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Home : Center Info : Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
The Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions (PCHPI) is one of three NIH-funded centers dedicated to understanding HIV-host protein interactions at a molecular level. The PCHPI is located at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Structural Biology. Research conducted at the PCHPI is focused on the early events in the HIV cellular infection cycle, those that occur after the virus has fused with the cellular membrane and before the viral genome integrates into the genome of the cell. The path of HIV components and the cytosolic events that take place after membrane fusion and prior to nuclear import remain a poorly understood area of HIV biology. As such, it presents an enormous opportunity for major discoveries and, thus, for new therapeutic targets. A large number of interactions between HIV and host-cell components have been reported in the scientific literature. Recently published siRNA screens have further increased the pool of proteins that need to be further studied to understand whether they directly interact with HIV proteins and play an important role in HIV biology. The PCHPI is dedicated to validating the functional importance of reported interactions and to determining high-resolution structures of HIV proteins and their interacting partners from the human host. The Center has several cores to accomplish these tasks including a bioinformatics core, an interactions validation core, a cellular imaging core, a protein production and biophysical characterization core, and cores dedicated to structural characterization of HIV protein complexes. Within the Center, complexes are structurally characterized using a combination of X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and cryo-electron microscopy. The PCHPI is seeking collaborators to further our mission &mdash to understand the early cellular events of HIV infection through characterization of HIV-host cell protein interactions/complexes at a high-resolution, molecular level. "Early cellular events" include those that occur after engagement of cell surface receptors and membrane fusion and prior to genome integration (intracellular trafficking, uncoating, restriction, reverse transcription, nuclear import, etc). We invite qualified individuals to propose collaborative research projects that will: 1) identify new HIV host protein interactions, OR 2) validate a biological role for previously hypothesized HIV-host protein interactions, OR 3) structurally characterize HIV-host protein complexes that have previously been shown to be important for HIV infection. Priority will be given to projects that clearly demonstrate how PCHPI core resources will be used to accomplish the project aims. Interested investigators are encouraged to contact any of the PCHPI members, before applying, to learn more about our resources and how their research goals can be furthered by our resources and expertise. Inclusion of a plan of collaboration, that incorporates specific PCHPI cores, will be viewed favorably (space for this is provided on the face page form). Total Award (Direct + Indirect costs): $75,000 to $125,000 per year for one or two years. A detailed budget and justification is required. For two year awards, funding in the second year will depend on progress in the first year. This decision will be made by the PCHPI executive committee in consultation with the investigator and the PCHPI scientific advisory board. Awards will be announced in April 2009 and funding will begin in August 2009. Eligible Investigators: Faculty at the level of Assistant Professor or higher. Application Deadline: Midnight (EST), Monday February 9, 2009. Format: The document must be single spaced, 1/2 inch margins, Arial typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger. Required Components (in indicated order):
Submission: All proposals should be submitted electronically, as a PDF file, to Dr. Teresa Brosenitsch, PCHPI coordinator.
Questions: Questions about the application and review processes should be directed to Dr. Teresa Brosenitsch at tab24@pitt.edu or 412-648-8968. For information about specific cores or resources, please review the PCHPI website at http://www.hivppi.pitt.edu/site/ where additional contact information for the center and core directors is available. Funded Individuals: All funded investigators will be required to follow all NIH requirements, including those related to animal use, human subjects, and recombinant DNA. Funded investigators located outside the U.S. must be "cleared" by the U.S. Department of State prior to the transfer of funds. The maximum indirect cost rate for international collaborators is 8%. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-388.html |
