Group items tagged

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications for research projects that will apply computational approaches to develop parametrically detailed behavioral assays across mental-health relevant domains of function. These projects should focus on behavior in humans and test computational models in healthy subjects. NIMH is particularly interested in the study of behavioral measures, models, and parameters that have the potential for back-translation from humans to animals, especially for pre-clinical therapeutics development, and/or in models that have the potential to be extended to clinical populations.  

The Michael J. Fox Foundation will award one-year to 18-month grants for studies that explore the role of astrocytes in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology and the potential for astrocyte-focused therapeutics. The goals of this funding program are to further understanding of astrocyte biology in Parkinson's and to rationalize the pursuit of astrocyte-specific targets and/or pathways for the treatment of the disease. Preference will be given to applications that focus on or include the following: Role of astrocytes in initiating and/or propagating Parkinson's disease pathology, including alpha-synuclein spread, dopaminergic neuron death, inflammation and senescence Consequences of dysfunction and/or mutations of common PD targets, including alpha-synuclein, LRRK2, GBA, PRKN and PINK1 Manipulation of astrocyte activity and/or astrocyte-specific pathways to assess the potential of targeted astrocyte therapies on disease biology and/or symptoms Parkinson's disease models with high construct validity to human PD, including patient-derived material (such as iPSCs or cerebral organoids) and/or well characterized animal models and primary cells; Examination of human brain samples to answer specific hypotheses is also acceptable Targets, pathways and mechanisms proposed for investigation should have reasonable links to PD.

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a collaborative framework through which 14 NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices jointly support neuroscience-related research, with the aim of accelerating discoveries and reducing the burden of nervous system disorders. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will solicit research projects focused on the development of new technology and tools, or novel mechanistic studies, or a combination of mechanistic and technology development studies specific to central nervous system (CNS, which includes retina) small blood and lymphatic vessels in health and disease, across the life span. The program aims at facilitating the development of tools and technology to image, profile and map CNS small blood and lymphatic vessels. Additional goals are to elucidate the mechanisms underlying CNS small blood and lymphatic vessels structural and functional heterogeneity, differential susceptibility to injury, role in disease and repair processes, and their responses to therapies. Preclinical studies using in vitro and/or animal models specific to CNS small blood and lymphatic vessels alone or in combination with pilot human studies are appropriate for this FOA.

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.

Understanding the dynamic activity of neural circuits is central to the NIH BRAIN Initiative. Although invention and proof-of-concept testing of new technologies are a key component of the BRAIN Initiative, to achieve their potential these technologies must also be optimized through feedback from end-users in the context of the intended experimental use. This FOA seeks applications for the optimization of existing and emerging technologies and approaches that have potential to address major challenges associated with recording and manipulating neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain. 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 of hardware and software while scaling manufacturing techniques towards sustainable, broad dissemination and user-friendly incorporation into regular neuroscience practice. Proposed technologies should be compatible with experiments in behaving animals, and should include advancements that enable or reduce major barriers to hypothesis-driven experiments. Technologies may engage diverse types of signaling beyond neuronal electrical activity for large-scale analysis, and may utilize any modality such as optical, electrical, magnetic, acoustic or genetic recording/manipulation. Applications that seek to integrate multiple approaches are encouraged. Applications are expected to integrate appropriate domains of expertise, including where appropriate biological, chemical and physical sciences, engineering, computational modeling and statistical analysis. Also listed under R01

To study in vivo synaptic structure and function in Alzheimer's and related dementia; and to advance development of methods to study synapses in animal models and humans.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage basic or clinical research applications that investigate central neural mechanisms of age-related hearing loss in older adults and/or in relevant animal models. This FOA is driven by the need to address a major gap in our understanding of the central pathways and neural networks that are involved in hearing loss, and how these may be altered in the context of the aging brain, as well as how natural aging influences central auditory plasticity.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage basic or clinical research applications that investigate central neural mechanisms of age-related hearing loss in older adults and/or in relevant animal models. This FOA is driven by the need to address a major gap in our understanding of the central pathways and neural networks that are involved in hearing loss and how these may be altered in the context of the aging brain, as well as how natural aging influences central auditory plasticity.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to encourage research grant applications that propose to develop or substantially modify existing cutting-edge tools that will advance prenatal and/or pediatric hydrocephalus research. The primary objective of this FOA is to remove barriers to hydrocephalus research that are due to scarcity of tools to investigate both the disease mechanisms and alternative therapies (non-shunt) in a rigorous manner. Applications should aim to transform the field of prenatal and/or pediatric hydrocephalus research by generating tools including animal and cell models, novel methods and innovative technologies that will be widely used throughout the neuroscience community to understand disease mechanisms and/or developing therapeutics.

 Impact: Applications should articulate both the short- and long-term impact of the proposed research. Projects must address one or more of the FY18 SCIRP IIRA Focus Areas.  Military Relevance: Projects should be relevant to spinal cord-injured military Service members, Veterans, and/or their family members and caregivers. Collaboration with military and VA researchers and clinicians is encouraged.  Preliminary Data: Observations that drive a research idea may be derived from laboratory discovery, population-based studies, a clinician's first-hand knowledge of patients, or anecdotal data. Applications must include preliminary and/or published data that are relevant to the mission of the SCIRP and the proposed research project. IIRA applications may focus on any phase of research from basic through translational. Permitted research includes preclinical studies in animal models, research with human subjects, or human anatomical substances, as well as correlative studies associated with an existing clinical trial.

