NIDA Genetics News Updates

NIDA Genetics News Updates

• NIDA and NIAAA Genetics Satellite Miniconvention to World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics, Sept. 9-10, 2011, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
• Day 1: NIDA/NIAAA Mini-convention on Genetics and Epigenetics of Substance Abuse, Friday Sept 9, and Call for Invited Posters
• Day 2: NIAAA/NIDA Next generation sequencing technologies and Medical sequencing approaches for complex disorders

Day 1: NIDA/NIAAA Mini-convention on Genetics and Epigenetics of Substance Abuse, Friday Sept 9, and Call for Invited Posters This satellite symposium to the World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on Friday, September 9, 2011 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC highlights recent advances in the field of the genetics and epigenetics of substance abuse. The impact of co-morbid psychiatric disorders on the genetics of substance abuse will also be discussed. The invited speakers are Ken Kendler, Laura Bierut, Howard Edenberg, Joel Gelernter, Paul Kenny, and Eric Nestler. Eric Green, the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute will be the keynote speaker. Eric Green will speak about future directions for genetic and genomic research at NIH.

A call for invited posters on the genetics and epigenetics of substance abuse with or without co-morbid disorders is also being made for this meeting. An honorarium of $250 will be given to each of the 40 scientists whose abstracts are accepted and attend the meeting. Submissions will be reviewed on a competitive basis by NIDA and NIAAA program staff. The deadline for submission is May 18, 2011 by the close of business day. Please submit abstracts and CV to Posterabstracts@seiservices.com. This deadline coincides with the deadline to submit regular abstract to the World Congress on Psychiatric Genetics Meeting.

To register for the meeting go to http://www.seiservices.com/nida/1014096/

• For more information contact:
  Jonathan D. Pollock, Ph.D.
  Chief
  Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology Research Branch
  Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
  National Institute on Drug Abuse
  6001 Executive Blvd. Rm 4103
  Bethesda, MD 20892
  (For Fedex Delivery the address is Rockville, MD 20852)
  tel. 301-435-1309
  fax. 301-594-6043
  email. jpollock@mail.nih.gov

Day 2: NIAAA/NIDA Next generation sequencing technologies and Medical sequencing approaches for complex disorders The purpose of this workshop is to develop consensus research strategy based on new developments in sequencing technologies or next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. The production of large numbers of low cost sequence data makes the NGS platform useful for many applications especially human genomics. The application of NGS technologies to the identification of genes conferring vulnerability to alcohol dependence and substance abuse will be discussed.

No registration necessary.

• For more information contact:
  Abbas Parsian, Ph.D.
  Program Director, Human Genetics/Genomics
  Division of Neuroscience & Behavior
  NIAAA/NIH
  5635 Fishers Lane, RM 2063
  Bethesda, MD 20892-9304
  Phone: 301-443-5733
  Fax: 301-443-1650
  E-mail: parsiana@mail.nih.gov
  Federal Express mail delivery:
  Rockville, MD 20852-1705

• The Study of Tobacco in Minority Populations (STOMP) Genetics Consortium Seeks Additional Collaborators for meta-analyses of GWAS data for smoking behavior among African-Americans.
  
  • The Study of Tobacco in Minority Populations (STOMP) Genetics Consortium was formed in early 2010 and consists of multiple investigators from different studies interested in conducting meta-analyses of GWAS data for smoking behavior among African-Americans. As of November 2010, n=27,072 African-American participants with GWAS and smoking data are available for analyses. The sample size represents participants from the Women's Health Initiative, the CARe studies and multiple NCI breast and prostate cancer studies. We are investigating smoking initiation (ever vs. never and age at onset of smoking), smoking heaviness (CPD) and smoking cessation (former vs. current smokers); have devised a standard analytic plan; and ask that new studies upload summary results to the MIT/Broad Shared Space. The STOMP Genetics Consortium analysts will conduct the meta-analyses. The Study of Tobacco in Minority Populations (STOMP) Genetics are actively recruiting more studies. Investigators interested in collaborating should contact Stacey Petruzella (petruzes@mskcc.org) for more information.

