U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PHS 2002-2
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES (NIDDK)

The NIDDK supports research in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; and kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases.

For additional information about areas of interest to the NIDDK, please visit our home page at http://www.niddk.nih.gov.

Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases

The Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases supports research into basic mechanisms of organ and tissue function and into the diseases of the kidney, urologic and hematologic systems. Projects to help develop an understanding of the physiology, pathophysiology, and related diseases of the kidney, urinary tract, and blood and blood forming systems so that rational treatments and means of prevention and/or arrest of diseases may be devised. Support for advances in the technology of cell and molecular biology that will enhance research in kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases is encouraged. Research opportunities of interest to small businesses include, but are not limited to:

  1. Development of a genomic toolbox for study of kidney, prostate, bladder, or red cells which would include:

    1. Library generation and gene identification from whole organ or rare compartments in normal, developing, or injured tissues;

    2. Antibodies or phage libraries that will facilitate the prospective identification and purification of renal cell types;

    3. Strategies to deal with the anatomical complexity, increase the representation of low abundance transcripts, or decrease the redundant sequencing of over-represented or known genes;

    4. Bioinformatic tools;

    5. Flexible databases useful for designing organ-specific databases and web sites;

    6. Techniques for visualizing RNA distribution within cells or tissues; and

    7. New methods to acquire material from archival samples.
KIDNEY
  1. Development of monoclonal antibodies specific for the individual cell types of the renal glomerulus, proximal and distal tubules, loops of Henle, and collecting ducts.

  2. Development of both data and cell banks of diabetic kidney disease families for use by the research community.

  3. Studies aimed at discovering a genetic mechanism of patients known to have IgA nephropathy.

  4. Development of pharmacological agents that might be used to intervene in inflammatory renal disorders and in disorders of renal hemodynamics, blood pressure, and extracellular volume regulation.

  5. Means to achieve a more stable physiologic homeostasis in maintenance dialysis therapy to overcome the physiologic consequences of intermittent hemodialysis through the:

    1. Improvement of blood access to permit continuous access to the circulation; or

    2. Development of means to provide for continuous anticoagulation.


  6. Studies to improve the efficiency of maintenance dialysis:

    1. Development of innovative methods to produce more efficient and less morbid forms of renal dialysis (e.g., GI dialysis, artificial kidney).

    2. Studies on biocompatibility of artificial kidney membranes, in surface sensitive proteins, complement, and clotting mechanisms.

    3. Development of new agents for sterilizing dialysis membranes.

    4. Development of new dialysis membranes to diminish the duration of dialysis treatments.


  7. Improved techniques of preservation and storage of kidneys intended for transplantation.

  8. Development of material(s) for construction of urinary catheters that may reduce the incidence of infection in the urinary tract.

  9. Studies to determine which agents might contribute to the progression of abnormal cell growth in polycystic kidney disease, including growth hormones and dietary elements.

  10. Development of both data and cell banks of autosomal and recessive polycystic disease families for use by the research community.

  11. Development of improved renal imaging techniques, differential renal function assessments and diagnostic distinction between benign and malignant parenchymal diseases.

  12. Development of new therapies for rare diseases of the kidney and urinary tract.

  13. Studies researching causes of interstitial cystitis.

  14. Computer-Assisted Diagnosis and Teaching in Acid-Base and Electrolyte Disorders.

  15. Development of methods to provide early diagnostic tools, preventative measures, and treatment modalities for Acute Renal Failure.

  16. Identification of mediators of renal failure during sepsis and pharmacological means to block these effects.

  17. Development of new non-invasive methods for measuring kidney function:

    1. Reliable, non-invasive, non-radioactive methods of measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR);

    2. Identification and description of physiologic compounds that are filtered by the kidney, but neither secreted or reabsorbed;

    3. Identification of serum factors released by damaged kidney cells;

    4. Characterization of changes in kidney hormonal function in kidney disease at various stages of severity;

    5. Development of new markers of early kidney dysfunction.

    6. Development of rapid, accurate, and cost effective means of quantifying urine albumin.


  18. Relationship between microalbuminuria and GFR, including change, to evaluate rate of growth.

  19. Population studies of kidney and urologic disease:

    1. Distribution of various types of kidney and urologic disease in the United States;

    2. Risk factors for developing kidney dysfunction, hypertension and kidney disease;

    3. Ethnic variation in distribution, and risk factors for kidney and urologic diseases;

    4. Markers predictive of development of end-stage kidney disease.


  20. Development of sensitive techniques to identify open reading frames of chromosomes in specialized tissues, such as the prostate or renal glomerulus; e.g., methods for developing a cDNA library with mRNA as a starting material.


