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Issued by

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Purpose

This Request for Information (RFI) seeks your perspective, comments, and suggestions related to Neural Exposome research priorities for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). A working group of NINDS's advisory council has developed a set of draft priorities to guide NINDS's neural exposome research efforts for the next 5-10 years. 

Background

Very few diseases can be entirely explained by genetics alone. Rather, most disease etiology involves a complex interplay between genetic and non-inheritable factors. These non-inheritable factors comprise the concept of the “exposome” coined in 2005 by Dr. Chris Wild (Wild, 2005). NINDS defines the neural exposome as all exogenous (e.g., environmental toxicants and climate), endogenous (e.g., microbiome and epigenetic mechanisms), and behavioral (e.g., psychosocial stress and lifestyle) risk factors that contribute to disease (Tamiz et al., 2022). The neural exposome focuses on the non-genetic factors that influence neurological disorders, diseases, and damage to the brain and nervous systems, including those that may be affected by epigenetic changes.

The NINDS Office of Neural Exposome and Toxicology Research (ONETOX) was established in 2022 to support research on the neural exposome. ONETOX seeks to promote neural exposomic research by engaging the neuroscience community across the basic-translational-clinical continuum to focus on the effect of internal, external, and behavioral risk factors on neurological health. 

In 2023, NINDS tasked the NANDS Council Neural Exposome Top Priorities (NEXT) Working Group, comprised of external research experts, to identify research priorities in the area of the neural exposome. The goals for the strategic priorities effort include:

• Better define what part of exposome research is within the NINDS mission
• Identify and prioritize areas of neural exposome research within the NINDS mission
• Identify best practices for communicating with and engaging neuroscientists in exposome research
• Identify best practices for fostering more collaboration between NINDS and other NIH institutes
• Identify tools and resources that advance neural exposome research

Please view the draft priorities from the NANDS Council Working Group.

Information requested:

This RFI invites comments, ideas, reactions, and input related to the NANDS Council Working Group draft priorities. Comments are welcome from all stakeholders, including but not limited to, neuroscientists, toxicologists, environmental health scientists, health care providers, individuals and families affected by neurological conditions, patient advocates, health advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, non-profit and private-sector organizations, as well as other interested members of the public. The NANDS Council Working Group will incorporate input from the RFI into their final recommendations for NINDS's neural exposome research priorities, which will be presented during an open session of the NANDS Council meeting on September 4, 2024. 

How to submit a response:

Responses to this RFI will be accepted through Wednesday, July 31, 2024 and can be submitted either: 

• Electronically using the web-based format
• By sending your comments via email to NINDSONETOX@ninds.nih.gov

Responses are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously. Responders are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Submitted information will not be considered confidential. Responses may be shared publicly on an NIH website. Please do not include any personally identifiable or other information that you do not wish to make public. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.

This request is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the United States Government. The NIH will not make any awards based on responses to this RFI or pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the Government’s use of such information.

References:

Wild CP. Complementing the genome with an "exposome": the outstanding challenge of environmental exposure measurement in molecular epidemiology. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005 Aug;14(8):1847-50. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-05-0456. PMID: 16103423.

Tamiz AP, Koroshetz WJ, Dhruv NT, Jett DA. A focus on the neural exposome. Neuron. 2022 Apr 20;110(8):1286-1289. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.03.019. Epub 2022 Mar 28. PMID: 35349785.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

David A. Jett, PhD 
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 
Telephone: 301-496-6035
Email: jettd@nih.gov

Sara Dodson, PhD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Telephone: 301-827-7739
Email: sara.dodson@nih.gov