Key Dates

Related Announcements

• June 20, 2024 - Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC) U24 (Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO RFA-AT-24-010

Issued by

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform potential applicants that effective immediately the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will participate in RFA-AT-24-010 “Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC) U24 (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)”.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) supports the establishment of the Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC) under the NIH Whole Person Initiative to seamlessly integrate current and emerging biomedical knowledge about humans, thereby forming a comprehensive, multi-scale human knowledge network. The Whole Person RCC will lead the work starting with mapping the full basic “physiome” reflecting the human organs and physiological systems-level functioning initially. This first mapping exercise will delineate all the foundational fundamental physiological functions and their known connections across organ systems and identify relevant clinical measurements for each physiological function to create a seamless link to patient electronic health records including social risk factors. This first step will lay the foundational groundwork for creating and testing a prototype in silico physiome model in later years using relevant existing clinical and environmental datasets for connecting the physiological organ systems. The Whole Person RCC is poised to bring order and coherence to existing physiological evidence, weaving it into an overall knowledge-based conceptual map first and then into a complex knowledge network perhaps using artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI/ML) tools ready to embrace and integrate relevant clinical and environmental data. Ultimately this organ-system physiome map would lay the groundwork for the creation and preliminary testing of in silico whole person physiome models using existing clinical data collections within their environmental context.

The Whole Person RCC will serve the overarching function of coordinating all ongoing NIH Whole Person Initiative research projects, programs, and networks while supporting multidisciplinary teams and fostering communication, collaboration, team science, common ontologies, interoperability, model credibility, common data elements and data sharing, harmonization, and dissemination.

Examples of projects of interest to NHLBI include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Data interoperability with NHLBI BioData Catalyst, data model credibility and timely dissemination;
2. Coherence to existing physiological evidence for heart, long. blood and sleep (HLBS) health
3. Leveraging NHLBI programs such as TOPMed, LungMAP, National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR), HeartShare initiatives, Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL), and population-based cohort studies funded by NHLBI.
4. Assignment with NIH common data element (CDE) repository in the HLBS domain areas. 

The following text has been added in bold and italics to reflect NHLBI's participation:

Part 1. Overview Information

Components of Participating Organizations

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Assistance Listing Number(s)

93.837, 93.838, 93.840, 93.233

Section VII. Agency Contacts

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Yuling Hong, MD, MSc, PhD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Email: yuling.hong@nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Anthony Agresti
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0166
Email: agrestia@nhlbi.nih.gov

All other aspects of the NOFO remain the same.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries regarding this Notice to:

Yuling Hong, MD, MSc,PhD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Email: yuling.hong@nih.gov