GLOBAL CARE internal call for Target-based and phenotypic screening projects at the Institut Pasteur

The GLOBAL CARE initiative consortium at the Institut Pasteur launches its 4^th internal call for research proposals

Aim of the call

By combining human resources and automated instrumentation at the Institut Pasteur, the GLOBAL CARE initiative with the Chemogenomic and Biological Screening platform (PF-CCB) of the Citech center, give additional support to research projects with applicative potentials to foster industrial partnerships, and aiming at:

1. Developing innovative and robust target-based and phenotypic screening assays using various detection technologies (absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, fluorescence polarization, TR-FRET, bio-layer interferometry and imaging),
2. Facilitating conversion of cell-based, microscopy image-based and biochemical assays to medium/high-throughput/automation compatible formats,
3. Helping identify high quality hits and facilitating the transition into new therapeutic candidates (small molecules and peptidomimetics), using academic, commercial, home-made and virtual chemical libraries,
4. Isolating specific compounds for dissecting new molecular pathways associated with infection diseases and human pathologies,

Subsequently, validated screening assays could be provided to European-based consortia with industry-scale capacities for screening small molecules from large chemical libraries of a high diversity. The type of screening assays can be cell-based, microscopy image-based (phenotypic) or target-based. A particular attention will be paid for 3D screening assays (spheroid and organoid) and target driven screening assays, aiming at isolating protein-protein interaction inhibitors (allosteric or orthosteric) as well as RNA-protein interaction inhibitors which have been relatively unexplored. Finally, since the GLOBAL CARE initiative shared platform is collaboration between three Carnot Institutes (Curie Cancer, ICM and Pasteur MI), projects gathering expertise from these partners will also be considered.

Funding of proposals

The GLOBAL CARE initiative can give support for a period of maximum 12 months to a research team in the Institut Pasteur, with 12 months availability of scientific personnel provided by the Chemogenomic and Biological Screening platform (post-doc or engineer) and 20 k€ maximum for operation budget.

Eligibility and project evaluation criteria

The principal investigator of the project should belong to a research team in the Institut Pasteur. International collaborations with or without research teams of the Institut Pasteur International network (RIIP) are authorized, but only research teams within the Institut Pasteur in Paris will receive funding from GLOBAL CARE. A scientific advisory board will select projects based on their feasibility and scientific relevance in therapeutic areas for which the Institut Pasteur has a growing interest and expertise.

Submission of proposals

There will be only one-stage procedure for applications:

• Submission of the scientific project of a maximum of 5 pages (including references and figures, Arial 11, 1.5 line spacing) should be written in English and sent as a single pdf file to GC-call@pasteur.fr before 6.00pm, December 9^th 2016. It is also recommended to join to the application an abstract (max 400 words) and a Gantt chart.

Calendar (check the date)

• Opening of the call for proposals: October 28^th 2016
• Complete electronic application submission: 6.00pm GMT, December 9^th 2016 to GC call@pasteur.fr
• Decision and funding starting point: January, 2017