Group items tagged

The goal of this FOA is to advance research on the underlying basis for the transfer (or transposition) of aging phenotypes observed between young and old rodents and discovered through heterochronic parabiosis. Examples of transposed phenotypes include reversal of cardiac hypertrophy, partial restoration of cognitive function, improved vascularization, and repair of skeletal muscle after cryo-injury (anti-geronic transposition), or as accelerated loss of cognitive function and neurogenesis (pro-geronic transposition). Other transposed phenotypes, as revealed solely through heterochronic parabiosis, may also be reported in the literature. There are also reports of candidate factors found in circulation that might be causally related to the transposition of these aging phenotypes; these are termed "circulating geronic factors" for purposes of this FOA. To date, these are proteins and peptides that pass between the young and old mice joined by parabiosis, due to anastomosis of their circulatory systems. Based on these novel findings and this novel experimental paradigm, the specific objective of this FOA is to test whether these candidate geronic factors are necessary for the transposition of aging phenotypes. The focus is on phenotypes transposed in heterochronic parabiosis and the candidate factors which are present and functional at physiological concentrations in circulation.

The goal of this FOA is to advance research on the underlying basis for the transfer (or transposition) of aging phenotypes observed between young and old rodents and discovered through heterochronic parabiosis. Examples of transposed phenotypes include reversal of cardiac hypertrophy, partial restoration of cognitive function, improved vascularization, and repair of skeletal muscle after cryo-injury (anti-geronic transposition), or as accelerated loss of cognitive function and neurogenesis (pro-geronic transposition). Other transposed phenotypes, as revealed solely through heterochronic parabiosis, may also be reported in the literature. There are also reports of candidate factors found in circulation that might be causally related to the transposition of these aging phenotypes; these are termed "circulating geronic factors" for purposes of this FOA. To date, these are proteins and peptides that pass between the young and old mice joined by parabiosis, due to anastomosis of their circulatory systems. Based on these novel findings and this novel experimental paradigm, the specific objective of this FOA is to test whether these candidate geronic factors are necessary for the transposition of aging phenotypes. The focus is on phenotypes transposed in heterochronic parabiosis and the candidate factors which are present and functional at physiological concentrations in circulation.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its Preclinical Drug Discovery program. Through the program, grants of up to $600,000 over two years will be awarded to promising preclinical drug discovery programs relevant to Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and cognitive aging. Preclinical research funding priorities include high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry hit-to-lead development and optimization, in vitro and in vivo efficacy studies, ADME, toxicology, pharma-cokinetics and pharma-co-dynamics, and in vivo proof-of-concept with lead compounds and biologics. Program areas of particular interest include new chemical compounds for Alzheimer's disease, preclinical proof-of-concept, and re-purposing. With regards to potential drug targets, ADDF is interested in novel targets that include but are not limited to neuro-inflammation, protein degradation/autophagy, growth factor signaling, synaptic function/morphology, calcium regulation, energy utilization/mitochondria function, insulin sensitivity, epigenetics, ApoE function and cholesterol metabolism, vascular injury and the blood-brain barrier interface, cognitive enhancers, myelin changes, ischemia and oxidative stress, and tau-related toxicities. To be eligible, applicants must be academic investigators seeking to create and support innovative translational programs in academic medical centers and universities; biotechnology companies with programs dedicated to Alzheimer's disease translational development; and new biotechnology company spinouts or existing biotechnology companies that demonstrate a clear need for nonprofit funding. Funding is provided through program-related investments (PRIs) that require a return on investment based on scientific and/or business milestones.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications that expand on foundational research demonstrating generally improved emotional function and emotion regulation with aging, to further clarify the trajectories of change in emotion processing and linked neurobiological factors in adults who are aging normally, as well as in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias (ADRD). The goal is three-fold: to advance understanding of (1) normative maturational shifts in emotional processes, (2) how dysfunction in the integrative neural-behavioral mechanisms of emotional function might manifest in MCI and the early stages of ADRD, and/or (3) how such dysfunction might account for any of the neuropsychiatric symptoms observed in ADRD. Such studies may identify novel targets for interventions or prevention efforts, or provide clues to intervention strategies that might be applied to normalize emotion dysregulation or strengthen emotional resilience at different life stages in normal aging or disease stages in MCI and ADRD.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications that expand on foundational research demonstrating generally improved emotional function and emotion regulation with aging, to further clarify the trajectories of change in emotion processing and linked neurobiological factors in adults who are aging normally, as well as in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias (ADRD). The goal is three-fold: to advance understanding of (1) normative maturational shifts in emotional processes, (2) how dysfunction in the integrative neural-behavioral mechanisms of emotional function might manifest in MCI and the early stages of ADRD, and/or (3) how such dysfunction might account for any of the neuropsychiatric symptoms observed in ADRD. Such studies may identify novel targets for interventions or prevention efforts, or provide clues to intervention strategies that might be applied to normalize emotion dysregulation or strengthen emotional resilience at different life stages in normal aging or disease stages in MCI and ADRD.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) supports concerted efforts that take a multipronged, team science strategy and apply high throughput, genome-wide approaches to systematically discover and characterize functional genomic and epigenomic elements; and elucidate and validate their functional roles and mechanisms of action underpinning the heterogeneity, pathogenesis, and progression of Alzheimers disease andrelated dementias (AD/ADRD).