The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to provide funding support for the pre-clinical and early stage clinical (Phase I) development of novel small-molecule and biologic therapeutic agents that prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD), slow its progression or treat its cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Participants in this program will receive funding for therapy development activities such as medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics (PK), Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicology (ADMET), efficacy in animal models, formulation development, chemical synthesis under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Investigational New Drug (IND) enabling studies and initial Phase I clinical testing. This program does not support research on basic mechanisms of disease, mechanisms of drug action, development of biomarkers, devices, non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., exercise, diet, cognitive training), repurposed drugs and combinations therapies, or discovery activities such as high throughput screening and hit optimization.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) aims to provide strong predictive value along with mechanistic understanding of AI by combining machine learning techniques with effective explanatory techniques. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications in the area of XAI applied to neuroscientific questions of encoding, decoding, and modulation of neural circuits linked to behavior. This FOA encourages collaborations between computationally and experimentally-focused investigators. This FOA seeks the development of machine learning algorithms that are able to mechanistically explain how experimental manipulations affect cognitive, affective, or social processing in humans or animals. Proof-of-concept applications aimed at improving the current state of the technology that uses XAI to provide unbiased, hierarchical explanations of causal relationships between complex neural and behavioral data are also appropriate .

EXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) aims to provide strong predictive value along with mechanistic understanding by combining machine learning techniques with effective explanatory techniques. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications in the area of XAI applied to neuroscientific questions of encoding, decoding, and modulation of neural circuits linked to behavior. This FOA encourages collaborations between computationally and experimentally-focused investigators. This FOA seeks machine learning algorithms able to mechanistically explain how experimental manipulations can improve cognitive, affective, or social processing in humans or animals. Proof-of-concept applications aimed at improving the current state of the technology that use XAI to provide unbiased, hierarchical explanations of causal relationships between complex neural and behavioral data are also responsive.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support high risk/high reward research on the blood/vascular component and regulation of the neurovascular-blood unit (a.k.a., Blood-Brain Barrier; BBB) in normal and pathological states to create enhanced/modified platforms that more closely model the human BBB. Research addressing vascular, hemostatic, hematopoietic, and/or immune cell interaction across the Blood-Brain Interface is of particular interest. This initiative will serve to stimulate the development of a new field of science and re-define the neurovascular unit to also include the blood/vascular component to develop the next generation of pre-clinical human cellular model systems of the human BBB to complement research currently based on animal models.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) enables data-driven drug repositioning and combination therapy for Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) by developing computational methods and data resources and/or integrating computational approaches with proof-of-concept efficacy studies in cell-based models, animal models, and/or humans.

Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded for research on the pathologic mechanisms underlying FTD. Priority will be given to projects related to the development and testing of novel high-throughput screening assays; identification and in vitro testing of potentially disease modifying compounds or biologics, including medicinal chemistry refinement, ADME, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics studies; testing of novel lead compounds, biologics, or repurposed drug candidates in a relevant animal model for preclinical proof of concept; and/or development and/or characterization of new model organisms or cellular models in support of drug-discovery efforts. Funding is provided through mission-related investments that require return on investment based on scientific and/or business milestones.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications that focus on clarifying the relationship between delirium and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Specifically sought is research focusing on understanding why persons with ADRD are at increased risk to develop delirium, often with a worse prognosis compared to those without antecedent ADRD, and why patients who experience delirium are at higher risk to develop subsequent short- and/or long-term mild cognitive impairment or ADRD, often with an accelerated rate of cognitive decline compared to those without preceding delirium. Relevant research projects may focus on, but are not limited to, those that A) provide insight into possible common, sequential, causative, contributory and/or synergistic pathways underlying both ADRD and delirium, B) elucidate mechanisms that lead to the development of delirium against the background of aging and/or neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on use of appropriate animal models, C) identify risk factors for the onset and/or progression of delirium in those with ADRD and vice versa, D) diagnose and assess one condition in the setting of the other, E) identify putative phenotypes of patients with co-existing ADRD and delirium, or F) test pharmacologic and/or non-pharmacologic strategies to prevent, treat, or reduce the impact of delirium in patients with ADRD and vice versa. Research supported by this FOA is intended to provide mechanistic insight to improve risk assessment, diagnosis, phenotyping, prevention, and management approaches for both delirium and ADRD.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage cooperative agreement (U54) applications from multidisciplinary groups of investigators to accelerate the rate of progress in determining the functional, pharmacological, neuronal network and whole animal consequences of genetic variants discovered in patients with various types of epilepsy and to develop strategies for establishing diagnostic criteria and identifying potential targets for intervention.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage cooperative agreement (U54) applications from multidisciplinary groups of investigators to accelerate the rate of progress in determining the functional, pharmacological, neuronal network and whole animal consequences of genetic variants discovered in patients with various types of epilepsy and to develop strategies for establishing diagnostic criteria and identifying potential targets for intervention.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage applications that propose either basic, clinical, or a combination of basic and clinical studies to investigate how functional changes in the sensory and/or motor systems impact the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Studies may include older adults and/or animal models and may employ a variety of approaches, including cellular, molecular, imaging, physiological and genetic, to address this need. For clinical studies, leveraging of existing longitudinal cohorts already collecting sensory and motor assessments is highly encouraged.