Investigators from UC Davis School of Medicine and the Viral Rickettsial Disease Laboratory of the California Department of Health Services have formed the UARP-funded California Research Center for the Biology of HIV in Minorities. The goal of the center is to focus on immunologic and virologic differences in HIV-infected subjects of different ethnicities and gender. The center will accomplish this by providing support through the Administrative, Pilot Project, Clinical, Immunology and Virology Cores.

The Pilot Project Core of the California Research Center for the Biology of HIV in Minorities announces the availability of funds to support meritorious scientific studies for short periods of time, allowing researchers to collect the preliminary data necessary for external peer-reviewed research applications. One-year grants up to $30,000 will fund pilot projects by junior investigators, post-doctoral fellows and established investigators. Investigators are encouraged to submit collaborative multi-disciplinary research projects. The projects that will be supported will focus on the primary goals of the center which are to increase the understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS by gender and in under represented minorities. Emphasis will be placed on training and development of junior researchers, as well as women and under-represented researchers.

The deadline to apply is May 15, 2008. Funding will be available in early July 2008.

There will be two requests for proposals per year. The Pilot Project Core of the California Research Center for the Biology of HIV in Minorities intends to support seven to ten proposals depending on the quality of the proposals and the level of funding. Proposals are limited to a maximum of five pages. Clinical Core investigators and biostaticians are available to provide support to investigators in proposal preparation. The proposals will be peer reviewed and selected by Pilot Project Core reviewers.

For additional information, contact:
Satya Dandekar, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, UC Davis
3146 Tupper Hall
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-3409
sdandekar@ucdavis.edu

PDF of application
 
For assistance with the application please call (530) 754-5313.
 
For additional information on core services, contact:

Administrative Core
Richard B. Pollard, M.D., Principal Investigator
rbpollard@ucdavis.edu

Pilot Project Core
Satya Dandekar, Ph.D., Core Director
sdandekar@ucdavis.edu

Clinical Core
Richard B. Pollard, M.D., Core Director
Donna DeFreitas, M.D., Co-Director
donna.defreitas@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Immunology Core
David Asmuth, M.D., Core Director
david.asmuth@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Virology Core
Haynes Sheppard, Ph.D., Core Director
hsheppard@dhs.ca.gov