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) supports concerted efforts that take a multipronged, team-science strategy and apply high-throughput, genome-wide approaches to systematically discover and characterize functional genomic and epigenomic elements and elucidate and validate their functional roles and mechanisms of action underpinning the heterogeneity, pathogenesis, and progression of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD).

The focus of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is on in vivo human studies, and in vitro studies on human cells or tissues, aimed at potential identification of therapeutic targets or and/or testing of interventions for healthy aging. Potential therapeutic targets include FOXO3 itself and upstream and downstream regulators in pathways mediated by FOXO3. The range of research areas of interest in this FOA includes studies that: 1) examine in vivo phenotypic effects of human FOXO3 variants, and/or 2) elucidate effects of these variants on cellular functions and the pathways that mediate them, and/or 3) identify and evaluate candidate therapeutic targets (e.g., target validation studies, testing of candidate compounds) for potential interventions based on FOXO3 functional pathways. Projects involving whole genome sequencing of new or existing cohorts are outside the scope of this FOA. However, targeted resequencing on a limited sample set in an existing cohort could be supported by this FOA.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage applications from the scientific community to support outstanding research in the area of oocyte mitochondrial function in relation to fertility, aging, and mitochondrial disease transmission to offspring. The overarching goal is to gain fundamental insight into the role of mitochondria and long-term consequences of their dysfunction in the oocyte, and to develop therapeutic or alternative approaches to treat mitochondrial dysfunction for improving oocyte quality and competency, and health of the resultant offspring. It is anticipated that the results from studies supported by this FOA will provide women, suffering from infertility or subfertility and other illnesses due to mitochondrial dysfunction, practical approaches to enhance their fertility and the well-being of their offspring. This funding opportunity announcement encourages innovative and high-risk/impact studies that may lead to breakthrough in mitochondrial function, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact in understanding and treatment of mitochondrial dysfunction.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications to perform ancillary studies and secondary analyses of data and/or biospecimens from ongoing or completed studies of the effects of inflammation and/or anti-inflammatory agents on geriatric conditions, such as functional decline, mobility disability, fatigue, falls, cognitive decline/dementia, and chronic pain. Data that can inform designs of possible future interventional studies on modulating the effects of chronic inflammation in such conditions are of particular interest. Analyses of both beneficial and harmful effects of modulating chronic inflammation in older individuals are of interest. Other types of studies of interest to NIA include mechanistic studies to explore the pathophysiologic processes by which chronic, low-grade inflammation may accelerate functional decline or other geriatric conditions, and how these pathways may be disrupted by interventions. The secondary analyses and ancillary studies supported by this (FOA) may be based on data and/or biospecimens from either ongoing or completed clinical trials.

The purpose of this FOA is to invite: 1) descriptive studies to identify putative juvenile protective factors, 2) experimental studies to test hypotheses about their effects on aging and 3) translational studies to characterize potential beneficial and adverse effects of maintaining or modulating the level of juvenile protective factors in adult life. Juvenile protective factors (JPFs), intrinsic to an immature organism, help to maintain or enhance certain physiological functions across all or some stages of postnatal development (i.e., segment of the life span between birth and sexual maturity), but diminish or disappear as the organism transitions from one maturational stage to the next. The loss or diminution of JPFs after a given stage of postnatal development or at time of sexual maturity may contribute to the onset of deleterious aging changes (e.g., compromised stem cell function and reparative capacity) across adulthood. This FOA is uniquely focused on animal and clinical studies which involve comparisons between juvenile versus adult states or between stages of postnatal development to identify putative JPFs and their effects on aging. 

