Overview of Superfund competitive renewal guidelines
Time Line:
Finalize Aims
Draft Proposal for
External Review
12/4/13
Finalize Proposal
2013
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
2014
External Review
Mid-January
Submit application
3/14/2014
1. Specific Aims (due 12/4/2013, example included on second page)
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Use Harvard outline format (http://www.henhudschools.org/uploads/rxwrite/Oharvard.htm). See the Gee
proposal below. Each objective should be a simple declarative sentence
1 page max, Ariel 11 pt font, 0.5 inch margins
Identify 3-5 aims per project/core - each aim should be a simple declarative sentence
At least one collaborative project per investigator
Every project must have independent technology transfer and community engagement – see below
2. Competitive Renewal (target mid-January for meeting): Send Bruce suggested reviewers for your projects
by Dec 5.
3. Proposal Writing:
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Use standard NIH 424 guidelines
Each project and core has 12 pages for their research proposal and progress report
Targeted budget is $100 – $200k for research project and research cores (i.e. analytical core, etc); $80 $100K for support cores (Admin, Translation, Community Outreach and Training). These numbers will
need to be altered based on non biomedical – biomedical balance, number of PIs in project, past
collaboration among projects.
As soon as the RFP is released, we will immediately send you more detailed instructions
Points to consider when writing Aims and Proposal:
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What is Superfund?
Superfund sites are important and increasingly important but not critical
Superfund chemicals are important and increasingly important but not essential
We need to have every project relate back to the title “Biomarkers of exposure to hazardous
substances”
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Looks like our focus chemicals are flame retardants and personal care products (others?). NIEHS has
always considered us the program that does agriculture. So a tie to pesticides is smart. We have the
Frontier Fertilizer plant site in Davis. We can argue unlike the east coast where there were big sites,
the valley has many contaminated sites such as local airstrips for crop dusters, mixer loader areas, etc.
There are surprises like the old Dow experimental pesticide shed in Davis.
Clear collaboration and interaction are critical; evidence of synergism helps
It is key to say you will use cores
If you have a favorite chemical Shirley should make an immunoassay, the biology projects need to run
it through their systems,
Socio-economic and community outreach are of increasing and critical importance
o A community outreach project has already been identified addressing biosolid use in
central/southern CA. (please evaluate the Robert Medearis co generation technology on dairy
farms).
Title of Superfund: Biomarkers of exposure to hazardous substances
Title of Project: Immunoassays for Human and Environmental Monitoring
Specific aims: The objective of this proposal is the development, validation and implementation of rapid
analytical methods for the analysis of hazardous materials and their breakdown products as biomarkers of
human exposure. Assays will also be developed for parent materials for use in characterizing environmental
sources of human exposure to toxicants. The assays will be formatted for rapid laboratory analysis in single
and multianalyte arrays and for field use. The major target compounds for assay development are outlined
below. Additional targets will continue to be selected based upon needs of regulatory agencies and requests
from other Superfund Investigators. In collaboration with Superfund Investigators and other scientists, we will
apply these analytical methods in human and environmental monitoring. We also will advance the technologies
associated with immunodiagnostics and general biosensor design using as models the assays described
below.
I.
Develop immunoassays for rapid laboratory and field analysis of emerging pollutants or
biomarkers of exposure to them.
A. Develop assays for industrial products and agricultural chemicals. High priority targets include
brominated flame retardants polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tetrabromobisphenol A
(TBBPA), non coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the anthranilic diamide insecticide
chlorantraniliprole.
B. Develop and implement assays for individual metabolites of hazardous substances. Targets include
newly identified human metabolites of permethrin, triclocarban (TCC), and the glucuronide or sulfate
conjugates of halogenated hydroxy diphenyl ethers and biphenyls.
II. Apply new technologies to existing assays to improve sensitivity, selectivity and throughput.
A. Develop strategies leading to an improvement in robustness, selectivity, sensitivity and cost.
1. Develop non-competitive phage anti-immunocomplex assays (PHAIA) for triclocarban, triclosan,
and PBDE 47.
2. Develop multianalyte methods by applying fluorescent nanoparticles and other fluorescent labels to
existing platforms.
3. Evaluate new experimental formats and assay components for improved immunodiagnostics.
B. Develop strategies for the reduction of matrix effects.
1. Develop sampling and sample cleanup methods that can be applied to on-site portable and
automated multi-analyte analysis based on chemical extraction such as solid phase extraction, solgels, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs).
2. Evaluate combined immunoseparation and detection methods, in particular use of the PHAIA
format and silver enhanced silica particles with a magnetic core and lanthanide shell in
collaboration with Biosensors Project 2.
III. Validate and implement immunoassays for human and environmental monitoring.
A. Identify abundant unknown metabolites from the permethrin human exposure study for use as targets
for assay development in Aim I.
B. Validate fipronil and fipronil metabolites assays with exposure study samples.
C. Carry out combined studies on biomarkers of exposure and effect.
D. Integrate cell based assays, immunoassays and instrumental methods for PBDEs and dioxins.
E. Develop antibodies to individual biomarkers emerging from the research of other Projects and Cores.
F. Provide reagents, training and support in the immunoassay area for other Superfund investigators,
industry and government institutions.
On new projects the last objective needs to be “Implement technology transfer and community development
relevant to………..”
Possible Projects:
Immunoassay technology and detection -- Gee
Mass spectrometry technology and detection – Qi Zhang
Biosensor detection – Tingrui Pan (Kennedy)
Hazardous substances on neurobiology – Pessah
Hazardous substances on regulatory biology – Denison
Soil and ground water – Scow Fog
Bioassay-guided optimization of advanced oxidation processes for contaminant destruction. - Young
Possible Cores:
Administration
Training – Lein
Biosolid community outreach -- London
Technology transfer – Teh - it will fly if it takes technology from the projects, uses it in the Delta, and executes
transfer to State and Federal Agencies.
Statistics – Tancredi
Analytical – Yang Hammock