[ACTS Membership Roster] [ACTS Meeting Rosters]

The Arthritis, Connective Tissue and Skin Sciences [ACTS] Study Section reviews basic and clinical research applications dealing with the biology and diseases of joints, connective tissue, and skin. Specific areas covered by ACTS:

• Arthritis and Connective Tissue: Inheritable, inflammatory and degenerative diseases of joints and connective tissues.
• Rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, osteoarthritis, scleroderma, psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, vasculitides, polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, palindromic arthritis, Lyme arthritis, septic arthritis, juvenile arthritis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, crystal-induced diseases, and undifferentiated connective tissue diseases.
• Biology of the joint and connective tissue: structure and function of cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons, synovium, extracellular matrix, capsule, joint fluid, blood vessels, innervation, articular cartilage, muscle, skin, immune system and other organs affected by rheumatic diseases.
• Skin and Cutaneous Biology: Disorders of skin and skin appendages, such as inflammatory, pre-neoplastic, and hyperproliferative disorders, as well as systemic diseases with significant cutaneous involvement.
• Biology, physiology, development and homeostasis of the skin and skin appendages.
• Studies of skin interactions with the environment: photoaging, UV sensitivity reactions; role of skin in transepidermal delivery of drugs; role of skin as a barrier against infectious, mechanical, and other toxic insults.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune, and Immune-mediated Diseases [HAI]
Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR]  
Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD]
Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP]
Innate Immunity and Inflammation [III]

[MRS Membership Roster] [MRS Meeting Rosters]

The Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences [MRS] study section evaluates applications pertaining to the biological mechanisms and therapeutics of impaired physical functioning, as well as exercise and physical manipulation, as rehabilitation strategies as they relate to the musculoskeletal system. Specific areas covered by MRS:

• Rehabilitation strategies related to neural control of movement (including stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease) and function (including carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injuries, low back pain) as well as strategies to prevent additional disabilities.
• Studies of gait and movement involving kinematics of movement and neural control of movement or function in altered states as compared to normal.
• Motor control in integrated limb function including studies of individuals with impairment or altered function compared to normal.
• Robotic interventions to restore limb function.
• Biomechanics related to skeletal muscle activation and control in rehabilitation.
• Rehabilitative therapeutic interventions of the musculoskeletal system.
• Patient-oriented studies of rehabilitative medicine.
• Mechanisms of exercise in relation to disability.
• Use of traditional and alternative therapies in the treatment of physical impairments.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR]
Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP]
Aging Systems and Geriatrics [ASG]
Motor Function, Speech and Rehabilitation [MFSR]

[MTE Membership Roster] [MTE Meeting Rosters]

The Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering [MTE] Study Section reviews applications concerned with the replacement or repair of damaged, missing or poorly functioning musculoskeletal tissues, including bone, skeletal muscle, cartilage, tendon, ligament and skin. Emphasis is on translational research at the interface between the combination of basic cellular processes, materials sciences and modeling and clinical treatment, with an emphasis on pre-clinical biological questions. Specific areas covered by MTE:

• Extracellular matrix, cells and mechanical and molecular signals with respect to: 1) biomaterials; natural, synthetic and biomimetic scaffolds and delivery agents for repair of musculoskeletal tissue; 2) expansion and differentiation of progenitor cells, including stem cells, for musculoskeletal tissue engineering and 3) three dimensional mechanotransduction and chemical signaling for musculoskeletal tissue engineering.
• Bioreactors and biosensors for musculoskeletal tissue engineering.
• Cell, tissue and body biomechanics and mathematical modeling with respect to musculoskeletal system tissues.
• Mechanical, electrical and biomedical engineering with respect to the repair or replacement of the musculoskeletal tissue systems.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Biomaterials and Biointerfaces [BMBI]
Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR]
Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS]
Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD] 
Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP]

[ODCS Membership Roster] [ODCS Meeting Rosters]

The Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS] study section reviews applications involving basic, applied and clinical aspects of the oral and salivary tissues including bioengineering of dental structures, as well as dental and enamel developmental biology, including patterning and mechanisms of biomineralization. Specific areas covered by ODCS:

• Oral bacterial pathogenesis, including oral microbiological infections; role of inflammation and the immune system in oral diseases processes and prevention, etiology and agents involved in caries, periodontal diseases; other oral and hard tissue infections; biofilms of oral tissues; systemic consequences of oral microbial infections.
• Function and physiology of salivary gland and the oral mucosal environment: salivary secretions and crevicular fluids; salivary proteins, saliva chemistry and diagnostics; salivary gland pathology, including Sjogren’s syndrome; radiation- and systemic disease-induced xerostomia.
• Biomimetics and bioengineering of dental tissues: biomimetic approaches for repair and replacement of dental tissues and associated structures including the salivary gland; dental restorative materials; biomechanics at micro- and macro levels; bioengineering, including cell- and gene-based therapy, drug delivery, reconstruction and repair of oral tissues; reconstruction and regeneration of the salivary gland; salivary gland as a vehicle for oral and systemic gene therapy; biosensors; structural and diagnostic imaging.
• Dentinogenesis-amelogenesis involving biochemistry, molecular/cell biology and pathology of dental structures; dentin-enamel junction/ pathology/ epithelial-mesenchymal interactions; tooth tissue engineering (dental, pulp stem cells, etc.); drug delivery, organ culture; genesis of osteoclast/ osteoblast/ cementoblasts /cementoclast/odontoblasts/ameloblast; pulp biology (vital pulp therapy, pulp regenerative responses, cytokines and signal transduction); periodontium: periodontal ligament (PDL) extracellular matrix/ cell-cell interactions; alveolar bone resorption; tooth root and crown biology; Hertwig’s epithelial root sheet, enamel knot (early tooth development).
• Development and patterning of oral and dental structures: genetics and gene discovery; normal development and patterning of the dentition (including growth, maturation and size); formation of periodontal tissues and attachment complex; developmental anomalies of oral and dental/enamel structures and animal models.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD]
Arthritis Connective Tissue and Skin [ACTS]
Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP]
Bacterial Pathogenesis [BACP]
Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune, and Immune-mediated Diseases [HAI]

[SBDD Membership Roster] [SBDD Meeting Rosters]

The Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD] study section reviews grant applications that deal with basic and translational aspects of normal and abnormal skeletal development. Specific areas covered by SBDD:

Bone Biology: Structural and organizational aspects of bone and cartilage including molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, physiology and biomineralization with respect to osteoblasts, chondrocytes, connective tissue cells, osteoclasts and other cells in the marrow environment in both normal and pathological conditions.

• Basic and clinical studies of calcitropic hormones and paracrine factors involved in bone and cartilage biology; metabolic bone diseases, pathogenesis, and hormonal and paracrine functions.
• Extracellular matrix: biomineralization of the extracellular matrix of skeletal and connective tissues and its regulation; structure and organization of matrix components; cell matrix interaction and signaling.
• Studies involving diseases of the skeleton and mineral metabolism in humans and animal models such as osteogenesis imperfecta; Paget’s disease of bone; chondrodystrophies, osteodystrophies; diseases of mineral ion homeostasis associated with abnormalities of parathyroid hormone, Vitamin D, calcitonin and other hormonal and paracrine factors.
• Studies of molecular pathogenesis and biology of osteosarcoma, in vitro studies and animal models of the effects of primary tumors and metastasis to bone on function.

