Key Dates

Related Announcements

PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PAR-21-160 - NIDCR Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)

Issued by

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Purpose

Purpose

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is reissuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to encourage research studies focused on the physiological involvement of oral cavity and oral manifestations related to SARS-CoV-2 and/or Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

As the pandemic continues to evolve and new viral variants continue to emerge the need to fill knowledge gaps and for a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 remain. A major unmet clinical need has arisen to block the transmission chain, prevent frequent breakthrough infections, and achieve high levels of durable protection against severe disease, no less prevent post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC, or long COVID). NIDCR is positioned to address COVID-19 research knowledge gaps unique to our mission, as well as to facilitate broad and rapid dissemination of research findings. Outcomes from this NOSI are expected to strengthen the knowledge base of COVID-19 disease mechanisms and presentations in the oral cavity.

Research Objectives

The oral/nasal route serves as the SARS-CoV-2 point of entry into the host thus playing a pivotal role in viral spread and COVID-19 onset and disease progression. As such, limiting viral infectivity, replication, shedding, and load at the point of entry is crucial to containing COVID-19 progression, as well as transmission to others. Achieving mucosal immunity to complement and bolster post-vaccination protection, management strategies to address oral manifestations of long COVID are areas at the forefront at this point in the pandemic. 

With the availability of vaccines, there is an increased need to understand post-vaccination COVID-19 protection at the oral mucosal site. Oral manifestations of long COVID remain largely unexplored. This NOSI will support studies focused on the role of oral/nasal cavity and oral manifestations related to SARS-CoV-2 and/or COVID-19 within the NIDCR mission. The areas of interest include:

• Investigation of the biological underpinnings of SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission, and progression in the oral cavity, including the microbiota oral-gut axis and its dysbiosis; effects of ACE2 expression distribution and function at oral/nasal SARS-CoV-2 point of entry; salivary glands as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2; oral mucosal immunity, and differential interactions of SARS-CoV-2 mutants/variants with oral/nasal cells.
• Investigation of the physiological mechanisms of oral manifestations of COVID-19, including salivary gland dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility; SARS-CoV-2 related causes of taste dysfunction; oral lesions; and changes in vascularization.
• Deciphering both natural and vaccine-induced immune defenses against SARS-CoV-2 at the oral mucosa and their roles in determining the course of infection in young, asymptomatic and older individuals.
• Establishment of predictive value and prognostic potential of oral manifestations of post-acute sequale of COVID-19.
• Definition of the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and oral/nasal microbiota and potential therapeutic roles of pre/probiotics and other exogenous modulators of these viral-bacterial interactions, as well as blockers of viral-receptor interactions that may limit infectivity of SARS-CoV-2.
• Development of tools and technologies to facilitate studies in the focus areas of this initiative, including animal models, ex vivo models including oral/nasal tissue chip platforms, and computational modeling of virus-receptor interactions, among others.

Projects that overlap with or will result in incremental knowledge gained from existing investments in COVID-19 research by NIDCR or NIH initiatives such as the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx), are discouraged. Clinical observations and other descriptive studies without mechanistic analyses will be considered non-responsive.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Program Official to discuss responsiveness and appropriate mechanism before submission. 

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after Oct 5, 2023, and subsequent receipt dates through May 8, 2026.

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

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-DE-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.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

Inquiries

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Amanda Melillo, Ph.D.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-529-7217
Email: amanda.melillo@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

Gabriel Hidalgo
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-204-1431
Email: gabriel.hidalgo@nih.gov