000 per year for 2 years ($60,000 total). We anticipate funding 4 proposals at this level in the next competition. However, focused proposals with smaller budget requests will also be considered. The next application deadline is January 1, 2012. We have taken some extra time to reevaluate our process, because we wanted to best prepare to significantly increase the amount of our grants this year and in coming years.

The PSC Partners Seeking a Cure foundation is particularly interested in funding research projects that have the potential to discover a cure for this disease, and/or identify novel therapies that may significantly delay time to liver transplantation, and/or prevent disease recurrence following liver transplantation. The Foundation recognizes that much fundamental research is necessary to discover the environmental factors which may trigger this disease in genetically susceptible individuals, and thus the Foundation would like to encourage research proposals aimed at identifying the gene-environment interactions contributing to disease initiation and progression. The Foundation recognizes that studies with animal models may be appropriate to address these fundamental questions. The Foundation is interested in funding research that explores PSC-related diseases (such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) (ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease)) in ways that they impact, enable, or perhaps cause PSC. The Foundation encourages research that will be complementary to the goals and objectives of the Norwegian PSC Research Center (NoPSC), including investigation of the roles of recently identified genes in determining susceptibility to (and severity of) PSC (Karlsen TH, Kaser MD 2011 Deciphering the genetic predisposition to primary sclerosing cholangitis. Semin. Liver Dis. 31: 188-207). Priority areas for research on the mechanisms of pathogenesis include: 1. immunobiology; 2. bile toxicity; and 3. role of gut microflora (Karlsen TH, Schrumpf E, Boberg KM 2010 Update on primary sclerosing cholangitis. 42: 390-400). Priority areas for research in delaying disease progression include the potential role of antibiotics, bile acids, nuclear receptor ligands, and therapies that interfere with aberrant homing of T cells to the liver. Because PSC is associated with greatly increased risks of colorectal cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, the Foundation is interested in funding projects that explore the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and strategies for prevention. Applications focused on assessing and improving the quality of life of PSC patients (including symptom management [e.g. fatigue, pruritus, and sleep disturbances]) are also encouraged. Proposals that have little relevance to PSC will not be considered for funding. We strongly encourage interdisciplinary collaborations and the sharing of resources (including DNA samples) as a means of accelerating progress in PSC research. If the proposal includes a specific plan for sharing of results and resources (such as DNA), this will result in a more favorable review.

Application Instructions

No special application forms are needed. One copy of each full application must be submitted electronically in the English language, and in portable document format (.pdf) to: contactus@pscpartners.org. Any revised application must include a point-by-point response to the comments of the reviewers of the original proposal. The instructions below should be followed:

1. Face Sheet.
Please include the title of the research project, the name and title of the principal investigator (PI), the PI's mailing address and e-mail address, and the names, titles, and e-mail address of any co-PI's.

2. Budget.
The Scientific/Medical Advisory Committee may exercise discretion in the approval of the expenditure of funds, but since these are small research grants, they are primarily intended to support the purchase of consumable research supplies (e.g. glassware, chemicals, enzymes, etc.) to conduct PSC research. Salary support for technicians will be allowed. Indirect costs (overhead) will not be allowed.

3. Budget Justification.
Items to be purchased and salary support should be briefly explained and justified.

4. Project Description.
This segment of the proposal should be no longer than 7 pages. Please use the following format:

A. Project Summary - Approximately 250 words.
B. Specific Aims.
C. Background and Significance.
D. Preliminary Data (optional).
E. Research Plan (include materials and methods, collaborative arrangements, interpretation of data, anticipated results, potential problems, and alternative approaches).
F. Any revised application must include a point-by-point response to the comments of the reviewers of the original proposal.

5. Bibliography (Literature Cited).

6. Facilities and Equipment.

7. Institutional Review Board. If the study includes human subjects, proof of approval by the applicant's Institutional Review Board must be included, as well as a copy of the approved consent form. Grant applications will be accepted for review if the applicant's Institutional Review Board document is still pending approval. However, funding would be contingent upon submission of the final approved IRB document.

8. Biographical Sketch of the applicant (PI). NIH format will be acceptable; no more than 2 pages please.

9. List of Current and Pending Support.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.  Completed grant applications should be typed in the English language, converted to a .pdf file and submitted via e-mail to:

Ricky Safer
PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Foundation
contactus@pscpartners.org

Application Review

All grant applications will be reviewed by members of the PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Scientific/Medical Advisory Committee. Ad hoc reviewers will be used when appropriate. Renewal applications will be judged in competition with other applications.

The following points will be taken into consideration when the proposals are reviewed:

1. Is the proposed research relevant to the research mission of the PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Foundation?
2. Does the proposal have scientific merit?
3. Are the hypotheses to be tested based on sound, logical principles, and are the specific aims delineated in the proposal adequate to test the hypotheses?
4. Are the methods appropriate?
5. Is the approach innovative?
6. Will the proposal serve as a foundation to establish a novel line of research that will be competitive for NIH, NSF, VA or other external funding?
7. Does the proposed research have a high probability of success?
8. Is the applicant qualified to carry out the proposed study, and are the facilities adequate?
9. Is the proposal clear and concise? Has the appropriate literature been consulted and cited? Does the proposal give attention to detail?
10. Does the proposal contain a specific plan for sharing of results and resources (e.g. DNA), and does it entail inter-disciplinary collaboration?
11. Is the budget appropriate and adequately justified?
12. Will the proposal impact PSC patient treatment in the short-term?
13. What are the overall strengths and weaknesses of the proposal?

Notification of funding (or lack thereof) will be made approximately three months after proposal submission deadlines.

Progress Reports

Awardees will be expected to provide a 1 to 2 page annual summary of results obtained with funds provided by PSC Partners Seeking a Cure. This report should include a list of publications and abstracts presented at scientific meetings. The foundation requests that all publications resulting from research funds provided by PSC Partners Seeking a Cure should include an acknowledgement of this support.

Review awards we've made in the past by clicking here.