Human Genetics Application Guidelines

Guidelines for PIs to consider if submitting human genetics application to NIDA:

When preparing an application, researchers are strongly encouraged to present a rationale that carefully balances important substantive, methodological, and budgetary issues.  In particular, applicants are advised to address each of the following, when appropriate:

• Substantive focus with clear hypothesis (e.g., specific heritable phenotypes, alternative phenotypes, endophenotypes)
• Sample selection (e.g., particularly informative sub-samples and subgroups, understudied valuable populations) and generalizability (i.e., population to which findings can be applied)
• Research design (e.g., genetically-informative, birth cohort, multi-generational, selection by prenatal exposure, case-control)
• Statistical power (e.g., ability to detect effects within the proposed study or in combination with other studies) and population stratification
• Number and timing of assessments when applicable (e.g., multiple waves ranging from pre- to post-drug exposure, or from disorder onset to remission)
• Selection and quality of assessments (e.g., diagnostic and/or symptom-based scales, detailed measurement of salient individual and environmental factors)
• Comorbidity (e.g., psychiatric, polysubstance, physical illness)
• Flexibility for future use of the data (e.g., consent forms have potential for subsequent inquiry). 
• Cost effectiveness
• Biomaterial collected to isolate genetic information (e.g., blood, buccal cells, etc.)
• Compatibility/overlap with extant studies in the NIDA Genetics Consortium: for a description of those studies see http://zork.wustl.edu/nida/study_descriptions/link.htm)

For studies requesting access to the NGC, the following additional points need to be addressed:

• Samples obtained can be combined with other samples within the NIDA Repository (i.e. samples will have the minimal required dataset as outlined in Answer 13, subpart c, of the FAQ to increase and obtain sufficient statistical power: http://ww2.drugabuse.gov/about/organization/genetics/FAQ_NGC.html.
• Eligibility and plans to join the NIDA Genetics Consortium; for details see http://ww2.drugabuse.gov/about/organization/genetics/FAQ_NGC.html and http://ww2.drugabuse.gov/about/organization/genetics/FAQ_NCGS.html

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Resources for Genetics, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience

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