Notice of Participation of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in PAR-15-349 "Health Disparities and Alzheimer's Disease (R01)"
PAR-15-349
Notice Number: NOT-DE-16-006
Key Dates
Release Date: November 8, 2016
PAR-15-349
Issued by
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Purpose
This Notice is to inform potential applicants that the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is participating, effective immediately, in PAR-15-349 "Health Disparities and Alzheimer's Disease (R01)".
The following sections of PAR-15-349 have been updated to reflect the participation of NIDCR in this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
Part 1. Overview Information
Components of Participating Organizations
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)
93.866, 93.361, 93.853, 93.121
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
FOA currently reads:
Objectives
The goal of this FOA is to encourage research grant applications that examine mediators of disparities in Alzheimer’s disease, using diverse cohorts of subjects.
This program encourages applications with the following characteristics:
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias risk and diversity. Robust estimates of AD and related dementias are needed in diverse populations. Research is encouraged on the recruitment of cohorts that include diverse subjects to conduct standardized diagnostic evaluations. Research is needed to understand the demographic diversity of dementia risk and whether this risk can attribute to factors of health disparities.
- Effect of Educational Attainment on Dementia Risk. While the large growth in the number of older adults in the coming decades will lead to an increase in dementia cases in countries around the world, a number of recent studies have suggested that the age-specific risk of dementia has actually decreased in some high-income countries over the last 20 years, possibly due to increasing levels of education. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which education contributes to declines in the age-specific risk of dementia, whether this trend will continue in the face of rising levels of obesity and diabetes, and whether there has been a similar or opposite trend in demographically diversity population.
- Diversity and cognitive change over time. Multiple factors, in addition to race/ethnicity, need to be considered when studying the status of cognitive change over time. Analyses of the relationship of race, education, comorbidities, geographic location, and additional demographic diversity on dementia risk and cognitive resilience using existing data are encouraged.
- Diagnosis and assessment procedures. Procedures for cognitive assessment need to be evaluated in concert with environmental, sociocultural, behavioral and biological factors. Research is encouraged on disparities in cognitive testing procedures, clinic participation rates, and validity of assessment procedures.
- Neuroimaging, neuropathology and the biology of AD. Neuroimaging techniques and post mortem evaluations need to be increased in underrepresented populations. Research studies are encouraged focusing on the analysis of the multifactorial effects of factors and demographic diversity on the biology of AD and neuroimaging outcomes as such research may highlight the effect some risk factors have on the development of AD. This includes 1) determinants of brain anatomy and cognitive ability; 2) neuropathological identification of disease; and 3) identification of biologic markers.
- Analyses of pathways that create and sustain AD disparities. Investigators are encouraged to focus on biological indicators to link with behavioral, sociocultural or environmental factors to understand disparities in AD. Biological indicators of interest include, but are not limited to, physiological indicators, genetic stability, cellular function and communication, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, cellular stress response, intercellular communication, epigenetic alteration and telomere attrition.
- Strategies for recruitment and retention. Using novel recruitment strategies (including those described in Summit recommendations), research is also encouraged on overcoming logistical barriers specific to AD and related dementia research and disparities in clinical research and clinical trial participation. For further information of this need, see “Obstacles and Opportunities in Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Recruitment” at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/features/nia-grantees-focus-alzheimers-recruitment-policy-issues-health-affairs-forum.
FOA is modified to read:
Objectives
The goal of this FOA is to encourage research grant applications that examine mediators of disparities in Alzheimer’s disease, using diverse cohorts of subjects.
This program encourages applications with the following characteristics:
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias risk and diversity. Robust estimates of AD and related dementias are needed in diverse populations. Research is encouraged on the recruitment of cohorts that include diverse subjects to conduct standardized diagnostic evaluations. Research is needed to understand the demographic diversity of dementia risk and whether this risk can attribute to factors of health disparities.
- Effect of Educational Attainment on Dementia Risk. While the large growth in the number of older adults in the coming decades will lead to an increase in dementia cases in countries around the world, a number of recent studies have suggested that the age-specific risk of dementia has actually decreased in some high-income countries over the last 20 years, possibly due to increasing levels of education. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which education contributes to declines in the age-specific risk of dementia, whether this trend will continue in the face of rising levels of obesity and diabetes, and whether there has been a similar or opposite trend in demographically diversity population.
- Diversity and cognitive change over time. Multiple factors, in addition to race/ethnicity, need to be considered when studying the status of cognitive change over time. Analyses of the relationship of race, education, comorbidities, geographic location, and additional demographic diversity on dementia risk and cognitive resilience using existing data are encouraged.
- Diagnosis and assessment procedures. Procedures for cognitive assessment need to be evaluated in concert with environmental, sociocultural, behavioral and biological factors. Research is encouraged on disparities in cognitive testing procedures, clinic participation rates, and validity of assessment procedures.
- Neuroimaging, neuropathology and the biology of AD. Neuroimaging techniques and post mortem evaluations need to be increased in underrepresented populations. Research studies are encouraged focusing on the analysis of the multifactorial effects of factors and demographic diversity on the biology of AD and neuroimaging outcomes as such research may highlight the effect some risk factors have on the development of AD. This includes 1) determinants of brain anatomy and cognitive ability; 2) neuropathological identification of disease; and 3) identification of biologic markers.
- Analyses of pathways that create and sustain AD disparities. Investigators are encouraged to focus on biological indicators to link with behavioral, sociocultural or environmental factors to understand disparities in AD. Biological indicators of interest include, but are not limited to, physiological indicators, genetic stability, cellular function and communication, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, cellular stress response, intercellular communication, epigenetic alteration and telomere attrition.
- Strategies for recruitment and retention. Using novel recruitment strategies (including those described in Summit recommendations), research is also encouraged on overcoming logistical barriers specific to AD and related dementia research and disparities in clinical research and clinical trial participation. For further information of this need, see “Obstacles and Opportunities in Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Recruitment” at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/features/nia-grantees-focus-alzheimers-recruitment-policy-issues-health-affairs-forum.
- Dementia and oral health disparities. Dementias and their comorbidities, treatments and psychosocial consequences can negatively affect oral health, especially in health disparities populations. Research is encouraged that proposes collection of oral health clinical data and/or biospecimens, and/or data extraction from individual health records of participants in existing studies of dementia, to assess oral health status, outcomes of prevention/treatment regimens, or causal associations between oral health and dementia, including genomic analyses.
- Improving oral health in dementia. Research is encouraged on development and psychometric testing of new measures to assess outcomes of interest for common behavioral and social interventions to improve oral health in health disparities populations with dementia.
Part 2. Section VII. Agency Contacts
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
Dena Fischer, DDS, MSD, MS
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-594-4876
Email: [email protected]
Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Diana Rutberg, MBA
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-594-4798
Email: [email protected]
All other aspects of this FOA remain unchanged.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Dena Fischer, DDS, MSD, MS
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Telephone: 301-594-4876
Email: [email protected]
Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
