Notice Number: NOT-HD-20-004
Key Dates
Release Date: January 27, 2020
Response Date: February 28, 2020
None
Issued by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Purpose
NICHD seeks to facilitate and accelerate limb regeneration research with the goal of making substantial advances towards human limb regeneration within the next five years. This aligns with an aspirational goal from the NICHD Strategic Plan to “Advance the ability to regenerate human limbs by using emerging technologies to activate the body’s own growth pathways and processes.”
In order to understand both the current state of the limb regeneration science and the potential for rapid advancement, this RFI seeks input from experts with knowledge of limb regeneration research.
Information Requested
This RFI is intended to solicit broad community perspective on scientific opportunities, technical challenges, and outstanding needs that could significantly impact mammalian limb regeneration research, with the goal of making limb regeneration after amputation a reality.
NICHD seeks input from stakeholders including but not limited to researchers in academia and industry, healthcare professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific and professional organizations, Federal agencies and other interested members of the public. Organizations are encouraged to submit a single response that reflects the views of the organization as a whole. Responses may be used to inform a potential workshop on the topic. This is not a funding opportunity.
NICHD is requesting information on the state of basic and translational limb regeneration research and guidance on ways to invigorate and transform the field. The input requested includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- The endogenous genetic-, cellular-, and tissue-level processes that would allow successful blastema formation and limb regeneration in mammals.
- The potential for targeted comparative biology studies in animal models to advance limb regeneration in mammals, including humans.
- The potential for state-of-the-art and emerging technologies to provide mechanistic insight and novel translational applications to the field of mammalian limb regeneration.
- The role of the immune system, biomechanical forces, sensorimotor activity, and other factors in limb regeneration.
- The potential to preserve or improve (in lieu of complete regeneration) structure and function of the residual limb of amputees.
How to Submit a Response
All comments must be submitted electronically to Rehabilitation1@mail.nih.gov.
Responses (no longer than 300 words in Microsoft Word or PDF format) must be received by 11:59:59 (ET) by the response date noted above. Please indicate "RFI Response" in the subject line of the email.You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response.
Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Do not include any proprietary, classified, confidential, trade secret, or sensitive information in your response. The responses will be reviewed by NIH staff, and individual feedback will not be provided to any responder. The U.S. Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. The U.S. Government reserves the right to use any submitted information on public NIH websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements.
This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, grant, or cooperative agreement, or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the NIH, or individual NIH Institutes and Centers to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. The Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the U.S. Government’s use of such information. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government’s use of such information.
Applications are not being solicited at this time.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Theresa Cruz, PhD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Email: Rehabilitation@nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
