fundingLINK

Alternative Medical systems (e.g., oriental medicine, Ayurvedic, Native American, homeopathy, naturopathy);
Manipulative and body-based systems (e.g., chiropractic, osteopathic, massage therapy or unconventional applications of integrated conventional and physical therapies);
Biofield (e.g., energy healing, intentional effects on living systems);
Bioelectromagnetics (e.g., diagnostic and therapeutic application of electromagnetic fields including pulsed EM fields, magnetic fields, DC fields, artificial light therapy, etc. Note: This category does not include the study of electromagnetic fields as risk factors for disease);
Pharmacologic Therapies (e.g., metabolic therapies, immunoaugmentative therapies as used by CAM practitioners or the public);
Herbal Medicine (Note: This category does not include isolation of the active ingredients from herbal preparations for the purpose of drug development) (Note: Studies incorporating the following three CAM program areas MUST focus on the more unconventional uses of these approaches and involve collaborations with expert practitioners of these approaches);
Mind-Body Medicine: This is limited mind-body approaches that address unconventional explanatory models with a focus on their NOVEL scientific and clinical use, or that are currently in use by the public or practitioners, usually outside of a conventional medicine setting (e.g., meditation, imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, music therapy, yoga, spirituality, biological effects of consciousness). Mind-body approaches that are already integrated into conventional medicine (e.g., patient education, psychotherapy, cognitive- behavioral approaches, etc.) will NOT be considered;
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (e.g., unorthodox changes in lifestyle, including risk reduction, when applied as complete systems for chronic disease management [prevention and treatment] across multiple diagnostic categories);
Orthomolecular Medicine: This category includes the use of products, many of which may be used as nutritional and food supplements (e.g., magnesium, Co-enzyme Q, carnitine, melatonin, DHEA, mega-doses of vitamins) when investigated for therapeutic or preventive purposes. These products are usually used in combinations and at very high doses well above the RDA. For the purposes of this RFA, orthomolecular medicine may be integrated within comprehensive lifestyle changes based on indigenous or non-orthodox systems of medicine (e.g., Ornish or Pritikin programs).


