NIH Funding Opportunities Expanding for Vascular Research

BY ALICIA AULT

WASHINGTON -- Funding for vascular researchers is expanding, thanks to new sources being made available by the National Institutes of Health, officials from the federal health agency said at the Joan L. and Julius H. Jacobson Research Initiatives in Vascular Disease Conference sponsored by the Society for Vascular Surgery.

In 2005, the NIH gave out 4,000 awards, 800 of which came from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, said Jane Scott, Sc.D., of the division of heart and vascular disease at NHLBI.

Junior investigator awards, which include the K08 and K23 grants, provide up to 5 years of support and are generally for fellows or junior faculty members who are transitioning to the role of R01 investigator, she said.

The K08 is lab-oriented, while the K23 is intended for patient-oriented research. For both grant programs, applicants should have received a clinical degree and should also be in the early years of a tenure-track faculty position, according to Dr. Robert W. Thompson, a professor of surgery at the Washington University in St. Louis.

Having a dedicated mentor with a history of research activity is crucial, and having obtained previous or current NIH funding is ideal, said Dr. Scott.

The von Liebig Award is another potential funding source, though only two are given out each year, Dr. Thompson said. The special K08 program provides a yearly supplement of $75,000, essentially doubling the salary of a K08 grantee. Applications for both the K08 and the von Liebig should be submitted simultaneously.

The K99/R00, a new and very competitive award, also provides up to 5 years of support. This year, NHLBI is likely to approve 20 grantees, said Dr. Scott.

Applicants for the award should have no more than 5 years of postdoctoral research training; and if they already have an R01 or research faculty position, they are not eligible. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Among the new NHLBI program areas of interest are the Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research in Vascular Injury, Repair, and Remodeling, which primarily focuses on molecular and cellular mechanics.

Also new is the Innovative Technologies for Engineering Small Blood Vessels program, which aims to support advances in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and nanotechnology, said Eser Tolunay, Ph.D., director of the vascular biology research program at the institute.