Call for proposals for Franco-Californian collaboration on stem cells’ basic research

The ANR is joining the CIRM RFA (Request for Applications, termed Call for Proposals in France) 11-03, BASIC BIOLOGY AWARDS IV (BBA IV) to fund collaborative research projects between Californian researchers and French researchers.

The objective of this call for proposals is to fund Californian-French driven basic research projects that tackle outstanding issues in relation to understanding the biology of human stem cells.

Californian-French research proposals must focus on elucidating basic molecular and cellular mechanisms and should utilize pluripotent stem cells, adult stem cells, and/or their differentiated derivatives. They must cover at least one of the following areas:

• Cellular and molecular basis of disease or injury: use of in vitro, human stem cell-based models to elucidate and/or validate pathological or regenerative mechanisms related to injury or disease; investigators studying childhood-related neurological disorders are particularly encouraged to apply
• Studies to understand and address immunogenicity of human stem cell derivatives in transplantation; mechanisms by which immune suppression and tolerance approaches affect human stem cells and their derivatives
• Systems biology approaches using stem cell, genomics and phenotype data to elucidate the basis of complex disease and/or inform potential strategies for regeneration
• Characterization of molecular determinants of human stem cell fate decisions during differentiation
• Molecular basis of self-renewal and expansion in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) or human adult stem cells
• Molecular basis of pluripotency, multipotency and senescence of human stem cells
• Understanding human stem cell mechanisms using tissue engineering approaches, including use of natural and/or artificial scaffolds that recruit endogenous stem cell populations or are seeded with stem cells, appropriate support cells, growth factors and/or matrix molecules
• Mechanisms of cellular reprogramming
• Molecular basis for induction of multipotency or pluripotency
• Molecular induction of de-differentiation or trans-differentiation of cells for tissue regeneration
• Genomic and epigenetic instability (single cell and related populations) of hPSCs and progenitor cells, and the effects of such instability on differentiation, tumorigenicity or function

As described in the RFA 11-03, CIRM funding under this initiative will be prioritized towards studies utilizing human cells, although CIRM will exceptionally fund research necessitating the use of animal model systems if the proposed studies are groundbreaking and highly innovative. The ANR, however, does not have any restrictions regarding the “material” used to address the scientific questions (i.e. human stem cell lines or animal models & cells). What is important for the evaluation of the French-Californian joint proposals is that they must show an added value to the collaborative work, with complementary approaches that should lead to a higher impact for the project.