NIDA is issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV, also known as COVID-19). NIDA is especially interested in research collecting and examining data on the risks and outcomes for COVID-19 infection in individuals suffering from substance use disorders.

Background

As people across the U.S. and the rest of the world prepare for what could be a pandemic of the 2019 novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, the research community should be alert to the possibility that it could affect some populations with substance use disorders or HIV particularly hard. Because it attacks the lungs, COVID-19 could be an especially serious threat to those with histories of smoking tobacco or marijuana or of vaping. People who use opioids or methamphetamine may also be vulnerable due to those drugs effects on respiratory and pulmonary health and potential effects on immune mechanisms. Likewise, those with HIV may be affected if their immune function is compromised. Additional social and environmental factors associated with drug use may worsen the transmission and treatment of COVID-19, especially among individuals who experience homelessness or incarceration, which is more common among those with a substance use disorder.

Research Objectives

In order to rapidly improve our understanding of the risks, prevalence, and available control measures for 2019-nCoV in substance using or HIV-affected populations, NIDA is encouraging the submission of applications for Competitive Revisions to active grants to address the following research areas of interest:

• Research to determine whether substance use (especially smoking tobacco or marijuana, vaping, opioids and other drug use) is a risk factor for the onset and progression of COVID-19.
• Research on how HIV among persons who use substances may impact the onset and progression of COVID-19.
• Research to understand system-level responses to COVID-19 prevention and risk mitigation in secure settings such as prisons and jails, with a particular emphasis on detainees with substance use disorder (SUD). For example:
  • Interactions of COVID-19 treatment with SUD treatments, including medications for opioid use disorders
  • Strategies for integrating COVID-19 and other infectious disease screening, prevention, and treatment protocols with SUD treatment and other health services.
• Research to understand the respiratory effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals with substance use disorders (SUD); in particular those with nicotine, marijuana, opioid, and methamphetamine use disorders.
• Research to understand how the respiratory effects of COVID-19 influences the rate of opioid overdoses both in pain patients as well as patients with an opioid use disorders and also to assess how it influences the outcomes for naloxone interventions for overdose reversal
• Research to develop therapeutic approaches for comorbid SARS-CoV-2 infection and SUDs.
• Research to evaluate drug-drug interaction of medications to treat SARS-CoV-2 and substances of abuse or medications to treat SUDs.
• Research to understand system- or organizational-level responses to identify, prevent, or mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in service settings that serve vulnerable populations, including people who are homeless or unstably housed.
• Research to understand and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in methadone treatment programs and syringe exchange services.
• Research on how potential overcrowding of emergency departments and health services will impact the treatment of opioid overdoses and of opioid use disorder
• Research using ongoing studies to understand the broad impacts of COVID-19 (e.g., school closures, food insecurity, anxiety, social isolation, family loss) on neurodevelopment, substance use, substance use disorders, and access to addiction treatment.

Application and Submission Information

Applications in response to this NOSI must be submitted using the following targeted funding opportunity:

• PA-18-935 Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement - Clinical Trial Optional) is intended to provide funds for NIH grantees applying to expand the scope of their active grant.
• PA-18-591 Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) is intended to provide funds for NIH grantees where the work proposed in the supplement is fully within the scope of the ongoing grant.
• The funding instrument, or activity code, will be the same as the parent award.

When developing applications in response to this NOSI, all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additions:

• The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
• The award project period of the submission must not exceed two years.
• Application budgets are generally limited to no more than $100,000 direct costs per year. Should the proposed research require a higher budget, the applicant should consult with the program official assigned to the parent award and include a strong justification for the larger budget in the supplement application. The proposed budget must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
• The parent award must be active when the application is submitted. The project and budget periods must be within the currently approved project period for the existing parent award.
• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through March 31, 2021 by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. This NOSI expires on April, 1, 2021.

• All applications (including those for multi-project activity codes) must be submitted electronically using a single-project application form package:

  • Administrative supplement applications to PA-18-591 must use the application form package with the Competition ID of FORMS-E-ADMINSUPP-RESEARCH". This FOA will be reissued with a FORMS-F-ADMINSUPP-RESEARCH package on May 25, 2020. Submissions to PA-18-591 must be completed by June 25, 2020 (see NOT-OD-20-026 for details.) Submissions to the reissued FOA will be accepted on or after May 25, 2020 through the expiration date of this Notice. In addition, the process for Streamlined Submissions using the eRA Commons cannot be used for this initiative.
  • Competitive revision applications to PA-18-935 must use the application form package with the Competition ID of NOT-DA-20-047-FORMS-E." This FOA will be reissued with a NOT-DA-20-047-FORMS-F package on May 25, 2020. Submissions to PA-18-935 must be completed byJune 25, 2020. Submissions to the reissued FOA will be accepted on or after May 25, 2020 through the expiration date of this Notice
• IMPORTANT: For funding consideration, all applicants must designate NOT-DA-20-047 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (Box 4b) of the SF424 (R&R) Form. Applications without this information in Box 4b will not be considered for this initiative.
• Investigators planning to submit an application in response to the NOSI are strongly encouraged to contact the program officers listed below to discuss the proposed project in the context of the parent award.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

Please direct all inquiries to the Scientific/Research, Peer Review, and Financial/Grants Management contacts in Section VII of the listed funding opportunity announcements.

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

MeLisa Creamer, PhD, MPH
Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-402-1933
Email: [email protected]

Pam Fleming
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-480-1159
Email: [email protected]

Ivan D. Montoya, M.D., M.P.H.
Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-827-5936
Email: [email protected]

Vasundhara Varthakavi, DVM, PhD
AIDS Research Program
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-443-2146
Email: [email protected]

Roger Little, Ph.D.
Division of Neuroscience and Behavior
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-435-1316
Email: [email protected]