Posted on February 1, 2012
Deadline: March 20, 2012

Applications Invited for Heiser Program for Research in Leprosy

The Heiser Program for Research in Leprosy, a grantmaking initiative administered by the New York Community Trust, awards grants for basic laboratory research directed at a better understanding of leprosy and its bacterial agent. The ultimate aim of the program is to find measures for the prevention and cure of leprosy that can contribute to the global goal of leprosy elimination.

The program will support the training efforts of laboratories involved in leprosy research, or those that provide funds for the initiation of new leprosy research projects in the field. Grants are not awarded for the treatment of patients.

Please note that in 2012 the program is funding leprosy research only and will not support postdoctoral fellowships in tuberculosis research.

The program is particularly interested in: 1) the application of new and available tools for diagnosis and better understanding of transmission and the extent of drug resistance; 2) the mechanisms of nerve damage and reactions and the means to predict and to prevent leprosy; 3) more effective chemoprophylaxis, immunoprophylaxis, and rapid bactericidal drugs; and 4) understanding of the leprosy-causing organism, its origins, its pathogenicity, and immunological spectrum. Other areas of importance are the use of the genome of M. leprae to develop new drug targets and the identification of immunologically important molecules.

Applications for leprosy research grants should come from laboratories that have experience in leprosy research and have demonstrable ongoing, productive interactions with corresponding laboratories in endemic regions and/or leprosy field sites/workers.

Two-year research grants of up to $70,000 ($35,000 per year) will be awarded. In exceptional circumstances, the program will consider Letters of Intent for larger awards for multiyear/multi-component/multi-institute projects involving leprosy research in endemic sites.

Visit the New York Community Trust Web site for complete program information and application materials.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Primary Subject: Medical Research
Geographic Funding Area: National

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