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Production of Affinity Reagents for Human Transcription Factors (U54)

This NIH Common Fund FOA seeks to establish a center or centers to produce renewable, high quality affinity reagents against all human transcription factors. The resulting set of affinity binding reagents is intended to form a broadly available community resource for researchers with an interest in transcription factors. This FOA requests applications that will develop an affinity reagent resource of the broadest possible utility, including detection of the target protein in a sample, immuno-histochemical labeling of a tissue sample, or immunoprecipitation or other affinity capture of the target protein. However, the scientific application that is the highest priority for this FOA is the use of the reagents in chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies.

It is anticipated that awarded applications will propose to create production centers capable of implementing a pipeline that would include acquisition and evaluation of human transcription factor immunogens, production and selection of affinity binding reagents, and the adequate biochemical characterization and validation of the affinity reagents. Because this FOA will support a production activity, it is anticipated that the center(s) will emphasize the advantages of high throughput and scalability to be achieved within a production effort, and will for example develop process improvements, thereby improving cost and quality over the duration of the award. At the same time, the production center must maintain a degree of scientific flexibility for example to develop approaches to producing affinity reagents to less tractable transcription factor protein targets as they are identified in the course of production.

Finally, because this FOA is intended to fund a broadly available community resource of research tools, applicants are expected to propose a viable distribution plan that is consistent with NIH policies, described below, and ensures broad availability and wide accessibility for future use of the reagents with minimal constraints, consistent with achieving the goals of this funding initiative.

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NIGMS Home - National Institute of General Medical Sciences

full-text (large):
RFA-RM-10-017: Production of Affinity Reagents for Human Transcription Factors (U54)