Key Dates

Related Announcements

• October 20, 2023 - NIDCD Low Risk Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PAR-24-051.
• October 20, 2023 - NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (U01 - Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PAR-24-050.
• July 12, 2023 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-23-230. 
• July 12, 2023 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PA-23-231.
• July 12, 2023 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-23-232. 
• July 12, 2023 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PA-23-233.
• May 7, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-195.
• May 7, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). See NOFO PA-20-196.
• May 5, 2020 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-185.

Issued by

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Purpose

Purpose: To improve existing, and discover new, imaging techniques in terms of resolution and functional capabilities to provide accurate and timely diagnoses for humans in the clinic.

Background: The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight priorities as outlined in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan (https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/about/strategic-plans) and a previous workshop on Visualizing the Human Inner Ear, held Nov. 2019. NIDCD encourages the development of imaging techniques for application in humans, and in animals if readily applicable to humans, to significantly increase the resolution for visualizing living tissue in greater detail within the clinical setting. Increases in functional imaging capabilities in vivo for humans are also desired. NIDCD supports basic, translational, and clinical research on hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. While advanced imaging technologies are widely used to diagnose disease or injury and inform treatment and its effectiveness, within our mission areas, some imaging techniques are lacking or do not have the necessary capability to visualize with cellular or structural resolution. This type of resolution and/or functional imaging would provide for a detailed diagnosis of the underlying cause of dysfunction of the human auditory, vestibular, olfactory, and gustatory systems. In addition, improved imaging technologies are also needed to examine the functional aspects of disorders of voice and speech. New, improved imaging capabilities are likely to increase the accuracy of diagnoses and aid treatment. NIDCD encourages multidisciplinary teams, e.g., neuroscientists paired with clinicians and engineers, to spearhead innovative projects. Diverse teams may also pair with industry to advance imaging techniques to an entirely new level of resolution and functionality that does not currently exist to view structures that are encased in thick bone, evade definitive visualization with current techniques, provide information about functional processing at cellular or sub-cellular resolution, or require dynamic visualization. Applications will need to integrate appropriate domains of expertise, including but not limited to biological, chemical, and physical sciences, engineering, neuroscience, imaging, and clinical knowledge. These projects may include invasive techniques pursuant to the ultimate goal of non-invasive imaging techniques to be used in the clinic at a resolution capable of visualizing, for example, hair cells, movement of hair cells, membranes, supporting cell layers, otoliths, movement of otoliths with head positioning, canal integrity, perilymph fluid distribution, vasculature changes, neurotransmitter use, ion channel differences, vocal fold movements, and the olfactory epithelium.

Objectives: This NOSI aims to encourage grant applications that propose innovative approaches to developing high-resolution imaging technologies for structures such as the inner ear, olfactory epithelium, taste buds, and vocal production structures during disordered speech. Proposed projects should focus on improving the resolution of current imaging techniques or developing new imaging techniques that can visualize cellular, sub-cellular, and molecular structures and functions. New imaging developments should consider reducing the burden of imaging procedures on cost, invasiveness, and procedure time. The new and improved techniques must have the potential to be translated to use with humans in the clinic, preferably in an awake state.

By mission area, the lists below include representative, but not exhaustive, examples of topics that could be considered responsive to this NOSI.

Hearing and Balance: The inner ear contains critical sensory organs that play essential roles in hearing and balance. The complex anatomy, including encasement in thick bone, and small size of the structures within these sensory organs have posed significant challenges for imaging technologies. While various imaging modalities exist, none currently provide sufficient resolution to fully visualize the inner ear. Therefore, the development of high-resolution imaging technologies is essential for improving the diagnosis and treatment of inner ear disorders pursuant to both hearing and vestibular disorders.

• Develop new imaging technologies that can provide high-resolution imaging of the inner ear. Projects may explore new imaging modalities, such as advanced optical microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, or photoacoustic imaging. Novel imaging techniques that can provide high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of the inner ear are particularly encouraged. Structures to image with high resolution or functional imaging can include hair cells, otoliths, vasculature, membrane integrity, etc.
• Focus on improving the resolution of existing imaging techniques used for the inner ear such as MRI, fMRI, and CT scanning to focus on a small amount of tissue at high resolution rather than say the whole brain. This may include developing new hardware or software tools to improve the spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, or contrast of the images. Projects may also explore new methods for image reconstruction or image processing that can enhance the resolution of existing imaging techniques. Projects may also focus on reducing the invasiveness of current techniques.
• Development of new imaging probes or contrast agents that can specifically target and visualize the inner ear with high resolution. Applications may include the development of new nanoparticle-based imaging agents, genetically encoded fluorescent probes, or contrast agents that can selectively bind to inner ear tissues.
• Converting technology from the laboratory into use for the clinic utilizing in vivo human imaging.

Chemical Senses: There are limited technologies currently available to visualize chemosensory structures in a clinical setting for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of olfactory and taste disorders. Such disorders can arise due to many factors including aging, injury, viral infection, inflammation, or environmental insult. One challenge with commonly used endoscopy is that the olfactory epithelium is generally indistinguishable from the respiratory mucosa. Advances in noninvasive imaging tools and technologies, such as fluorescent imaging, specialized endoscopes, and dyes, and technologies are needed to visualize chemosensory targets, and to monitor specific chemosensory cell types and/or their activity in real-time.

• Identify enzymes and substrates that can be used to monitor specific cell types and/or their activity in real time.
• Development or adaptions of new technologies or devices to visualize at the cellular or structural resolution chemosensory targets in humans or in animals if readily applicable to humans.
• Development of electrophysiological approaches (e.g., miniaturized surface arrays) to diagnose and monitor human or animal chemosensory targets (i.e., nerves and organs).

Voice and Speech: Movements of structures within the oral cavity including the tongue and vocal tract, and folds within the larynx are critical components in creating voice and speech output. Technologies exist for viewing these structures during disordered communication but improvements in dynamic imaging and resolution of each structure would greatly assist in evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Challenges persist in providing low-cost, non-invasive, imaging options for awake, behaving patients in a clinical setting that also include the capability of dynamic imaging.

• Develop new technology or refine current technology to be non-invasive, lower cost in clinical settings, higher resolution, and/or provide faster frame rates for dynamic, real-time, imaging in awake behaving patients.
• Where non-invasive imaging may not be feasible yet, identify additional dyes or substrates to increase contrast of currently available, or new imaging techniques.

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after May 7, 2024, and subsequent reissues with receipt dates through May 7, 2027. 

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this notice.

• PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-196 -NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
• PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PAR-24-051 - NIDCD Low Risk Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (R01 - Clinical Trial Required)
• PAR-24-050 - NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (U01 - Clinical Trial Required) 
• PA-23-230 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-23-231 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-23-232 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-23-233 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)

 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-DC-24-025” (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.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to the Scientific/Research, Peer Review, and Financial/Grants Management contacts in Section VII of the listed notice of funding opportunity.

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

For subject matter inquiries please contact:

Hearing and Balance:

Amy Poremba, Ph.D.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Telephone: 301-997-3152
Email: amy.poremba@nih.gov

Chemical Senses:

Merav Sabri, Ph.D.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Telephone: 301-827-0908
Email:merav.sabri@nih.gov

Voice and Speech:

Lisa Kopf, Ph.D.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Telephone: 301-402-1132
Email::lisa.kopf@nih.gov

For general inquiries please contact:

Amy Poremba, Ph.D.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Telephone: 301-997-3152
Email: amy.poremba@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Christopher Myers
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Telephone: 301-435-0713
Email: myersc@nidcd.nih.gov