Pharmacogenomics Global Research Network (PGRN)

PGRN Myriad Research Grant

PGRN and Myriad seek to facilitate high quality research in pharmacogenomics for mental health. It is anticipated that one PGRN Myriad grantup to $25,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to PGRN members this year.

Possible topics include (but are not restricted to):

•  In vitro pharmacology studies of the impact of genetic variation on psychotropic medications
•  Evaluation of under-examined variants in pharmacokinetic genes on psychotropic medication blood levels/response 
•  PGx phenoconversion due to drug-drug interactions
•  Evaluation of variants in pharmacodynamic genes on psychotropic medication response or side effects.
•  Research syntheses such as meta-analyses that evaluate studies of mental health PGx. 

Proposals that include participants from ancestrally understudied groups will be prioritized.

Eligibility

Applicants must be PGRN members. Trainees are eligible with faculty sponsorship documented in a letter of support. Proposals must have a clear mental health focus. An individual can be listed as a principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator (co-PI) on only one proposal under this funding mechanismin each funding cycle.

Proposal (no more than 4 pages, excluding references, biosketch/CV, budget justification, and letters of support)

The following sections should be included in your proposal. Applicants have flexibility in the organization, but all the following sections are required.

1. Aims, Background and Significance
2. Statement of diversity and inclusion of understudied populations – including description of the study population and knowledge gap to be filled with the research
3. Mental Health Impact of the proposal
4. Research strategy and approach (including statistical analysis)
5. If relevant, how this funding might facilitate additional funding/projects.
6. Timeline

Investigator(s) Biographical Sketch/CV

A brief (max 5 pages) NIH or equivalent biographical sketch is required for all investigators with funded effort on the grant. NIH biographical sketch format, instructions, and examples can be found here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm .  If a biosketch is not available a CV (5 pages max) can be provided.

Budget and justification (half page)

Provide a detailed budget and justification that will be considered in the review. Budgets should be realistic and any additional funds available to contribute to the project should be discussed at a high level. A detailed budget for items that are part of the infrastructure that support the project, but are outside of the scope of the grant, are not required. Indirect costs are not allowed.

The funding can be used for a variety of purposes, including to support effort for individuals to collect, clean, merge, analyze, or publish data. Funding for additional genotyping in pharmacogenetic validation studies or for investigator/librarian time to develop a high-quality meta-analysis on a broad mental health PGx topic, for example, are acceptable.

Letters of Support

Your application should include letters of support from collaborators and other significant contributors, if relevant.

Criteria for Review

Proposals will be reviewed by an Expert Review Panel with support from the PGRN Scientific Committee. Scorable criteria include significance in mental health pharmacogenomics, study design and analysis, diversity of the study population, and feasibility of completion during funding period with the funds available.  Investigators will be assessed as acceptable or not, consistent with new NIH criteria.  Each proposal will be reviewed by at least two reviewers and applicants with competitive scores will be reviewed for prioritization for funding by the entire review panel. Reviewer comments will be summarized and shared with all applicants after the final funding decision. The final selection for funding will be made by the PGRN Executive Council.

Application Due Date, Project Period, and Deliverables:

The grant is due by midnight, Pacific Time March 3rd, 2025.  The project period for this grant is 1 year from the time of fund distribution. Please send your send your submission to info@pgrn.org

Deliverables:

• A one-page final progress report will be due at the end of the 1-year grant.
• Presentation of data is required within 24 months after award notification and will include a PGRN Research in Progress seminar or abstract at the PGRN Annual Meeting.

Myriad requests a 30-day courtesy review prior to submission of a manuscript or abstract to a journal or conference, so that they are aware of the publication and may help, if appropriate, promote it when published. All published work supported by this grant must include the following acknowledgement: “This project was supported (or supported in part) by the PGRN Myriad Research Grant”