The objective of this funding opportunity from the American SIDS Institute is to support research related to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Priority will be given to (1) young investigators or other investigators with a new SUID-related research focus, and (2) proposals having high potential for leading to extramural research funding. The number of awards will be contingent upon available funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Budgets may include technical salary support, but investigator salary support and indirect costs may not be included. Awards are for a maximum of $70,000 divided over 2 years. Priority will be given to young investigators proposing research related to one of the top ten research priorities recently identified by the US Global Action and Prioritization of Sudden Infant Death (GAPS) Project.
These include:
1. Physiological mechanisms leading to death and how they interact with behavioral risk factors, e.g. prone (front)-sleeping.
2. The role of genetic factors in SUID.
3. Social and cultural factors affecting parental choices in sleep practices and responses to risk reduction campaigns.
4. Role of abnormal or immature brain anatomy and physiology.
5. Systematic collection and sharing of death scene data from SUID and non-SUID deaths to allow better case control studies.
6. How infants control oxygen desaturation and arousal to allow a better understanding of SUID mechanisms.
7. Mechanisms for SUID at different ages.
8. Developing and evaluating new ways to make safe sleep campaigns more effective.
9. Identifying specific biomarkers to differentiate between natural causes, accidental asphyxia, and SIDS.
10. Better understanding of the risks of sharing any sleep surface with an infant, notably how it interacts with other factors, including feeding practices, to make it more or less risky.
Proposals related to the study of sudden unexpected intrauterine death, sudden death in children, or sudden death in epilepsy may also be responsive. However, applicants will need to clearly explain how their proposal will advance our understanding of SUID. Although priority will be given to human studies, animal studies may be responsive if based on a relevant animal model and relevance to the research priorities listed above is fully justified. Proposals for the development of equipment or devices will not be responsive.
For more information, please visit: http://sids.org/research/research-grants-available/