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		CALL FOR PROPOSALS

	NOTE: We are no longer accepting proposals. In September 2000, the National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes on Health (NIH) officially funded Emory University to begin a five-year grant that explores how alternative and complementary medicines can be used with patients afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases. This effort is motivated by a strong desire of our team to promote and advance the scientific basis of many types of "alternative" treatments. The Center's Administrative Core, Movement Analysis Core, Biostatistics Core, and individual research projects (R01s), makes use of a strong interdisciplinary team that is comprised of outstanding personnel and resources at the Emory University School of Medicine, the Rollins School of Public Health, and the Center for Human Movement Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology. Our Developmental Research Program serves to stimulate research opportunities for investigators interested in beginning (or continuing) research in CAM. We would like to welcome and encourage the involvement of the greater Atlanta and Georgia alternative medicine practitioner and research communities. We offer research and funding opportunities to promising investigators who are interested in developmental (feasibility) projects and are willing to meet the mission of our center-based grant. The mission of the Emory University Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases is: "to undertake systematic study of promising interventions that are complementary to traditional medical approaches that preserve or enhance function and quality of life among individuals with neurodegenerative disorders." Inherent in this mission is the quest to strengthen our infrastructure and to identify, support, and train promising scientists and clinicians wishing to investigate basic mechanisms and clinical applications of complementary and alternative medical modalities. We are specifically interested in their impact upon neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease. We will welcome applications relevant to patients with other catastrophic neurological conditions, such as stroke or traumatic brain injury. It is important that the developmental projects establish the methodological feasibility and strengthen the scientific rationale for proceeding to potentially fundable studies on the use of CAM. We anticipate that successful results of this feasibility or pilot work will lead to fully developed projects within the Center or funded through a subsequent grant application on the part of the recipient through other forms of research support (e.g. R01). Therefore, the research proposal should directly address how the pilot study will advance the design of a subsequent full-scale clinical trial. The program areas from which we base our pilot project program are listed below. These areas are defined by the NIH and serve as a guideline from which you should base your project ideas. Alternative Medical systems (e.g., oriental medicine, Ayurvedic, Native American, homeopathy, naturopathy); Manipulative and body-based systems (e.g., chiropractic, osteopathic, massage therapy or unconventional applications of integrated conventional and physical therapies); Biofield (e.g., energy healing, intentional effects on living systems); Bioelectromagnetics (e.g., diagnostic and therapeutic application of electromagnetic fields including pulsed EM fields, magnetic fields, DC fields, artificial light therapy, etc. Note: This category does not include the study of electromagnetic fields as risk factors for disease); Pharmacologic Therapies (e.g., metabolic therapies, immunoaugmentative therapies as used by CAM practitioners or the public); Herbal Medicine (Note: This category does not include isolation of the active ingredients from herbal preparations for the purpose of drug development) (Note: Studies incorporating the following three CAM program areas MUST focus on the more unconventional uses of these approaches and involve collaborations with expert practitioners of these approaches); Mind-Body Medicine: This is limited mind-body approaches that address unconventional explanatory models with a focus on their NOVEL scientific and clinical use, or that are currently in use by the public or practitioners, usually outside of a conventional medicine setting (e.g., meditation, imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, music therapy, yoga, spirituality, biological effects of consciousness). Mind-body approaches that are already integrated into conventional medicine (e.g., patient education, psychotherapy, cognitive- behavioral approaches, etc.) will NOT be considered; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (e.g., unorthodox changes in lifestyle, including risk reduction, when applied as complete systems for chronic disease management [prevention and treatment] across multiple diagnostic categories); Orthomolecular Medicine: This category includes the use of products, many of which may be used as nutritional and food supplements (e.g., magnesium, Co-enzyme Q, carnitine, melatonin, DHEA, mega-doses of vitamins) when investigated for therapeutic or preventive purposes. These products are usually used in combinations and at very high doses well above the RDA. For the purposes of this RFA, orthomolecular medicine may be integrated within comprehensive lifestyle changes based on indigenous or non-orthodox systems of medicine (e.g., Ornish or Pritikin programs). Before writing a grant application to seek support from our group, several preliminary steps are necessary. Applicants should review the following important facts. 1. A one- to two-page Letter of Intent should be sent indicating the following: a. title of the proposal b. investigator's name, phone, fax and e-mail address c. brief statement of nature of the project to be undertaken and relevance of the project to the Center's mission d. brief description of methods, including a general time line e. description of the potential implications of this project and plans for subsequent full grant proposal f. budget summary (personnel, equipment, supplies, other) Note: Support for full-time faculty salaries will be considered only when there is a need for special training or expertise that cannot reasonably be provided by non-professionals or postdoctoral fellows and requires the ongoing personal participation of the investigator. Therefore, if you intend to request faculty salary support, you must provide a clear justification. THE LETTER CANNOT CONTAIN FONT SIZE SMALLER THAN 11 POINT AND MUST ADHERE TO ONE-INCH MARGINS. SINGLE- OR DOUBLE-SPACED MAY BE USED. A bibliography is not necessary at this time. Upon review of the Letter of Intent, the prospected applicant will be asked to submit the 10-page application. DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AT THIS TIME. 2. A review of the Letter of Intent will be undertaken and feedback provided to the recipient within 1 month of receipt. 3. Acknowledgment of an approved Letter of Intent will result in a request for a full proposal to be received within 1 month of the acknowledgment. All full proposals will be reviewed for scientific and technical merit by a committee consisting of a) Principal and Co-Principal Investigators of the Center, b) project-specific Principal Investigators of on-going Center-funded and NIH approved projects, and c) Directors of the Movement Analysis and Biostatistics Cores. Upon approval by this Committee, the proposal will then be submitted to our center's scientific advisor at the NCCAM. This person will confirm that the research plan, in general, is reasonable and fits within the mission of CAM. 4. Funding for an accepted project will begin after receiving final approval from NCCAM. The project must be undertaken and completed within one year of funding notification and will be granted up to $35,000. These funds are to cover all direct, as well as indirect, costs. Modifications to this budget will be considered on an individual basis. 5. A 6-month progress report is required, which should include a budget summary. It is therefore important to track expenditures. A presentation to the Center's Steering Committee is required at the completion of the project. 6. The format for provision of a full application appears on the accompanying page. (See link at bottom of page.) Applicants are expected to follow the format and page length specifications. Failure to do so will result in return of the application. Examples of relevant research include, but are not limited to, the following: · Studies to refine intervention strategies on humans, including duration and frequency of treatment; type of treatment; evaluations of different systems of treatment. · Studies to refine the control strategy for clinical trials including comparisons of different types of controls (e.g., invasive control [sham] versus non-invasive control [placebo, standard therapy, wait list, etc.]). · Studies to define and refine the target population (e.g., inclusion/exclusion criteria) and to develop adequate recruitment procedures for clinical trials. · Collection of preliminary data for establishing measures of efficacy and safety. · Studies to determine the feasibility and/or safety of the treatment strategy and to develop realistic clinical trial protocols. · Studies to establish the anticipated benefit of the treatment and rates of success and complications. · Studies to establish the clinical usefulness (validity, reliability, responsiveness and utility) and appropriateness of commonly used assessment procedures, especially quality-of-life measures, as well as functional and physiological measures. · Basic science studies (in vitro and/or animal models) investigating CAM categories and modalities are also appropriate when the study area(s) is intended to inform about existing CAM clinical modalities. Please visit the Developmental Pilot Projects link for information about funded pilot study projects. "Click here for application"