February 7, 2023
PA-22-176 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-22-177 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
PA-22-178 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-22-179 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is intended to promote small business advances on the use of digital technologies for early detection, characterization, and monitoring of senescence-related changes and diseases outside of clinical settings. Developments are encouraged at all scales, from cells to tissues to whole-body. The intent is to support the development, validation, and commercialization of such technologies to be realized, targeting aging-specific processes and related conditions.
Background
Digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have matured and grown exponentially in the past two decades. Examples of such technologies include digital image analysis and biomarker discovery, computer-assisted procedures, informatics, wearable devices, systems and sensors, and visualization. Many of these technologies integrate machine learning and other AI technologies, which can also be stand-alone platforms. Additionally, a wealth of senescence-related conditions and biological data have been generated. Applications of technologies to aging from other biomedical areas have been somewhat successful, but there are clear needs and opportunities for scientific and commercial breakthroughs with innovations explicitly developed for aging, as aging is a primary risk factor for many diseases.
This NOSI is based on expert discussions from NIA workshops including Applying Digital Technology for Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (2019) and Cost-Effective Early Detection of Cognitive Decline (2017), and a recent workshop by the NIA-supported Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN-aging.org) entitled, “Measuring Biologic Age.”
Research Objectives
This NOSI encourages novel types of research and development on aging and longevity to support biomedical research areas within the NIA mission through better understanding of the process of aging and its impact on the prevention, progression, and prognosis of disease and disability. Promising areas of research can be ascertained by participating NIA divisions: the Division of Aging Biology, the Division of Behavioral and Social Research, the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology and the Division of Neuroscience. The resulting analytical and related predictive technical solutions, at all scales from cells to tissues to whole-body, could help to better understand and monitor various aging-related conditions, thereby improving health care outcomes.
Some selected examples of recent potential senescence markers include high expression/levels of p16, p21, p53, SA-b-Gal, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that can be assessed by fluorescent reporters and PET imaging (at the whole-body level), imaging using “tagged antibodies,” and single-cell/nuclei transcriptomics (at the cellular and tissue level).
Promising areas of research include, but are not limited to:
- Novel sensors and biomarkers for monitoring age-related changes and diseases
- Technology development for imaging modalities and visualization tools as applies to aging
- Digital markers for physiological age (relative health)
- Less invasive and more ubiquitous ways of collecting biological and diagnostic data
- Computational and informatic tools applied to the study of aging mechanisms
- Artificial intelligence, machine learning, or health monitoring technologies in aging research
- Systems biology study of aging mechanisms
- Imaging of any of the pillars or hallmarks of aging (which include cellular senescence)
- Lowering costs and improving scalability to address health disparities
Applications involving clinical settings, health information technology, telehealth, and telemedicine will be considered non-responsive.
Application and Submission Information
This notice applies to due dates on or after April 5, 2023 and subsequent receipt dates through January 6, 2026.
The following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or their reissued equivalents must be used for submissions for this initiative.
- PA-22-176 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PA-22-177 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
- PA-22-178 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PA-22-179 - PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)
Investigators planning to submit an application in response to this NOSI are strongly encouraged to contact and discuss their proposed research and aims with an NIA program officer listed on this NOSI well in advance of the application receipt date.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:
- For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-AG-23-004” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
Leonid Tsap
Division of Aging Biology
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-594-0277
Email: leonid.tsap@nih.gov
Yuan Luo
Division of Neuroscience
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-9350
Email: yuan.luo@nih.gov
Dana Plude
Division of Behavioral and Social Research
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: dana.plude@nih.gov
Lyndon Joseph
Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496- 6761
Email: josephlj@mail.nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
