Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trans-Agency Blood-Brain Interface Program (R61/R33 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

Notice Number: NOT-HL-19-682

Key Dates

Release Date:February 19, 2019
Estimated Publication Date of Funding Opportunity Announcement: June 14, 2019
First Estimated Application Due Date: October 14, 2019
Earliest Estimated Award Date: July 14, 2020
Earliest Estimated Start Date: July 14, 2020

Related Announcements
None

Issued by
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Purpose

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in collaboration with the Department of Defense Joint Program Committee-6 (JPC-6), Combat Casualty Care Research Program (CCCRP) intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This FOA will establish a trans-agency program to support collaborations between hematologists/vascular experts, neuroscientists, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) tissue chip developers for high risk/high reward research to create enhanced/modified platforms that more closely model the human BBB. An improved human-like BBB prototype/model can serve as an invaluable resource to the scientific community, and complement BBB research currently based on animal models. The blood component has been a missing piece of the puzzle in blood-brain barrier research. This initiative intends to infuse the field with hematology, vascular, and circadian expertise to take translation in this area to the next step by bringing the blood back to the blood-brain barrier.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations between hematologists/vascular experts, neuroscientists, and BBB tissue chip developers for responsive projects.

The FOA is expected to be published in Summer 2019 with an expected application due date in Fall 2019.

This FOA will utilize the R61/R33 activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

The intended FOA will solicit innovative projects with a substantial focus on the blood component and regulation of the neurovascular-blood unit (a.k.a. blood-brain barrier; BBB) in normal and pathological states. This FOA intends to stimulate the development of a new field of blood-based science, re-defining the neurovascular unit as a component of the blood-brain interface.This will facilitate development of human-based neurovascular-blood models to identify targets for diagnostics and regulation of the blood-brain interface through trans-agency collaborations with hematologists/vascular experts, neuroscientists, and BBB tissue chip developers. Proposals that focus only on animal models of the BBB will not be responsive to the FOA.

A multi-PD/PI R61/R33 phased innovation mechanism will support collaborative efforts of hematologists/vascular experts, neuroscientists, and BBB tissue chip developers for high risk/high reward research to create enhanced/modified platforms that more closely model the human BBB. Applicants will be asked to focus their research project on the blood component of the blood brain interface to develop enhanced/modified platforms that more closely model the human BBB, as well as non-invasive to minimally-invasive tools that assess BBB permeability, injury, and alterations, among other parameters. The proposed funding mechanism will include milestone-driven projects to support high risk/high reward research (R61), on a well-defined path to translation (R33), with the likelihood of downstream adoption for further development in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD) partners.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Funding TBD
Expected Number of Awards TBD
Estimated Award Ceiling TBD
Primary CFDA Numbers 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.233

Anticipated Eligible Organizations

Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Nonprofit without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
U.S. Territory or Possession
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
Regional Organization

Applications are not being solicited at this time.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Margaret Ochocinska
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
301-435-0050
ochocinm@mail.nih.gov



Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices