Group items tagged

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to stimulate model-driven research to understand the ways that people make decisions about engaging in behaviors that impact the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, or to adhere to treatments for HIV. Decision making processes may contribute to both substance use/abuse and other HIV acquisition or transmission risks. A better understanding of decision making processes in the context of brain neural networks and their associated functions would lead to the development of better strategies to reduce the frequency of HIV-risk behaviors. Therefore, this FOA encourages applications to study 1) cognitive, motivational or emotional mechanisms and/or 2) brain neuroendocrine and reinforcement systems that related to HIV-risk behaviors or treatment non-compliance. Interdisciplinary studies that incorporate approaches from psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, decision sciences, neuroscience and computational modeling are encouraged. This FOA for R03 applications encourages small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The R03 activity code supports different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. In no cases, should research involving animals be proposed.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic or Translational Mental Health Research. The institute seeks teams of researchers working at different levels of analysis and employing integrative, novel, and creative experimental approaches to address high-risk, high-impact questions with the primary objective of: (a) advancing the state of the science in brain and behavior research that will ultimately provide the foundation for understanding mental disorders; (b) supporting the integration and translation of basic and clinical neuroscience research on severe mental illnesses; and/or (c) advancing our understanding of the neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories of psychopathology that begin in childhood and adolescence. The Conte Centers program is intended to support interdisciplinary basic and/or translational research demonstrating an extraordinary level of synergy, integration, and potential for advancing the state of the field. This program is intended only for projects that could not be achieved using other, more standard grant mechanisms. The Conte Centers program also provides an opportunity to establish interdisciplinary basic and/or translational research experiences for individuals in training.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Investigator-Initiated Small Research Grant (R03) funding opportunity supports small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources. The R03 activity code supports different types of projects including pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology.

DARPA seeks new methods for analysis and decoding of neural signals in order to understand how neural stimulation could be applied to facilitate recovery of memory encoding following brain injury. Ultimately, it is desired to develop a prototype implantable neural device that enables recovery of memory in a human clinical population. Additionally, the program encompasses the development of quantitative models of complex, hierarchical memories and exploration of neurobiological and behavioral distinctions between memory function using the implantable device versus natural learning and training.

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. The new tools and technologies should confer a high degree of cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Validation of the utility of the tool/technology is an essential feature. A particular emphasis for this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is the development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest; new approaches are also expected to target specific cell types and or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods. Tools developed through this initiative that can be used in a number of species/model organisms rather than those restricted to a single species are highly desired. Applications that provide approaches that break through existing technical barriers to substantially improve current capabilities are also encouraged.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic or Translational Mental Health Research. The institute seeks teams of researchers working at different levels of analysis and employing integrative, novel, and creative experimental approaches to address high-risk, high-impact questions with the primary objective of: (a) advancing the state of the science in brain and behavior research that will ultimately provide the foundation for understanding mental disorders; (b) supporting the integration and translation of basic and clinical neuroscience research on severe mental illnesses; and/or (c) advancing our understanding of the neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories of psychopathology that begin in childhood and adolescence. The Conte Centers program is intended to support interdisciplinary basic and/or translational research demonstrating an extraordinary level of synergy, integration, and potential for advancing the state of the field. This program is intended only for projects that could not be achieved using other, more standard grant mechanisms. The Conte Centers program also provides an opportunity to establish interdisciplinary basic and/or translational research experiences for individuals in training.  

In this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) we seek applications through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for the optimization of existing and emerging technologies and approaches including 1) technologies and novel approaches for large scale recording and manipulation of neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain, 2) tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. This FOA is intended for the iterative refinement of emergent technologies and approaches that have already demonstrated their transformative potential through initial proof-of-concept testing, and are appropriate for accelerated development with an end-goal of broad dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience practice.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the development of novel tools and technologies through the through the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to advance the field of neuroscience research, including 1) tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function, 2) proof-of-concept testing and development of new technologies and novel approaches for large scale recording and manipulation of neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain, and 3) iterative refinement of such tools and technologies with the end-user community with an end-goal of scaling manufacture towards reliable, broad, sustainable dissemination and incorporation into regular neuroscience practice.     

