Submit Proposals to the NIH Center for Human Immunology, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity

Technology Development or Collaborative Study Proposals

Proposals are requested in a combined call accepting either Technology Development or Collaborative Study projects.  This current call will prioritize collaborative studies, with studies that would involve tissue samples of particular interest and inter-institute collaborations and multi-PI proposals encouraged. Proposals will first be screened for technical feasibility by the NIH Center for Human Immunology, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity (CHI) team and statisticians, for which ad hoc experts  may be solicited. A second round of review will be performed by the CHI Scientific Advisory Board comprising current members Drs. Yasmine Belkaid (chair), James M. Cherry, Robert Seder, Pamela Guerrerio, Luigi Notarangelo and Frank DeLeo. A written report will be provided to justify decisions and all funded projects will be listed on the CHI website. In some cases, the CHI will fund pilot studies to insure feasibility for larger studies. If the application is approved, the CHI scientists will work with primary investigators (PIs) to work out the logistics and establish a timeline, and then schedule the study.  

Application Process

Prior to Proposal Preparation

Investigators are encouraged to discuss the technologies available at CHI and their suitability for potential samples with the CHI scientists (please see below for contact information).

How to Format Your Application

Download the CHI Project Proposal cover page. In order to facilitate the review process, for proposals we require applications be submitted together in a single PDF file, up to 10 MB in size. Include the following in your application:

• Cover page, including 400-word summary
• All text should be in an 11 pt, sans-serif font, preferably Arial, and not compressed vertically or horizontally. Include the following:
  • Maximum of two specific aims to be addressed by comprehensive immune profiling
  • Background and preliminary data, including any existing high-dimensional analyses
  • Study design, including the number of subjects in each group to be compared
  • Assay plan, including the number of samples to be analyzed in each assay at the CHI
  • Analysis plan, including the outcomes to be used when analyzing phenotypes
  • Sample information, including the type of material and its handling characteristics
  • Biosketch of PI(s) and collaborators
  • References
• Applications should be combined in a single PDF file, 4 pages maximum (references not included), including cover page and references. File name should be same as project title from cover sheet (YEAR-IC-LastName).

How to Submit Your Application

The CHI is currently evaluating proposals that were due November 10, 2022 and is not accepting additional proposals at this time. Please check back soon for our next call for proposals.

For submissions, principal investigator(s) must be NIH investigators. CHI does not exclude collaborations with extramural organizations however they must partner with an NIH investigator.        

Additional Information

Examples of Publications Arising From Collaborations With the CHI

• Time-resolved systems immunology reveals a late juncture linked to fatal COVID-19.
  Liu C, Martins AJ, Lau WW, et al. Cell. 2021 Feb 10:S0092-8674(21)00168-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.018. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33713619; PMCID: PMC7874909.
• Broadly effective metabolic and immune recovery with C5 inhibition in CHAPLE disease.
  Ozen A, Kasap N, Vujkovic-Cvijin I, et al. Nat Immunol. 2021 Feb;22(2):128-139. doi: 10.1038/s41590-020-00830-z. Epub 2021 Jan 4. PMID: 33398182; PMCID: PMC7856263.
• Broad immune activation underlies shared set point signatures for vaccine responsiveness in healthy individuals and disease activity in patients with lupus.
  Kotliarov Y, Sparks R, Martins AJ, Mulè MP, Lu Y, Goswami M, Kardava L, Banchereau R, Pascual V, Biancotto A, Chen J, Schwartzberg PL, Bansal N, Liu CC, Cheung F, Moir S, Tsang JS (2020). Nat Med 26, 618-629.

Sample Requirements

Assays are typically run when all samples for a cohort have been collected, and are well established for peripheral blood, requiring viable PBMC, PAXgene or serum/plasma.  As sample processing can introduce variation not compatible with high parameter phenotyping, test samples may be requested to confirm samples are compatible with CHI assays.  We are interested in applying these assays to tissue samples and other sample types, for which we are developing experience.

Funding

Funding is based on two tiers determined by whether an investigator is from an institute that is contributing standing funding for the CHI operation.  For institutes contributing standing funding, investigators will only be expected to fund the cost of scientific reagents. 

For institutes not contributing standing funding, investigators will be expected to provide the full cost of scientific reagents and 40% of the cost of labor for CHI scientists. 

Computational analysis may involve technical contribution from the RTB’s Integrated Data Science Section (IDSS).  These costs will be determined using the same criteria.

After project reviews and selection, a formal funding agreement will be established based on estimated reagent and labor costs.

Approximate Reagent Costs for Assays at the CHI in FY22

Additional Considerations

• Data generated will be shared between the PI and the CHI, and it is expected that the CHI scientists and PIs will be co-authors on future publications derived from the collaborative research.
• Continuation of projects with the CHI beyond the successful completion of the stated aims will require a new proposal.
• Information and data submitted to the CHI will be reviewed by select CHI Staff and the CHI SAB but will not be shared outside of this application.
• Submitted information should not include any patient personally identifiable information (PII).

CHI Contact Information

Rachel Tracy, Executive Assistant

Rachel.tracy@nih.gov