U.S. - India Collaborative Vision Research Program (R01)

Agency: NEI
Program: U.S. - India Collaborative Vision Research Program (R01)
Deadline: November 9, 2015; November 9, 2016; November 9, 2017

Summary:
This funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications from United States (U.S.)-based institutions with an Indian institution partner to establish bilateral collaborations that will advance science and technology important to understanding, preventing, and treating blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, and their complications.  The U.S.-India Collaborative Vision Research Program is designed to develop collaborations between scientists and institutions in the United States and India to conduct high quality vision research of mutual interest and benefit to both countries while developing the basis for future institutional and individual scientific collaborations.

This FOA is intended to support collaborations between the U.S. and India that focus on the basic biology and/or genetics of ophthalmic diseases including diabetic retinopathy and ocular inflammation, using the unique resources that exist in India, such as large families with extensive pedigrees.  Research examples include, but are not limited to:

- Family based genome wide association studies (GWAS) on cohorts of consanguineous families from India to identify genetic factors that predispose to both Mendelian and complex forms of eye diseases.
- Deep sequencing to examine existing genetic variants identified in other populations;
- Validation of novel GWAS findings in appropriate animal models;
- Identification of biomarkers that predict and/or assess risk and response to interventions;
- Define the contributions of specific genetic risk factors and environmental exposures that underlie eye diseases;
- Studies on birth cohorts in India to determine the effects of the environment on the development of factors that predict risk influencing eye diseases such as imprinting and other epigenetic effects.

Full Announcement