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Mellowes Center Sequencing and Analysis Grant

NGS-Based Pilot Projects - Sequencing, Bioinformatics, and Analysis Request for Applications

Purpose and Overview

To advance the cellular and molecular understanding of individualized and population health, undiagnosed diseases, adverse events, and more, the partnership between CTSI and the Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine (MC), is seeking proposals for small-scale research projects that utilize any combination of the genomic, transcriptomic, or epigenomic technologies and bioinformatics platforms available in the MC. Responsive proposals will describe projects that 1) improve our understanding of disease initiation, progression, or therapeutic resistance, 2) show promise to clinically improve disease prevention, early detection, diagnosis or treatment, or 3) develop novel data that empower future studies translating ‘Omics data into the practice.

Thus, responsive projects will be setup to rapidly identify discoveries for better understanding health for our communities through robust, multidisciplinary, and Team Science approaches, that leverage ‘Omics technologies.

Number of Awards and Budget

  • This mechanism will fund at least 2 projects up to $25,000 each for MC services that include sample preparation, sample sequencing or high-throughput assay, and/or bioinformatic analytics.
  • Projects requiring greater than $25,000 to accomplish the outlined aims can be supplemented with other funding sources (see the full RFA below).

View the full Request for Applications (PDF)

Timeline

  • Project Interest Forms are due by May 24, 2024
  • Completion of a 30-minute consultation with the MC ‘Omics technology and bioinformatics team by May 31, 2024
  • Full applications are due by 5 p.m. on June 21, 2024*
  • Recommendation for funding will be made after peer review, by mid-July 2024
  • Planned start date: August 1, 2024
  • Human and/or animal study regulatory approvals must be in place before the award start date.  If samples are not available within six months of the project start date, the award will be void.

* Funding Proposals:  applications for this award are not required to be submitted in eBridge. Instead of starting a funding proposal in eBridge, please submit the online REDCap grant application to CTSI by 5 p.m. on June 21, 2024. 

Eligibility

  • Faculty meeting MCW PI eligibility, or PI eligibility at another CTSI partner, that have an imminently implementable project involving NGS-based methodologies (see MC
  • Technology & Bioinformatics Platforms below).
  • Projects should have a ready hypothesis
  • Sequencing data should meet minimum QC metrics appropriate for the NGS technology.
  • Agree to abide by NIH data management sharing policy. (NIH 2023 Data Management Sharing Policy)
  • Completion of a 30-minute consultation with the MC ‘Omics technology and bioinformatics team to ensure appropriate allocation of resources and clear communication of project size and  Approximately one week after consultation the Mellowes Center will provide a statement of work (SOW) with an expected timeline and budget specific to your project.

Questions

Please contact Renee McCoy, CTSI Pilot Award Program Director, at rmccoy@mcw.edu.