OARS funding Neuroscience

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to stimulate clinical research addressing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and the association of BPSD with unmet physical, social, or environmental needs in persons with dementia.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications that will develop novel technologies and/or tools for the isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) of Central Nervous System (CNS) origin. The primary focus of the technology development includes robust and reproducible CNS-EV isolation methods. Specifically, there is a need to establish technologies for the isolation and purification of CNS-EVs from peripheral samples and the characterization of CNS-EV types, cargos, and origin, as well as to validate these methods for further analyses. Validation of these technologies may include the analysis of the full range of EV composition such as RNA, proteins, lipids, and metabolites.

The National Institute on Aging is seeking applications on systems biology approaches using non-mammalian laboratory animal models to increase our understanding of the basic biology underpinning neurodegeneration. It is expected that research supported under this FOA will provide new insights into molecular networks that might be involved in causing, amplifying or protecting against neurodegeneration, and that, in turn, might ultimately contribute to Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. Importantly, a major goal of this FOA is to use interaction and regulatory networks produced and analyzed using systems biology to gain these new insights. Because this FOA is directed toward discovery, currently employed genetically modified laboratory animals used to study AD are not required, although they may be used. Because this FOA requires systems biology approaches, data used to build interaction or regulatory networks may also come from humans or other mammals in which AD, related dementias, or aging-related cognitive decline have been observed. This FOA will only support studies using non-mammalian laboratory animal models; studies involving humans or experiments with mammals will not be allowed under this FOA.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society mobilizes people and resources to find a cure for and address challenges faced by those affected by MS. To that end, the society is accepting applications for its Pilot Grant Program. The program funds high-risk pilot grants in support of novel ideas that may serve to advance its mission of stopping MS progression, restoring function, and improving quality of life for those with MS. The program supports fundamental as well as applied studies, both non-clinical or clinical in nature, including projects in patient management, care, and rehabilitation. One-year grants of up to $44,000 will be awarded to test innovative, cutting-edge ideas or untested methods, and to gather sufficient preliminary data that can be used to apply for longer-term funding. Researchers who have completed their postdoctoral training are invited to apply. Individuals who are currently postdoctoral fellows or the equivalent, or who are graduate/medical students are not eligible for support under this program. Pre-applications must be received no later than January 8, 2018.

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience supports innovative research designed to bring science closer to the day when diseases of the brain can be accurately diagnosed, prevented, and treated. To that end, the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience invites Letters of Intent for its 2018 McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience awards. The program encourages and supports scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to the understanding of brain function. McKnight is interested in how a new technology may be used to monitor, manipulate, analyze, or model brain function at any level, from the molecular to the entire organism. Technology may take any form, from biochemical tools to instruments to software and mathematical approaches. Because the program seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available to the neurosciences, research based primarily on existing techniques will not be considered. A goal of the Technological Innovations awards is to foster collaboration between the neurosciences and other disciplines; therefore, collaborative and cross-disciplinary applications are explicitly invited.

The National Institute on Aging is seeking applications on systems biology approaches using non-mammalian laboratory animal models to increase our understanding of the basic biology underpinning neurodegeneration. It is expected that research supported under this FOA will provide new insights into molecular networks that might be involved in causing, amplifying or protecting against neurodegeneration, and that, in turn, might ultimately contribute to Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. Importantly, a major goal of this FOA is to use interaction and regulatory networks produced and analyzed using systems biology to gain these new insights. Because this FOA is directed toward discovery, currently employed genetically modified laboratory animals used to study AD are not required, although they may be used. Because this FOA requires systems biology approaches, data used to build interaction or regulatory networks may also come from humans or other mammals in which AD, related dementias, or aging-related cognitive decline have been observed. This FOA will only support studies using non-mammalian laboratory animal models; studies involving humans or experiments with mammals will not be allowed under this FOA.

The Parkinson's Foundation is inviting applications from new investigators for its PDF-PSG Mentored Clinical Research Award. One $50,000 grant will be awarded for a one-year project in patient-oriented research in Parkinson's disease or other Parkinsonian disorders under the mentorship of an experienced investigator. The goal of the award is to provide funding for an investigator who has the potential to become an independent researcher. To be eligible, applicants should be clinicians and scientists who are within five years of having completed formal training. Fellows may apply.

This FOA invites applications that address clinical and translational research gaps in the study of end-of-life care needs in order to improve quality of life at the end of life of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their families. Research that either employs (a) secondary analysis of existing data from longitudinal cohort studies or from administrative records or (b) primary data collection for Stage I behavioral intervention development is particularly encouraged.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications proposing the innovative analysis of existing social science, behavioral, administrative, and neuroimaging data to study the etiology and epidemiology of drug using behaviors (defined as alcohol, tobacco, prescription and other drug) and related disorders, prevention of drug use and HIV, and health service utilization. This FOA encourages the analyses of public use and other extant community-based or clinical datasets to their full potential in order to increase our knowledge of etiology, trajectories of drug using behaviors and their consequences including morbidity and mortality, risk and resilience in the development of psychopathology, strategies to guide the development, testing, implementation, and delivery of high quality, effective and efficient services for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse and HIV.

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.

Despite significant scientific advancements made in substance use disorder research over the last century, the causes and consequences of drug use in later life remain poorly understood. The intent of this funding opportunity announcement is to support innovative research that examines aspects of marijuana and prescription opioid and benzodiazepine use in adults aged 50 and older. This FOA encourages research that examines the determinants of these types of drug use and/or characterizes the resulting neurobiological alterations, associated behaviors, and public health consequences. This initiative will focus on two distinct populations of older adults: individuals with earlier onset of drug use who are now entering this stage of adult development or individuals who initiate drug use after the age of 50. Applications are encouraged to utilize broad methodologies ranging from basic science, clinical, and epidemiological approaches. The insights gleaned from this initiative are critical to our understanding of the determinants of drug use in later life, as well as its consequences in the aging brain and on behavior. This knowledge may have the potential to identify risk factors and to guide clinical practices in older populations.