This RFA will support integrated, interdisciplinary research teams from prior BRAIN technology and/or integrated approaches teams, and/or new projects from the research community that focus on examining circuit functions related to behavior, using advanced and innovative technologies. The goal will be to support programs with a team science approach that can realize meaningful outcomes within 5-plus years. Awards will be made for 5 years, with a possibility of one renewal. Projects will incorporate overarching principles of circuit function in the context of specific neural systems underlying sensation, perception, emotion, motivation, cognition, decision-making, motor control, communication, or homeostasis. Applications should incorporate theory-/model-driven experimental design and should offer predictive models as deliverables. Applications should seek to understand circuits of the central nervous system by systematically controlling stimuli and/or behavior while actively recording and/or manipulating relevant dynamic patterns of neural activity and by measuring the resulting behaviors and/or perceptions. Applications are expected to employ approaches guided by specified theoretical constructs, and are encouraged to employ quantitative, mechanistic models where appropriate. Applications will be required to manage their data and analysis methods in a prototype framework that will be developed and used in the proposed U19 project and exchanged with other BRAIN U19 awardees for further refinement and development. Model systems, including the possibility of multiple species ranging from invertebrates to humans, can be employed and should be appropriately justified. Programs should employ multi-component teams of research expertise - including neurobiologists, statisticians, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists, and data scientists, as appropriate - that seek to cross boundaries of interdisciplinary collaboration.

HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND) persist in up to 50% of HIV-patients even when HIV replication is suppressed by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), which transformed HIV/AIDS from a fatal illness into a chronically managed long-term condition. HIV does not infect neurons, but infects microglia and macrophages in the brain, causing HAND associated neuropathology. HAND epitomizes a series of disorders include Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment (ANI), Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MND), and HIV-Associated Dementia (HAD). These neurocognitive deficits interfere with psychomotor speed and coordination, diminishing memory and executive functions, and reduce quality of life in long-standing aviremic HIV-positive patients. These clinical challenges mandate research for a better understanding of HIV neuropathology; however, currently there are no effective approaches for HIV-infected live human brain studies or realistic HIV-infected animal models for HIV neuropathology. Proposed projects MUST include the following components. Applications which lack these three components will be considered non-responsive to the FOA and will not be reviewed. The major thrust of the project MUST involve exploitation of induced microglia and cerebral organoids generated from patient derived iPSC lines to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND). At least one aim or sub-aim MUST also involve either 1. opioid, cannabinoid, methamphetamine, nicotinic, dopaminergic, or other signaling pathways relevant to addictive substance use, or 2. exposure to addictive substances, or 3. analysis of samples from patients that have used addictive substances or have SUDs.

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis and manipulation of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. Critical advances in the treatment of brain disorders in human populations are hindered by our lack of ability to monitor and manipulate circuitry in safe, minimally-invasive ways. Clinical intervention with novel cell and circuit specific tools will require extensive focused research designed to remove barriers to delivery of gene therapies. In addition to identification and removal of barriers, the need to specifically target dysfunctional circuitry poses additional challenges. Neuroscience has experienced an impressive influx of exciting new research tools in the past decade, especially since the launch of the BRAIN Initiative.

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative funding opportunity announcement is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis and manipulation of complex circuits in large brains. Critical advances in the treatment of brain disorders in human populations are hindered by our lack of ability to monitor and manipulate circuitry in safe, minimally-invasive ways. Clinical intervention with novel cell and circuit specific tools will require extensive focused research designed to remove barriers to delivery of gene therapies. In addition to identification and removal of barriers, the need to specifically target dysfunctional circuitry poses additional challenges. Neuroscience has experienced an impressive influx of exciting new research tools in the past decade, especially since the launch of the BRAIN Initiative. However, the majority of these cutting-edge tools have been developed for use in model organisms, primarily rodents, fish and flies. These cutting-edge tools, such as viral delivery of genetic constructs, are increasingly adaptable to larger mammalian brains and more importantly are emerging as potential human therapeutic strategies for brain disorders. A pressing need to develop tools for use in large brains or those that are more directly relevant to the human brain is the focus of this initiative. The initiative will support initial proof of principle studies aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of this approach in humans and other mammalian species (non-human primate [NHP]/sheep/pigs).

