Notice to Inform Potential Applicants to RFA-NS-14-006 "High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24)" of NINDS Policies on Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Development and Resource Sharing

Notice Number: NOT-NS-14-044

Key Dates
Release Date: September 5, 2014

Related Announcements
RFA-NS-14-006
NOT-NS-14-032

Issued by
National Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Purpose

This Notice is directed to potential applicants to RFA-NS-14-006 "High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Grants (R24)." The purpose is to provide information and clarification regarding a recent update to NINDS guidelines for best practices in developing and distributing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, as described in NOT-NS-14-032 "NINDS Requirements for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Development and Resource Sharing."

As indicated in NOT-NS-14-032, NINDS expects investigators developing iPSC lines to follow specific best practice guidelines for quality control and Freedom to Operate conditions for sharing cell lines. NINDS also expects investigators to verify that lines proposed for development are not already publicly available in repositories such as those maintained by NINDS, NIMH, NIGMS, or public collections.

In addition to these requirements, the Notice indicates that NINDS is not currently prioritizing applications that are focused primarily on developing iPSC lines as resources. In limited circumstances, applications proposing exceptional opportunities for dissemination of iPSCs or related resources may be appropriate, but investigators are expected to provide strong justification as to why their unique circumstances warrant a separate iPSC resource. In general, we expect iPSC development to be proposed within the context of specific research project aims, so that the utility and overall value of the proposed lines may be established from the perspective of anticipated research outcomes.

Potential applicants to RFA-NS-14-006 are urged to contact NINDS Program staff and/or the Scientific/Research Contact for the FOA (also listed below for this Notice) to discuss the potential relevance of a particular resource to the FOA.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Edmund Talley, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-496-1917
Email: TalleyE@mail.nih.gov