Assay Development for High Throughput Molecular Screening (R21)

-Purpose. This PAR will facilitate the discovery of new molecular probes for investigating biological function by funding the development and adaptation of biological assays for use in automated High-Throughput Screening (HTS) projects. These HTS-ready assays can then be screened by the Molecular Libraries Production Centers Network (MLPCN) to identify biologically active compounds in a large library of small molecule chemical structures. This Program and the MLPCN are both components of the NIH Molecular Libraries and Imaging Roadmap Initiative (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/molecularlibraries/index.asp). -Mechanism of Support. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will utilize the R21 grant mechanism. -Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Approximately $8 million will be available for this PAR in 2008, 2009 and 2010. This amount will be distributed in response to two receipt dates per year. NIH anticipates making approximately 40 awards in total each year. Because the scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the quality and costs of the applications received.