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) intends to accelerate the integration and use of scalable technologies and tools to enhance and reinvigorate brain cell census research, including the development of technology platforms and/or resources that will enable a swift and comprehensive survey of brain cell types and circuits. Of particular interest are those that will (a) improve technology and resource platforms to remove limitations and bottlenecks in the current pipeline of brain cell census data generation; (b) integrate experimental and computational methods to enhance capabilities of cell census data generation and analysis and to reduce barriers to hypothesis-driven research; (c) generate a substantial amount of spatiotemporal cell census data and/or resources to demonstrate the utility of the improved technology and resource platforms; and (d) conduct comparative studies by using proper criteria to evaluate and benchmark quality of biospecimen, performance of cell census tools/technologies, and effectiveness of computational approaches. The projects funded under this FOA will align with the overarching goals of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) and are expected to generate a substantial amount of cell census data using the proposed technologies or via collaboration with the BICCN.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation will award one- to three-year grants to develop imaging markers for use in disease-modifying clinical trials. Imaging is a powerful tool that can be used to visualize the structure and function of the brain in living subjects. While a variety of imaging techniques are available, including positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), none have been demonstrated to be a sensitive, specific and reliable biomarker test for the presence and progression of PD. Applications must focus on developing robust and precise imaging markers. Priority targets for this program are alpha-synuclein and neuroinflammation, but applications may focus on other promising therapeutic targets. Imaging modalities can include PET, SPECT and MRI. Projects should aim to develop novel imaging biomarkers as opposed to prospectively collecting data using existing technologies. Prospective data collection is appropriate only if a novel imaging technique or tracer is being tested. Novel data analysis techniques may be proposed but should utilize existing data sets. Examples of projects that are appropriate for this program include development of novel PET or SPECT tracers, early validation of new tracers, and development and validation of novel MRI techniques.

This FOA solicits applications for research projects that use innovative and methodologically-integrated approaches to understand how circuit activity gives rise to mental experience and behavior. The goal is to support projects that can realize a meaningful outcome within 5 years. Applications should address circuit function in the context of specific neural systems such as sensation, perception, attention, reasoning, intention, decision-making, emotion, navigation, communication, or homeostasis. Projects should link theory and data analysis to experimental design and should produce predictive models as deliverables. Projects should aim to improve the understanding of circuits of the central nervous system by systematically controlling stimuli and/or behavior while actively recording and/or manipulating dynamic patterns of neural activity. Projects can use non-human animal species, and applications should explain how the selected species offers ideal conditions for revealing general principles about the circuit basis of a specific behavior.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite Cooperative Agreement (U01) applications for the development of enabling informatics technologies to improve the acquisition, management, analysis, and dissemination of data and knowledge across the cancer research continuum including cancer biology, cancer treatment and diagnosis, cancer prevention, cancer control and epidemiology, and/or cancer health disparities. As a component of the NCI's Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) Program, this FOA focuses on early-stage development from prototyping to hardening and adaptation. Early-stage development is defined for the purpose of this FOA as the initial development or the significant modification of existing tools for new applications. The central mission of ITCR is to promote research-driven informatics technology across the development lifecycle to address priority needs in cancer research. In order to be successful, proposed development plans must have a clear rationale on why the proposed technology is needed and how it will benefit the cancer research field.

The purpose of the FOA is to support the large scale molecular platform analysis of brain tissue, human biofluid or human induced pluripotent stem cell resources for the identification of targets and pathways associated with Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRDs) pathophysiology.

The purpose of the FOA is to support the large scale molecular platform analysis of brain tissue, human biofluid or human induced pluripotent stem cell resources for the identification of targets and pathways associated with Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRDs) pathophysiology.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications for Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research. The NIMH seeks teams of researchers working at different levels of analysis and employing integrative, novel, and creative experimental approaches to address high-risk, high-impact questions in basic neuroscience research, or in translational research with the primary objectives of: (a) advancing the state of the science in basic brain and behavior research that will uncover and dissect the underlying mechanisms that will ultimately provide the foundation for understanding mental disorders; (b) supporting the integration and translation of basic and clinical neuroscience research on severe mental illnesses; and/or (c) advancing our understanding of the neurobehavioral developmental mechanisms and trajectories of psychopathology that begin in childhood and adolescence. The Conte Centers program is intended to support interdisciplinary basic neuroscience or translational research demonstrating an extraordinary level of synergy, integration, and potential for advancing the state of the field. This program is intended only for projects that could not be achieved using other, more standard grant mechanisms. The Conte Centers program also provides an opportunity to establish interdisciplinary basic neuroscience or translational research experiences for students and post doctorates.

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is collecting data on health and mental health, cognitive function, substance use, cultural and environmental factors, and brain structure and function from youth starting when they are 9-10 years-old repeatedly for 10 years and makes that data available to the scientific community through the NIMH Data Archive. The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage applications proposing the analysis of this public use dataset to increase knowledge of adolescent health and development. More information about the ABCD Study may be found on the ABCD Study web page (www.abcdstudy.org).