• NIDA Genetics Council Report
  
  • The Science of Genetics Review Work Group was convened to evaluate the human genetics research portfolio of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), to provide input to fortify NIDA's current human genetics research program through examining a range of emerging scientific opportunities, and to recommend how best to maximize the Institute's scientific investment in human genetics research.
    (http://drugabuse.gov/pdf/nacda/GeneticsReview.pdf)

New FOA's for Genetics

• PAR-11-032 Methods and Approaches for Detection of Gene-Environment Interactions in Human Disease (R21)
  (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-032.html)
  
  • This FOA issued by NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, encourages grant applications from institutions/organizations to develop and test innovative statistical and bioinformatics methods and analytical strategies and study designs for identifying gene-environment interactions for complex human diseases. The objectives of this FOA are to further advance the understanding of gene-environment interplay in complex human disease by 1) the development and validation of algorithms and new statistical and computational approaches and study designs and/or 2) the development and application of bioinformatics software for gene-environment analysis of existing human populations.


• PA-11-009 Translational Scholar Career Awards in Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine (K23)
  (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-009.html)
  
  • The purpose of this Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is to provide salary and "protected time" (up to five years for this award) to support the career development of investigators who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. Each Research Career Development Award must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate. The Translational Scholar Awards in Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine program is intended to address the scarcity of investigators cross-trained in both clinical research core competencies and modern methods required to address pharmacogenomics research problems in patient populations. Dual mentors from the Clinical and Translational Science Awards consortium and the Pharmacogenomics Research Network are required.


• PA-11-026 Molecular Genetics of Drug Addiction and Related Co-Morbidities (R01)
  (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-026.html)
  
  • This FOA encourages applications for research projects that identify and/or validate chromosomal loci and variations in genes that are associated with vulnerability to addiction and that inform the likelihood of responsiveness to treatment. Applications that propose to examine intermediate phenotypes or endophenotypes to assess the molecular genetics of drug addiction, addiction vulnerability and/or their associated co-morbidities and how they are related to drug addiction are especially encouraged. Also encouraged are genetic as well as computational and large-scale genomic approaches, which may include but are not limited to linkage, linkage disequilibrium, case-control or family-based studies, and integration of data from other databases that may supplement substance abuse genetics and genomics data. Data may be collected from the general population, special populations, recent admixed populations, and/or animal models. Investigators are encouraged to include, as a component of their project and as appropriate, gene x gene interactions, gene x environment interactions, gene x environment x development interactions, pharmacogenetics, and non-human models.


• PA-11-027 The Development of Frontal Cortex and Limbic System and Their Roles in Drug Abuse (R01)
  (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-027.html)
  
  • This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by NIDA encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/organizations that propose to study the development of the frontal and prefrontal cortices, together with the subcortical areas of the limbic system, that play significant roles in mediating emotional and motivated behavior. This initiative is designed to support the basic neuroscience research into the fundamental mechanisms of development of the frontal and prefrontal cortices, as well as the midbrain and basal forebrain structures that mediate a number of functions related to drug abuse and psychiatric disorders including: the euphoric properties of drugs, actions of psychotherapeutic agents, and memory, cognitive and emotional functions. An additional major goal of this initiative is to understand how exposure to drugs of abuse affects the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system development of circuits implicated in drug reward and addiction.


• PA-11-033 Functional Genetics, Epigenetics, and Non-coding RNAs in Drug Addiction
  (R01)(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-033.html)
  (R21)(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-034.html)
  (R03)(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-035.html)
  
  • Genetic and genomic studies have identified genes and gene variants that potentially modulate the fundamental biological mechanisms underpinning addictive processes. Discovery of these genes/variants, while extremely valuable, is only a first step in understanding molecular mechanisms of addiction. This Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages basic functional genomic research in two areas: 1. functional validation to determine which candidate genes/variants/epigenetic/non-coding RNA features have an authentic role in addictive processes, and 2. detailed elucidation of the molecular pathways and processes modulated by candidate genes/variants, particularly for those genes with an unanticipated role in addiction.

NIDA's Genes, Environment, and Development Initiative

• GEDI Frequently Asked Questions

NIDA Genetics Programs

•	Home Page
•	About Genetics Workgroup
•	Human Genetics Application Guidelines
•	NIDA Genetics News
•	NIDA Genetics Consortium
•	NIDA Recent Findings
•	NIDA Genetics Portfolio
•	NIDA Genetics Reports
•	NIDA Initiatives in Genetics
•	NIDA Meetings
•	NIDA Program Contacts

Resources for Genetics, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience

•	Calendar
•	Genetics Consortia
•	Human Genetics
•	Tissue and Cell Repositories
•	Twin Registry
•	Nucleotide
•	Gene Expression
•	Genomes
•	Proteins
•	Model Organisms
•	Mouse
•	Knowledgebase for Addiction Related Genes (KARG)
•	Cell Biology
•	Neuroscience Information Framework
•	Bibliographic Resources