Notice Number: NOT-AA-17-016

Key Dates
Release Date: November 29, 2017

Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: Winter 2017
First Estimated Application Due Date: April 2018
Earliest Estimated Award Date: October 2018
Earliest Estimated Start Date: October 2018

Issued by
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Purpose

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism intends to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications on novel genetic mechanisms underlying the development of tolerance and the progression to alcohol dependence. Alcohol use disorders (AUD) is complex, multifactorial, and influenced both by genetic and environmental factors. The purpose of this FOA is to stimulate and support efforts on identifying genetic, genomic and epigenetic factors contributing to the development of sensitivity and tolerance to alcohol.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop appropriate projects and meaningful collaborations if necessary.  The FOA is expected to be published in Winter 2017 with an expected application due date in Spring 2018. This FOA will utilize the R01 activity code, clinical trial not allowed. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into alcohol use and dependence to begin to consider applying for this new FOA. The goal of this FOA is to develop new hypotheses and common experimental framework(s) between human - animal model studies to better understand the genetic, genomic, and epigenetic factors contributing to and underlying biological bases for the development of tolerance and the progression to alcohol dependence.

While AUD is complex, multifactorial, and it is influenced both by genetic and environmental factors, there is a scarcity of studies directly addressing genetic risks and the mechanisms underlying alcohol dependence. The pathway to dependence included the development of tolerance, and reflects individual differences in sensitivity to pharmacologic effects of alcohol in humans. The data gathered from the drinking patterns in humans (and alcohol exposure paradigms in animals), including changes in blood alcohol concentrations, and changes in behavioral and physiological measurements with subsequent alcohol intake, may fill the gap in understanding the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity in levels of response (sensitivity) and tolerance to alcohol. Therefore, this FOA provides the opportunity to re-examine and/or produce genome-wide datasets with the focus on differential responses and tolerances to alcohol to develop new hypotheses and common experimental framework(s). In addition, collaborative investigations combining appropriate expertise to characterize the sensitivity and tolerance (including individual variations) and alcohol use and dependence between human - animal studies and animal-animal studies are encouraged and these investigators should consider applying for this opportunity.

Studies of cross-tolerance effects of alcohol with other drugs of abuse or multiple substances are not within scope of the new announcement.

Studies of the mechanisms of tolerance may also be appropriate the Mechanisms of Tolerance R21/R33, NOT-AA-17-017.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Hemin Chin, PhD
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Telephone:301-443-1282
Email: chinh@mail.nih.gov