Long-term misuse and chronic exposure to abused substances can produce widespread changes in brain structure and function. Although much progress has been made, additional research is still needed to identify the neurobiological changes that result from substance use, and how these changes contribute to substance use disorders. The overarching goals of the research areas described in this FOA are to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders, with special emphasis on identifying changes and neuroadaptations that occur during dependence, withdrawal, and relapse to chronic substance use. An understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying substance use disorders can help to identify targets for prevention and treatment interventions. Research utilizing basic, translational, or clinical approaches is appropriate.

Rotary International is accepting applications for its CART Fund, a program designed to encourage exploratory and developmental Alzheimer's disease research projects within the United States. To that end, the fund will award grants of up to $250,000 to support for early and conceptual plans of those projects that may not yet be supported by extensive preliminary data but have the potential to substantially advance biomedical research. These projects should be new and distinct from those designed to increase knowledge in a well-established area unless they intend to extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications. Eligible applications may come from full time faculty (or equivalent status) at U.S.-based public and private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories.

The overall goal of this funding announcement is to solicit applications to investigate the central neural control of mobility in older adults without overt neurological diseases using innovative and cutting-edge methods that are emerging in neuroscience, geriatrics and mobility-related fields in aging research communities. This announcement also seeks information on the degree of plasticity in the aging brain and how this may be harnessed to maintain or improve mobility. Applicants are highly encouraged to adapt a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach that includes basic, clinical, and translational scientists. Mobility impairments are common in aging and are associated with a host of adverse events including disability and mortality. Identifying novel modifiable predictors of mobility decline will lead to mechanistic insights and the development of novel therapeutic interventions to enhance mobility as a person ages.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) solicits research projects that would advance our understanding of how protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in peripheral tissues affects brain aging, leading to the development of Alzheimers Disease (AD). Much research on AD has focused on the accumulation of aberrant protein aggregates in the brain, and in particular amyloid and Tau. Formation of aggregates due to mutations encoded in the APP gene or due to hyperphosphorylation, respectively, have been linked to familial AD. The etiology of the more common, sporadic form of AD, is less certain, although aging is considered a major risk for development of the disease. It is known that proteostasis is less efficiently maintained in all tissues with aging, and this may indicate a link between proteostasis in the periphery and the appearance of aging-related diseases and conditions, including the decline in cognitive function, as well as dementia and AD. Therefore, testing for a role of aging-related loss of peripheral proteostasis in the development of AD is the focus of this FOA.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support studies on the very early development of the immune system and the humoral and cellular communication that exists between the mother and fetus that may shape or impact immune system development and maturation.

Brain Research Foundation is inviting eligible US institutions to nominate one (1) faculty member to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the Fay/Frank Seed Grant Program by January 8, 2018. To be eligible, the PI must be a full-time Assistant or Associate Professor working in the field of neuroscience. Brain Research Foundation's Fay/Frank Seed Grant Program was founded in 1981 with the goal of providing start-up money for new and innovative research projects that have the potential to become competitive for an NIH grant or other external funding sources. Our goal is to have this grant succeed in opening future opportunities for research, collaboration and scientific advancement.

The purpose of this FOA is to support investigator-initiated R21 applications that will inform our understanding of the typical and atypical patterns of language and literacy development of dual language learners (DLLs) in the United States. Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of advances in the language sciences and related fields to identify and clarify specific cognitive, linguistic, neurobiological, and sociocultural factors associated with normal and impaired language and literacy acquisition in young DLL populations.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is associated with the Beau Biden Cancer MoonshotSM Initiative that is intended to accelerate cancer research. The purpose of this FOA is to promote research that results in a comprehensive view of the dynamic, multidimensional tumor ecosystem. Specifically, this FOA targets the following area designated as a scientific priority by the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP): Generation of Human Tumor Atlases. For the purposes of this FOA, a human pre-cancer atlas is defined as a multidimensional cellular, morphological and molecular mapping of human pre-malignant tumors, complemented with critical spatial information (at cellular and/or molecular level) that facilitate visualization of the structure, composition, and multiscale interactions within the tumor ecosystem over time resulting in progression or regression of the tumors.

The Autism Science Foundation is inviting applications for its Pre- and Postdoctoral Training Awards from graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral fellows interested in pursuing careers in basic and clinical research relevant to autism spectrum disorders. The proposed training must be scientifically linked to autism and may be broadened to include training in a closely related area of scientific research, including but not limited to human behavior across the lifespan (language, learning, behavior, communication, social function, motor skills & planning, epilepsy, sleep, repetitive disorders), neurobiology (anatomy, development, neuroimaging), pharmacology, neuropathology, genetics, epigenetics, genomics, epigenomics, immunology, molecular and cellular mechanisms, studies employing model organisms and systems, and studies of treatment and service delivery. Special consideration will be given to projects focused on gender issues in autism. This includes studies examining the female protective effect, neurobiological and neuroanatomical examination of the female autism brain, diagnostic differences and challenges in females, the female phenotype, and health and lifespan issues, including vocational services and employment. ASF also invites studies focused on unaffected siblings and recurrence risk in the offspring of unaffected siblings. ASF is also interested in supporting research on the neurobiology and molecular biology of autism using post-mortem brain tissue. The one-year awards include $25,000 for predoctoral and medical students and $35,000 for postdoctoral students.