The Director of the Institute, after consultation with the advisory council for the Institute, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the Institute with respect to research on the disease known as fragile X.

The Director of the Institute shall make grants or enter into contracts for the development and operation of centers to conduct research for the purposes of improving the diagnosis and treatment of, and finding the cure for, fragile X.

(1) In general The Director of the Institute shall make grants or enter into contracts for the development and operation of centers to conduct research for the purposes of improving the diagnosis and treatment of, and finding the cure for, fragile X.

In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of the Institute shall, to the extent that amounts are appropriated, and subject to subparagraph (B), provide for the establishment of at least three fragile X research centers.

(A) In general In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of the Institute shall, to the extent that amounts are appropriated, and subject to subparagraph (B), provide for the establishment of at least three fragile X research centers.

(B) Peer review requirement The Director of the Institute shall make a grant to, or enter into a contract with, an entity for purposes of establishing a center under paragraph (1) only if the grant or contract has been recommended after technical and scientific peer review required by regulations under section 289a of this title.

(3) Activities The Director of the Institute, with the assistance of centers established under paragraph (1), shall conduct and support basic and biomedical research into the detection and treatment of fragile X.

(4) Coordination among centers The Director of the Institute shall, as appropriate, provide for the coordination of the activities of the centers assisted under this section, including providing for the exchange of information among the centers.

(5) Certain administrative requirements Each center assisted under paragraph (1) shall use the facilities of a single institution, or be formed from a consortium of cooperating institutions, meeting such requirements as may be prescribed by the Director of the Institute.

(6) Duration of support Support may be provided to a center under paragraph (1) for a period not exceeding 5 years. Such period may be extended for one or more additional periods, each of which may not exceed 5 years, if the operations of such center have been reviewed by an appropriate technical and scientific peer review group established by the Director and if such group has recommended to the Director that such period be extended.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 452E, as added Pub. L. 106–310, div. A, title II, § 201, Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1109; amended Pub. L. 109–482, title I, § 103(b)(30), Jan. 15, 2007, 120 Stat. 3688.)