Frequently Asked Questions for RFA-HL-08-006: Molecular Phenotypes for Lung Diseases (R01)

Questions for March 2008:

Q: Can I use RNA from blood exclusively for this project?
A: No. Respiratory tissues or primary cells from lung should be used as primary sampling sources. The cell lines derived from lung cells can be used if they possess the molecular signatures that are relevant to the study.

Q: Can I measure microRNA or other small RNAs in this project?
A: Yes, if you have evidence that the variation of expression profile of those RNAs may be associated with the clinical phenotypes in your study. In addition, the expression of genome-wide microRNA genes (not candidate genes) should be measured.

Q: Should the samples used in this study come only from an NIH-funded cohort or clinical study?
A: No.

Q: The RFA excludes applications focusing solely on animal studies. Can human lung expression signatures be validated or otherwise studied from a mechanistic perspective in animal models of lung disease?
A: We strongly discourage the use of animal models under this RFA. Having a large volume of gene expression data from human subjects is critical for the subcategorization study of lung disease. The application should be fully focused on human subjects.

Q: Can someone develop a cost-effective and informative molecular assay other than the existing technology platform?
A: Under this RFA, the technology development cannot be the primary goal of the study. However, the RFA will support the study using any existing or emerging technologies to assess the level of RNA expression.

Q: How will data sharing within the awardees be accomplished during this program?
A: In addition to NIH data sharing guidelines cited in the FOA, investigators funded by this program will be required to participate in post-award grantee conference calls and in-person meetings to develop common procedures and data formats that will facilitate the comparison of molecular phenotypes of all lung diseases supported by this FOA.

Q: What types of sleep disorders research might be proposed under this program?
A: The goals of this RFA are to define molecular signatures of inflammation and disease in the respiratory tract, and subcategorize lung diseases for the purpose of enabling early diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized treatment of these diseases. Applications focused on sleep-related research are acceptable under this RFA if they address the goals of the program, including the requirement for sampling and analysis of lung or upper airway tissue as a key element of the study design.

Last update: March 3, 2008