[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48134-48135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16172]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement DP05-130]


Epidemiologic Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Notice of 
Intent To Fund Single Eligibility Award

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
intent to fund fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program to expand on preliminary findings of Inflammatory Bowel Disease 
(IBD) in the United States and enhance our understanding of the 
demographic and clinical characteristics of IBD, variations in clinical 
practice, and the impact of the disease. This announcement will build 
on a previous epidemiologic study of the disease and be used to target 
interventions for groups at high risk for IBD and inform best clinical 
practices.
    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program 
is 93.945.

B. Eligible Applicant

    Assistance will be provided only to the Crohn's and Colitis 
Foundation of America.
    The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is the only 
institution eligible to submit an application in response to this RFA. 
The CCFA was referenced by the House and Senate in their Labor/Health 
and Human Services/Education (L/HHS/Ed) Committee Reports. The House 
language states: ``For the past five years, the Committee has 
encouraged CDC to work in partnership with the IBD community to 
establish a national IBD epidemiology program to further our 
understanding of these diseases. The Committee understands that the 
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America has provided financial 
support through the CDC Foundation to initiate this important program. 
Now that the project is established, the Committee encourages CDC to 
contribute to the project in order to expand the work in FY2005.'' The 
Senate language states: ``An epidemiological study of IBD is needed to 
gain a better understanding of the prevalence of IBD in the United 
States and the demographic characteristics of the IBD patient 
population. Over the last 3 years, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation 
of America has provided the CDC with $750,000 to initiate the 
epidemiological study. Now that the project has been established 
through an investment by the patient community, the Committee has 
provided $800,000 to continue this study.'' The Conference Committee 
recommended a total of $750,000.
    The CCFA is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(03) organization, founded in 
1967 ``to cure and prevent Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis 
through research, and to improve the quality of life of children and 
adults affected by these digestive disease through education and 
support''. Since 1967, CCFA has established itself as the leading 
agency in the country on IBD research. It has led the efforts in 
identifying the research needs and developing successful strategies to 
meet those needs. CCFA has a national scientific advisory committee 
comprised of nationally renowned physicians and scientists in the field 
of inflammatory bowel disease. This advisory committee is the only one 
of its kind in the country dedicated solely to identifying and 
supporting emerging areas of research that could lead to the 
understanding of the causes and disease course of IBD. Through this 
scientific advisory committee and other partnerships, CCFA has 
developed several major initiatives to advance IBD research.
    For the past three years, the CCFA scientific advisory committee 
has worked with the CDC to establish the informational infrastructure 
needed to conduct IBD research. They have built a validated disease 
algorithm for identifying patients with IBD and estimating the 
prevalence of the disease. Only CCFA has access to these algorithms and 
the informational infrastructure. CCFA will use the algorithms and 
infrastructure created, to further describe the prevalence and 
incidence of IBD and the impact of various clinical practices on 
outcomes.
    The mission of CCFA, the organization's extensive network of 
resources, and the existing collaborative efforts with the CDC make it 
highly probable that CCFA will successfully achieve the activities 
identified in Section 1 of this RFA. CCFA is the only not-for-profit 
national IBD organization that promotes and provides funding for much 
needed IBD research. This characteristic of CCFA is unmatched by any 
other public or private IBD specific organization currently conducting 
similar activities in the United States.
    The CCFA has partnered with the CDC in the establishment and 
initiation of this study; therefore, it is the only eligible 
organization to collaborate in the completion of this study.

C. Funding

    Approximately $700,000 is available in FY 2005 to fund this award. 
It is

[[Page 48135]]

expected that the award will begin on or before August 31, 2005, and 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up 
to five years. Funding estimates may change.

D. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    For general comments or questions about this announcement, contact: 
Technical Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office, 
2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, telephone: 770-488-2700.
    For technical questions about this program, contact: Brenda Colley 
Gilbert, Project Officer, 4770 Buford Highway N.E., Mailstop K-92, 
Atlanta, GA 30341, telephone: 770-488-8390, e-mail: 
[email protected].

    Dated: August 10, 2005.
Alan A. Kotch,
Deputy Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-16172 Filed 8-15-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P