NSF-NIEHS Centers for

Oceans and Human Health

- Novel integration of NIH and NSF.

- Stimulated by scientific community,

and by CORE, an NRC report, and

the Directors of NSF and NIEHS.

- Focus on HAB, pathogens, pharmaceuticals,

- Integrate biological / oceanographic approaches.

NSF-NIEHS Centers for

Oceans and Human Health- Joint Request for Applications (RFA)

- Competitive review of Center grant applications.

- 20 plus applications

- Four Centers funded: -Washington

-Hawaii

-Woods Hole

-Miami

Woods Hole Centerfor

Oceans and Human Health

Integrated effort by three Institutions:

Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.

Marine Biological Laboratory

Massachusetts Inst. of Technology

Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health

Internal AdvisoryCommittee

External AdvisoryCommittee

Administrator WHOI Administration

D. AndersonD. Erdner

D. Mcgillicuddy

R. GastL. Amaral-Zettler

M.PolzJ. Lerczak

RESEARCHPROJECTS

M. SoginH. Morrison

GENOMICSFACILITY CORE

S. HajdukM. Hahn

PILOTPROJECTS

COHH DirectorJ. Stegeman

Deputy DirectorD. Mcgillicuddy

Research Focus

Harmful algal blooms (2 projects)

Infectious agents (2 projects)

Temperate Coastal Waters

New England waters as a model system.

AdvancedGenomics

Population Biology

CoastalHydrodynamics

Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health

Administrative CoreStegeman McGillicuddy

Core Facility Sogin Morrison

1. Anderson: HABs 2. McGillicuddy: HABs3. Gast and Amaral-Zettler: Infectious Diseases

4. Polz and Lerczak: Infectious Diseases

Pilot Projects Director: Hajduk co-Director: Hahn

Woods Hole Center for

Oceans and Human Health

Other COHH

EHS Centers

Other Institutes& Centers

MBL MIT

WHOI

Human Pathogens in the Environment

understanding ecology = understanding risk--> prediction and prevention

-reservoirs-favorable growth-Gene transfer

environmentalamplification

?

transportShellfish poisoning,

toxicosis….

Mt. Hope Bay

Heavily impacted by humans

– Sewage outfalls, industrial waste, thermal discharge

Mt. Hope Bay Natural Laboratory

– Centralized data bases

– Predictive current models under development

– No microbial or pathogen sampling program

Proxy for other New England bays

Vibrio infections - a worldwide problem

V. vulnificusV. parahaemolyticus

Wound, eye and ear infection:- rising worldwide- numbers not well known

Seafood consumption:- up to 10,000 infections/yr in US and reports of infection rising (CDC);- 95% of all seafood related deaths

- Environmental prevalence and growth factors- Gene transfer and evolution- Risk assessment

Environmental reservoirs,routes of transmission and infection

• Understand• Predict• Protect

WH-COHH Vibrio project

Human Pathogens: Presence & Persistence

in the Coastal Marine Environment

Studies of traditionally non-marine human pathogens in coastal marine waters:

Essential to determine their potential to impact human health

Evidence and vectors Sea otters, whales, and shellfish can

harbor protistan pathogens such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium

– Shellfish and protists (such as Acanthamoeba) can harbor bacterial pathogens such as Legionella and Vibrio, and enhance pathogenicity.

(Giardia)

(Legionella in amoeba)

HAB threats to human health in temperate waters of the northeastern U.S.

Woods Hole COHH HAB projects• Overall objective: to link dinoflagellate population structure, physiology, and toxicity in order to

improve prediction and prevention of HABs.

• Rationale: cellular toxicity varies with environmental and genetic factors; cell number is not always a good proxy for toxicity

Genotype

Physiology

Physical-biological coupled model

Toxicity

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)

• causes paralysis and death; • causative organism Alexandrium fundyense (dinoflagellate);• widespread and recurrent annual problem; • ongoing shellfish monitoring programs in ME, NH, MA, CT

GerminationGermination Only Only

Germination, GrowthGermination, Growth &Mortality&Mortality

Germination, Growth, Germination, Growth, Mortality & Nutrient lim.Mortality & Nutrient lim.

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health

Pilot Project Program

Steve Hajduk (MBL), DirectorMark Hahn (WHOI), Deputy Director

2004 Call for Proposals

Objectives

Pilot Project Program

• Support short-term projects to assess feasibility of new research topics

• Generate preliminary data

• Expand scope of Center research

• Expand participation in Center

Areas of emphasis

Pilot Project Program

• Harmful algal blooms (HABs)

• Water- and vector-borne diseases

• Marine-derived pharmaceuticals and probes

RFP: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-03-003.html

NRC/NAS (1999) From Monsoons to Microbes: Understanding the Ocean’s role in Human Health

NSF/NIEHS Oceans and Human Health roundtable report, December 2001

Eligibility

Pilot Project Program

• MBL, MIT, WHOI Scientific and Sr. Technical Staff

Budgets

Pilot Project Program

• up to $50K direct costs• 1 year + no-cost extension if needed• Earliest start date: October 1, 2004

• Salaries• Supplies• Student stipend and tuition

• Equipment - not usually• Travel - meetings: No• Travel - sample collection: If strongly justified• Ship time - if strongly justified

Pre-proposal(required)

Pilot Project Program

• Due July 15, 2004• 1 page summary of project• Direct and indirect costs• 2p CV/Biosketch for PI and other key personnel (NSF or NIH format)• Submit electronically:

Steve Hajduk, MBL (shajduk@mbl.edu) orMark Hahn, WHOI (mhahn@whoi.edu)

Full proposals

Pilot Project Program

• Due August 15, 2004 at 5 PM EDT.• Title page• Research Plan (5 pp.)

a) Objectivesb) Background & Rationalec) Experimental design and methodsd) Facilities available and/or use of genomics coree) Relevance to COHH programf) Broader impacts (see NSF guidelines)g) References (not included in 5p limit)

• Budget (Direct and indirect costs)• Budget justification (1 p)• 2p CV/Biosketch for PI and other key personnel(NSF/NIH format)• Other support (Key personnel; NIH or NSF format)• Human subject / Vertebrate animal approvals• Submit hard copy (1) and electronically

Review

Pilot Project Program

• Phase I- Woods Hole COHH Internal Advisory Committee (IAC)- outside reviewers (EAC) as needed- Written critiques

• Phase II- presentations (10 min) to IAC

Review criteria

Pilot Project Program

• Scientific merit

• Relevance and potential impact

• Innovation

• Investigators

• Facilities

• Broader impacts

Questions?

Pilot Project Program

Model run: cyst germination plus growth and mortality

Present model assumes that all Alexandrium fundyense cells are the the same (i.e., same growth rate, nutrient responses, toxicity, motility, etc.)

Will address different strains known to exist.

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Woods Hole COHH

• Addressing public health issues.

• Incorporating advanced genomic studies and oceanography.