UROLOGY
  1. Study of the effect of growth factors, hormonal concentrations and other biochemical stimuli on the growth of prostatic tissue. Analyses of factors responsible for initiation and progression of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

  2. Development of animal or in-vitro models for the study of stromal - epithelial interactions in BPH.

  3. Assessment of factors responsible for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) induced uropathy.

  4. Host-parasite and bacteria-urothelial cell interactions involved in urinary tract infection.

  5. Kinetics of renal stone formation, such as characterization of growth and dissolution, or crystal growth inhibition, and definition of reliable biochemical profiles of stone forming patients.

  6. Development of additional therapeutic agents for prevention and/or treatment of urolithiasis.

  7. Neuropharmacological-neurophysiological assessments in urodynamics.

  8. Development of culture conditions for in vitro culture of cells from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

  9. Development of serum or urine markers that correlate with prostate size to evaluate rate of growth.

  10. Development of non-invasive instrumentation which can detect early onset of bladder instability associated with diabetes mellitus.


HEMATOLOGY
  1. Development of safe retroviral agents for gene insertion studies in hematopoietic systems.

  2. Development of improved methodology for hematopoietic stem cell purification.

  3. Development of methods and equipment for routine high volume isolation of highly purified stem and progenitor populations.

  4. Identification of new methods to assay stem and progenitor cells with short- and long- term repopulation models amenable to serial examination.

  5. Development of chemically defined reagents that support hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation

  6. Development of assays for quantitation of retroviral receptor molecules on stem cells and determining conditions for influencing their level of expression.

  7. Definition of culture conditions using serum-free medium that will support the ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

  8. Development of new approaches for identifying, isolating, and genetically analyzing fetal erythrocytes in the maternal circulation.

  9. Development of novel methods for the delivery of DNA, proteins, and other compounds to hematopoietic stem cells.

  10. Development of non-invasive systems for monitoring the total hemoglobin and hematocrit, suitable for use with adults or neonates.

  11. Application of nanotechnology to the measurement of blood parameters and diagnosis of blood disorders.

  12. Adaptation of MRI technology for the noninvasive measurement of body iron:

    1. Develop appropriate MR measurement method(s).

    2. Optimize RF coils for the body region of interest (primarily heart, liver, and pancreas).

    3. Develop magnets of the appropriate magnetic field strength(s).

    4. Develop a reliable method for calibrating and validating iron concentration detected by magnetic resonance imaging.

    5. Determine the most appropriate magnetic resonance method for determining relaxation times and susceptibility.

    6. Develop indicator materials for direct MR measurement of iron concentration.


  13. Development of rapid, high throughput microarrays for accurate assessment of gene expression profiles of hematopoietic cells.


Other Research Topic(s) Within Mission of Institute

For additional information on research topics, contact:

Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
Dr. Carol Renfrew Haft
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy 2, Room 605
Bethesda, MD 20892
; Fax:
Email:
Digestive Diseases and Nutrition
Dr. Judith Podskalny
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy 2, Room 667
Bethesda, MD 20892
; Fax:
Email:
Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases
Dr. James Scherbenske
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy 2, Room 613
Bethesda, MD 20892
; Fax:
Email:

For administrative and business management questions, contact:

Ms. Teresa Farris Marquette
Grants Management Specialist
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy 2, Room 728
; Fax:
Email:


NOTE: The Solicitations listed on this site are partial copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should always use the suggested links on our reference pages. These will take you directly to the appropriate agency information where you can read the official version of the solicitation you are interested in.
The official link for this page is: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbirsttr1/index.pdf.

Solicitation closing dates are:
April 1, August 1, and December 1, 2002 (SBIR and STTR).