Notice Number: NOT-HL-14-223
Key Dates
Release Date:
April 30, 2014
Response Date: June 2, 2014
None
Issued by
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Purpose
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Division of Lung Diseases, is preparing a strategic plan for asthma research in order to ensure that future research builds appropriately on current efforts to move the field as rapidly as possible toward the goals of tailoring therapies to specific patient populations and types of asthma, to optimize control of the disease; modify the disease process to prevent asthma exacerbations and worsening of the disease over time; and, ultimately, to prevent onset of the disease. The NHLBI seeks comments from individuals from the scientific, medical, and patient/public communities with an interest in asthma to help identify the most important directions for near (2-5 year) and intermediate (5-10 year) asthma research.
Background
Asthma is a major public health problem in the United States, affecting over 25 million individuals. Total costs for asthma care are over $57 billion a year, with emergency department visits and hospitalizations and lost productivity accounting for a large portion of those costs. The NHLBI supports a broad spectrum of research to reduce this burden by improving the diagnosis and treatment of asthma so that asthma patients can live longer and more fulfilling lives, and exploring ways to prevent the disease. Examples of research activities include: identification of risk factors for, and mechanisms of, disease development, progression, and severity; studies to understand the disease process and help provide information for development of new therapeutic strategies; studies of the response to therapy, including variations in response to therapy among patients with different asthma characteristics; studies to help patients, their families, and communities improve asthma management skills; and studies to transfer knowledge and improve practices for the best ways to diagnose and treat asthma to the healthcare and patient communities.
Over the last 30 years, this spectrum of research has led to major breakthroughs in our understanding of the asthma disease process, new and improved treatments, and patient oriented management programs that have resulted in substantial improvements in asthma control. However, much remains to be done. The strategic planning process seeks to identify priority areas of research that will advance our understanding of the disease biology and identify ways to improve the lives of people with asthma, and, ultimately, prevent the disease.
Information Requested
This RFI seeks comments on what would be the most promising directions for near (2-5 year) and intermediate (5-10 year) asthma research. Comments can include but are not limited to the following areas:
- The most important questions to be answered in asthma research.
- The obstacles to advancing or accelerating research in asthma that will discover breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis, and management; and what is needed to overcome them.
- Areas of research that should be integrated or linked to accelerate progress in asthma research.
How to Submit a Response
To ensure consideration, please submit your response by June 2, 2014. All comments must be submitted via email as text or as an attached electronic document. Microsoft Word documents are preferred. Please submit your response to NHLBI_DLD@nhlbi.nih.gov.
Response to this RFI is voluntary. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation, or an endorsement on the part of NHLBI. The NHLBI does not plan to award a grant or contract to pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the NHLBI's use of such information. Acknowledgment of receipt of information may not be made, nor will respondents be notified of the NHLBI evaluation and use of the information received. No basis for claims against the NHLBI shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information, or the NHLBI's use of such information as part of a prioritizing and/or synthesizing process, or in developing specifications for any future announcements. Given the public nature of the RFI and the transparency of the strategic planning process, the NHLBI cannot guarantee the confidentiality of the information provided. Any proprietary information should be so indicated.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Patricia Noel, Ph.D.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0202
Email: noelp@nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
