Sunday, November 28, 2010

FOA Seeks Low-Cost Devices

On November 23, 2010, NIH issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to encourage collaborative research and/or technology development between scientists and engineers in the U.S. and India. Both NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are encouraging applications through the NIH Small Research Grant Program.

The NIBIB supports research to develop new, low-cost, appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic medical technologies for low-resource settings and supports the reengineering of existing medical devices to help the poor. Appropriate medical technologies are usable, cost effective, sustainable, and effective in meeting clinical needs in a low-resource setting, and/or to provide technology transfer that will impact underserved populations within the U.S. and/or India.

Low-cost technologies are needed to treat chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, maternal/neonatal/infant health, treat trauma and injury and to do cancer screenings.

Some of these specific technologies are needed but other technologies are also desired:

• Glucose monitoring for diabetics
• Low-cost platform technologies for multiple diagnostic tests
• A multiplex lab-on-a-chip technology for STDs and other infections
• Point-of-care diagnostics for screening infant diseases
• A pre-screening test for blood bank safety
• Diagnostic test for the early detection of cardiovascular disease
• Point-of-care tests and reagents for cancer screening
• Networked and mobile technologies for diagnostic devices
• Diagnostic screening devices that can be operated by people with minimal education
• Non-invasive or minimally invasive screening technologies
• Diagnostic assay development for low-cost screening kits
• Technology and assay development related specifically to screening newborns for heritable disorders
• Low-cost diagnostic imaging devices

Funds available provide for direct costs of up to $75,000 and may be requested for a maximum of $150,000 direct costs over a two year project period.

The opening application date is December 28, 2010. There are other due dates through 2011, 2012, and 2013 starting with January 26, 2011.

Go to http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-044.html to download the FOA (PAR-11-044).