Skeletal Development: Mechanisms of craniofacial and skeletal patterning including gene discovery, gene expression and genetic linkage studies in human studies and animal models; biology of mesenchymal progenitor cells and their differentiation; regulation of osteoclast lineage; cellular proliferation, lineage commitment, differentiation, apoptosis and their abnormalities; and cellular aspects of aging of the skeleton using in vitro and in vivo models.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR]
Development-2 [DEV2]
Arthritis Connective Tissue and Skin [ACTS]
Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS]
Neurological, Aging and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology [NAME]

[SBSR Membership Roster] [SBSR Meeting Rosters]

The Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration [SBSR] study section reviews applications involving basic and applied aspects of the cellular/tissue elements of the musculoskeletal system; their interaction in joints (and the spine); their response to normal loading, injury, aging and disease/disorders; and their regeneration and repair. Specific areas covered by SBSR:

• Molecular and cell biology of bone, cartilage, tendon, and ligament injury and repair.
• Gene expression, gene regulation, and gene therapy in the processes of injury and repair of musculoskeletal tissues.
• Mechanobiology and biomedical mechanics at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ level.
• Nature of musculoskeletal injuries, disorders/diseases of developmental, infectious, degenerative, traumatic, and/or age-related etiologies. This includes sports-related and repetitive motion disorders, and the wear, injury-induced, and degenerative changes manifest in articular and meniscal cartilage.
• Characterization of the intrinsic capacity of musculoskeletal tissues/ joints to repair and regenerate; development and application of strategies to enhance repair (using biomolecular, biomaterial, mechanical and/or cellular approaches [tissue engineering], limb lengthening techniques, and/or targeted physical rehabilitation programs.
• Joint mechanics (including forces and kinematics) and joint replacement (including design, materials, fixation, wear, and other modes of failure).

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Skeletal Biology Development and Disease [SBDD]
Arthritis Connective Tissue and Skin [ACTS]
Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering [MTE]
Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences [MRS]
Biomedical Imaging Technology [BMIT]

[SMEP Membership Roster] [SMEP Meeting Rosters]

The Skeletal Muscle Biology and Exercise Physiology [SMEP] study section reviews applications concerned with molecular, cellular, physiological and integrative studies of normal and altered skeletal muscle function and processes that range from molecular genetics, to structure-function relationships, to integrative and functional studies on human mobility and exercise, and health. Integrative studies include development and aging, as well as gender and ethnicity differences in muscle function. Therapeutic and preventive interventions as they relate to skeletal muscle function are included, as are studies of the biochemistry and molecular biology of skeletal muscle and injuries, and diseases of muscle. Specific areas covered by SMEP:

• Biochemical and molecular biological research on skeletal muscle-specific proteins
• Studies of isolated skeletal muscle cells in normal and altered states: excitation-contraction coupling, and calcium regulation; muscle biomechanics; cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions including pathways of signal transduction; physiological evaluation of skeletal muscle gene function; stem and satellite cell biology; regulation of skeletal muscle energy and substrate metabolism including mitochondrial function.
• Studies of skeletal muscle as a tissue: molecular and cellular mechanisms of skeletal muscle adaptation, growth, injury, repair, degeneration, and regeneration; effects of exercise and inactivity, maturation, nutrition, and the aging process on skeletal muscle function, protein turnover, and metabolism; normal and abnormal neural control of muscle fiber type and molecular phenotype; non-invasive imaging of skeletal muscle properties, metabolism, and mechanical dynamics; skeletal muscle biology of sarcopenia and cachexia.
• Integrative functions: effects of exercise on maintenance of functional capacity of muscle and on pathology due to inherited disease, aging, and inactivity; physiologic interactions between skeletal muscle and other organ systems in normal and disease states when skeletal muscle function is the primary focus.
• Skeletal muscle diseases: evaluation of genetics, gene function, and development of vertebrate and invertebrate genetic models; pathophysiology of skeletal muscle disorders and diseases, including the muscular dystrophies, atrophy, myotonia, periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia, and inflammatory myopathies; pharmacological interventions and pre-clinical approaches; cell and gene therapies for skeletal muscle diseases.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Cell Mechanisms in Aging and Development [CMAD] 
Cellular Aspects of Diabetes and Obesity [CADO] 
Cardiac Contractility, Hypertrophy, and Failure [CCHF]  
Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research [RIBT]  
Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering [MTE] 

 [CFS Roster]  

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Fibromyalgia Syndrome [CFS SEP] continuing Special Emphasis Panel [SEP] reviews applications in the multiple disciplines applied to studies of the causes, manifestations and treatments of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the Fibromyalgia Syndrome and other chronic polysystemic morbidity syndromes.

