The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting letters of inquiry for the new grant program Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

This grant program is part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. With up to $12 million of funding, the program seeks to validate biomarkers for use in developing a low cost, simple to use test that can quickly and accurately diagnose tuberculosis in low-resource settings. The term biomarker is intended to include all types of markers that have potential utility for tuberculosis diagnosis and can include markers associated with either host or pathogen biology.

Details and application instructions are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/biomarkers/eb

Letters of inquiry are being accepted online until March 31, 2011 10:00 am PT.

After a review of submitted letters of inquiry, the foundation will invite full grant proposals from selected applicants.

Please sign up at http://www.grandchallenges.org/about/Pages/StayUpdated.aspx?Source=ThankYou.aspx to receive future grant opportunity announcements.

Thank you for your commitment to solving the world’s greatest health challenges.

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people – especially those with the fewest resources – have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.