December 22, 2021
PA-20-185: NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Purpose
The purpose of this NOSI is to stimulate research focused on the development of transformative diagnostics and disease management tools for heart, lung, blood, or sleep (HLBS) disorders that are designed to meet the needs of the underserved populations. Underserved populations, for the purpose of this NOSI, can include racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, the homeless, low-income individuals, the uninsured and people who live in communities that are socioeconomically disadvantaged, rural or have few health care resources. Special consideration will be given to technology solutions that are accessible and feasible in these communities. Working with community partners is required throughout the project to ensure successful development and implementation.
Background
Health inequities and disparities are especially devastating in underserved populations, including communities of color. People in these communities often face a complex set of challenges related to health and health care delivery. Not only can they face cultural, linguistic and financial barriers, but they also can be at higher risk for disease, face poorer health outcomes and have limited access to health care services. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that African Americans ages 18-49 are 2 times as likely to die from heart disease and those ages 35-64 years are 50 percent more likely to have high blood pressure compared to their white counterparts. As highlighted in the recent NHLBI workshop, Diagnostics and Disease Management Tools for Use in Underserved Populations , partnerships with the community can drive and accelerate innovation to implementation and are key to impacting health in underserved populations. Developing sustainable partnerships requires in-person engagement and takes investments of time, effort, and resources to build trust, understand needs, and develop meaningful relationships.
Research Objectives and Examples
The NHLBI seeks R01 applications for diagnostics and disease management tools that have the power to deliver breakthroughs to enable prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood and sleep diseases in underserved communities. Investigators will be required to engage community partners at the onset and throughout their research project. It is critical to engage community partners early on, that can successfully advise and provide feedback to device and tool developers. This type of involvement includes advice from the community, participation in research, and shared leadership.
Some examples of tools to diagnose and manage heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders that may be supported include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Engage multidisciplinary teams to develop, test, and implement diagnostics and disease monitoring tools, such as:
- Cuff-less, non-invasive hypertension devices.
- Non-invasive devices that measure tissue oxygenation.
- Circadian-based strategies (e.g., sleep, timing of medication, meals) to improve the efficacy of treatments for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders (e.g., hypertension, arrhythmias, asthma, thrombosis, obesity/diabetes).
- Devices to predict the risks of preeclampsia in pregnant women.
- Screening tools to identify mental and substance use disorders to prevent cardiovascular disease.
- Early detection of pre-diabetes and diabetes in adult family members to interrupt intergenerational obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Portable electroencephalography (EEG), core body temperature tracking, and heart rate variability assessment in sleep and circadian disorders.
- Use community-partnership programs to screen, diagnose, and treat heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders.
- Analyze or test a diagnostic program for HLBS disease using new technology (e.g., wearable devices, phones).
- Implement effective practices (e.g ., recognition and initial response by the community, emergency medical response, hospital-based care) that would reduce death rates associated with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
- Physical Activity and Healthy Heart: activity monitoring for CVD prevention and screening.
- Environment: diagnostic for epigenetic changes, lead toxicity, water, food, and air quality and their effect on heart, lung, blood and sleep disease.
- Analyze or test the impact of a multilevel intervention to improve rates of referral following screening for heart lung, blood and sleep diseases that address patient, provider, and system factors.
- Develop smartphone apps for non-invasive, on-demand, self-detection of HLBS diseases/conditions.
- Make mobile health tools to monitor asthma symptoms in pediatric patients at home.
- Build an inexpensive, non-invasive diagnostic assay for addressing minority health disparities among patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
- Create a faith-based educational tool for hypertension management that is culturally appropriate.
- Develop low-cost echocardiography for rheumatic heart disease and cardiac sarcoidosis.
This notice applies to due dates on or after February 5, 2022 and subsequent receipt dates through July 6, 2025.
Submit applications to address this NOSI by using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this notice.
- PA-20-185 NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:
- For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-HL-22-006 (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.
Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered.
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
Bishow Adhikari, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-594-2791
Email: [email protected]
Erin Iturriaga, D.N.P., M.S.N., R.N.
Phone: 301-435-0550
Email: [email protected]
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, Division of Lung Diseases
Alfonso Alfini, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-827-8989
Email: [email protected]
Marishka K. Brown, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-435-0199
Email: [email protected]
Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science
Paul Cotton, Ph.D., RDN
Phone: 301-827-2806
Email: [email protected]
Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
Kyung Moon, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-402-4021
Email: [email protected]
Margaret Ochocinska, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-827-8285
Email: [email protected]
Asif Rizwan, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-435-0070
Email: [email protected]
Division of Extramural Research Activities
Kathleen Rousche, Ph.D.
Phone: 301-827-7981
Email: [email protected]
Division of Lung Diseases
Louis Vuga, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Phone: 301-435-0233
Email: [email protected]
Peer Review Contact(s)
Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).
Financial/Grants Management Contact
NHLBI Office of Grants Management
Anthony Agresti
Phone: 301-827-8014
Email: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
