What is the Ionis Young Investigator Grant?

Ionis Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce the Ionis Young Investigator Grant (YIG). This grant was recently created by the division of CardioRenal-Metabolism within Medical Affairs to recognize early career investigators who are performing high quality research in the field of severe hypertriglyceridemia. Ionis values developing clinicians and scientists who will influence the field and support new research for years to come.

Who is Eligible?

The Ionis YIG is a grant aimed at providing research grants to fellows who are at eligible academic or non-profit institutions and submit innovative research proposals in the areas of translational, clinical, or applied research. The Ionis YIG encourages early stage scientific investigators of promise to apply, who are engaged in cutting-edge research on the topic of severe hypertriglyceridemia for the following categories:

• Clinical investigations
• Basic and Translational Science
• Outcomes Research (and/or EMR-related research)

The goals of the research application should focus on understanding the effects of chylomicron and/or triglyceride elevations on cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Specifically, the grant will support 2 fellows, residents, or junior faculty annually to promote quality research and support the development of future researchers and clinicians.

Overview

This grant is awarded by an independent review committee on a competitive basis for a maximum of two academic years with the first year guaranteed and the second-year contingent on approval of a progress submission demonstrating progress towards the pre-stated research objectives and ongoing research.

Deadlines and Important Dates Based on Grant Program Approval

• Application Deadline – April 1, 2023
  Late submissions or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Award notification – May 2, 2023
  Grant recipients and their affiliated institutions receive grant notification.

• Acceptance Deadline – July 15, 2023
  Grant acceptance must be signed by investigator, mentor, and institution and returned to receive grant funds.

Young Investigator Grant Funds

• The Young Investigator Grant will be paid directly to the grantee’s institution
• Grant will be funded in the amount of $50,000 per year and may be renewable for a second year at the same level provided sufficient progress has been made towards the research objectives and with approval of a progress submission demonstrating progress and ongoing research
• The grant may be transferred to another investigator if needed upon renewal for the second year after approval from Ionis (ex. after completion of 1-year fellowship)
• Grant may only be used as described in the granted proposal submission
• Institution is not limited in the amount of additional support it may provide the investigator
• Submissions duplicative of other research, prior submissions of Investigator sponsored studies, or projects focused on competitor products are not eligible for the Young Investigator Grant Program

Applicant Eligibility and Qualifications 

• Mentors may submit the application on behalf of the investigator if not yet selected; this will allow the institution to know if funding has been secured to support a fellowship position in advance
• Investigator must hold a doctorate degree during the grant period
• Investigator may not have more than 3 years of post-doctoral research experience
• Investigators working full-time and currently in training are eligible to apply, including residents
• Applicants with existing tenure-track research positions or senior faculty appointments are ineligible
• Investigator must be either a United States citizen, in possession of a current student visa or a permanent alien resident, specifically:
  • US Citizen
  • Green Card – permanent residency visa – unlimited duration, can lead to US Citizenship
  • H1B Visa – the primary US Work Visa for professionals & students from all over the world or in the USA, who work in specialty occupations. Valid up to 6 years, dual intent visa (can apply for Green Card)
  • E3 Visa – similar to the H1B but is available to Australian Citizens only
  • TN1 Visa – similar to the H1B but is available to Canadian & Mexican Citizens only
  • J1 Visa (must be valid until January 2026)

Young Investigator Program Requirements

• Funded research must be conducted in an academic or non-profit institution
• Grant should broaden the postdoctoral research experience of the young investigator and not be used for further support of preexisting and extensive postdoctoral research training
• Funded research must be conducted under the supervision of an experienced mentor at the sponsoring institution
• Proposed research must have anticipated completion timeline of 2 years or less
• The grant cannot be transferred to an alternate investigator or institution in the event the original institution and investigator dissolve their association without approval by Ionis
• Ionis Medical Affairs must be notified, in writing with appropriate justification, immediately if the sponsoring institution anticipates any delay of the term
• Expected Outcomes: submission of data for external presentation and/or publication within 2 years of initial funding

Application Materials

The following must be submitted via email to [email protected] to apply:

1. Grant Request Letter
   Must be on institutional letterhead, written and signed by the Department Chair, Division Chief or Training Program Director and include:

• Academic term dates for investigator’s current position if applicable (e.g., July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025)
• Statement of:
  • mentor’s qualifications to supervise and train the investigator
  • scientific prowess of the institution
  • institutional commitment to advancing the care of patients with cardiology or metabolic disease

2. Current Curriculum Vitae or NIH Biosketch

• Mentor (required)
• Investigator (required if known)

3. Research Proposal (preferably not to exceed 5 pages)
   Proposal to include:

• Introduction, research objectives and rationale
• Background and significance
• Specific area of research
• Preliminary data (if available)
• Design and methods (including statistical analyses)
• Patient population
• Investigator’s role in design and execution of research proposal
• Detailed budget, including other funding sources (if applicable)
• References

4. Letter of Support from Mentor

• Detail the eligibility, scientific skills, and background of the investigator and how the grant would be beneficial for the development of this young investigator

OR, if investigator not yet identified,

• Describe the selection process for identifying an investigator to complete the funded research and how the grant would be beneficial at his/her institution for developing a young investigator

5. Formal brochure/overview of training program or department

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Ionis Medical Affairs at [email protected].

Overview

Ionis recognizes the importance of Independent Medical Education (IME) and is committed to supporting programs that enhance patient care. Ionis supports targeted high-quality accredited and non-accredited medical education programs to advance excellence in healthcare by improving disease awareness, clinical knowledge, and multidisciplinary management within our therapeutic areas of focus.

Areas of Focus

We are accepting grant applications for medical education programs within the United States for the following therapeutic areas:

Hereditary Angioedema:

• Current treatment challenges, unmet needs of patients, and investigational drugs in late-stage development for this rare disease.

Severe Hypertriglyceridemia including genetic conditions such as Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome:

• Pathophysiology, disease burden, and management of elevated triglycerides.
• Current treatment challenges, unmet needs of patient, and investigational drugs in late-stage development.

Grant Submission Process

All IME grants will be submitted through our Grant portal. Please log in here to submit your request.

Typical turnaround times for funding decisions are between 30 and 60 days from the date of submission of the IME grant application.

Required information and documentation

• Letter of request on letterhead with signature from requestor addressed to the Ionis Medical Education Grant Review Committee detailing unmet educational needs and practice gaps
• Date, location, venue, or platform of activity
• Description of program
• Type of accreditation (if any)
• Number and type of credit hours to be issued for program completion
• Intended target audience and estimated participation
• Amount of funding requested and purpose of funding
• Sole-support or multi-supported activity
• Statement that budgets will be reconciled within 90 days and unused funds will be returned
• Detailed agenda including all program topics and faculty (if available)
• Detailed budget including a breakdown of how requested funds will be spent
• W-9

Contact Info

For questions about the Ionis’ IME grant program or the grant portal, please contact us at [email protected].

Please note that Global and United States IME grants requests for amyloid transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and amyloid transthyretin polyneuropathy (ATTR-PM) will now be submitted to and reviewed by our global development and commercialization partner AstraZeneca. Please visit www.astrazenecagrants.com to review the application procedure and/or to submit.