Specific areas covered by CFS:

• Etiopathogenesis and diagnosis
  
  
• Ameliorative and therapeutic interventions
  
  
• Health Services
  
  
• Disciplines involved/evaluated, include aspects of Allergology, Alternative Medicine, Behavioral Sciences, Chiropractic Medicine, Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences, Epidemiology, Homeopathic Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Medicinal Chemistry, Microbiology, Neurology, Occupational Therapy, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Rheumatology, and Virology  

CFS has the following shared interests outside the MOSS IRG:

• Since the etiology of CFS, FMS and the related conditions remains undefined, the applications reviewed by this group range over the wide array of disciplines listed above, and individually are frequently multidisciplinary. Since there is the potential for overlap with many other study sections, the principal determining factor for referral to this panel should be the major emphasis of the application being on the study of one of the chronic polysystemic morbidity syndromes identified in this group.

[SBIR/STTR Rosters]

The MOSS IRG evaluates Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] and Small Business Technology Transfer [STTR] grant applications for areas of science noted above. There are five regularly occurring panels, one each for the fields of orthopedics and skeletal biology [MOSS (10)]; oral, dental and craniofacial sciences [MOSS (11)]; biology of rheumatoid diseases and therapeutic developments for dermatological and rheumatologic diseases [MOSS (12)]; skeletal muscle and exercise physiology [MOSS (14)]; and rehabilitation medicine [MOSS (15)].

Specific areas covered by [MOSS (10)]:

• Orthopedics, including: physiological, chemical, biological and bioengineering aspects of orthopedic research, bone fragility (osteoporosis) and studies of joint mechanics or joint replacement, orthopedic biomaterials, cell biology of mineralized tissues, tissue-engineering and implants, and prosthetic devices. Spinal and neuromuscular prostheses for restoration of movement are also appropriate when the emphasis is internal to the tissue/body are appropriate.

Specific areas covered by [MOSS (11)]:

• Head and neck, oral cavity and the clinical practice of dentistry including aspects of: anatomy, biochemistry, biometry, chemistry, cell biology of oral soft tissues, computer software development, diagnostic imaging, dental materials, developmental biology, implantology, laser technology, oral, pathology, oral surgery, teratogenesis, and sterilization of dental devices.

Specific areas covered by [MOSS (12)]:

• Connective tissue, skin, and inflammatory conditions of the joints including: products and devices used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, disorders or injuries; the validation of imaging methods or device development related specifically to evaluation of function or the assessment and treatment of diseases; gene or drug delivery, when the purpose is treatment of inherited or acquired disorders; wound healing and skin substitutes; photobiology and the skin; alopecia; treatment of connective tissue and skin function in diabetic complications.

Specific areas covered by [MOSS (14)]:

• Skeletal muscle diseases, disorders and injuries, including: the development of products and devices for diagnosis and treatment; application of material science and biomedical engineering to replace or repair damaged missing or poorly functioning skeletal muscle; use of exercise or inactivity in skeletal muscle biology therapeutics.

Specific areas covered by [MOSS (15)]:

• Physiological and bioengineering principles of rehabilitation medicine, assistive technologies and devices. These include gait analysis and human motion, monitoring of body external body movements and temperature, orthotics, prosthetic development and devices for motor function, wheelchairs and mobility aids, and exercise equipment.

Integrated Review Groups with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering
Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics  
Cardiovascular Sciences
Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience   
Integrative, Functional, and Cognitive Neuroscience