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits R01 grant applications from applicant organizations that propose to develop and implement interventions to remediate age-related cognitive decline. A crucial feature of these applications will be the embedding of the testing of the proposed intervention into a measurement framework that will: 1) help elucidate its mechanism of action; 2) identify specific individuals who are more likely or less likely to benefit from the intervention, and 3) examine whether adaptive plastic changes have occurred in the structure or function of the CNS as a result of the intervention, and whether these neural changes help explain the pattern of improvement seen in cognitive functioning. Although projects may include an observational component, the interventions developed should be tested in a randomized clinical trial (RCT).

Since 1998, ADDF has provided more than $29 million in funding for early stage clinical drug trials for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. To help propel novel drugs into the clinic, ADDF also has provided over $6.5 million in support of final preclinical studies required by regulatory agencies for the initiation of clinical research studies. The goal of the foundation's PACT program is to increase the number of innovative treatments tested in humans for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. To that end, the program will fund clinical trials through Phase 2a of novel drug candidates, including small molecules and biologics (antibodies, oligonucleotides, peptides, gene therapies, cell therapies); proof-of-concept biomarker-based trials in patients for repurposed/repositioned drugs; and regulatory studies for investigational new drug (IND)/clinical trial application preclinical packages that are required before testing novel drugs in human subjects. Proposed molecular targets will be evaluated based on the strength of available evidence linking the target to the disease and demonstrating that modulating its biological activity will improve symptoms or modify disease progression. Current target areas of interest include but are not limited to neuroprotection, inflammation, vascular function, mitochondria and metabolic function, proteostasis, ApoE, epigenetics, and synaptic activity and neurotransmitters.

With a rapidly growing aged U.S. population, maintenance of cognitive function has become increasingly critical for the health, welfare, and well-being of the country's citizens. According to a recent survey conducted by the AARP, virtually all adults age 40+ believe maintaining or improving brain health is important; three-quarters of adults age 40+ are concerned about their brain health declining in the future.  Although chronological age itself remains the strongest predictor of age-related cognitive decline and many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD), it has become clear that there are protective factors against these outcomes that are poorly understood. These factors have often been described as imparting resilience or resistance to age-related changes in brain structure or neuropathology, building cognitive and/or brain reserve that would oppose such age-related changes or frank pathology, or augmenting other types of cognitive and brain function that would be beneficial. Some of these protective factors might suggest important intervention strategies.

The involvement of small businesses in translational aging research could substantially hasten the pace at which scientific advances are transformed into commercial products to improve or maintain the health and functional independence of older adults. Therefore, this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is intended to encourage a greater involvement by small businesses through the SBIR mechanism in transforming scientific advances in aging research into novel devices, products, health care practices and programs that will benefit the lives of older adults. For the purposes of this FOA, T1 translational research on aging is defined as the application of basic and clinical biomedical or basic behavioral and social research findings towards the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment of age-related pathologies. T1 translational research approaches could include the development of new research tools or improving existing technologies to diagnose, prevent or treat age-related conditions, functional decline and disability.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for research and development to improve functioning and quality of life for the elderly, especially the disabled elderly, living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), or to improve functioning and quality of life for low-income, disabled, and isolated elderly living in high-income countries. Applications may address the needs of the elderly directly or indirectly by supporting family or other informal caregivers and service providers. Applications likely to have an impact on a large scale are encouraged.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for research and development to improve functioning and quality of life for the elderly, especially the disabled elderly, living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), or to improve functioning and quality of life for low-income, disabled, and isolated elderly living in high-income countries. Applications may address the needs of the elderly directly or indirectly by supporting family or other informal caregivers and service providers. Applications likely to have an impact on a large scale are encouraged.

This FOA seeks applications that propose innovative research strategies aimed at increasing the understanding of the changes in cellular architecture that occur during the aging process. Studies on cytoskeleton structure and function, the impact of the cytoskeleton on intracellular organelle interactions, and signaling or regulatory molecules controlling cellular architecture will be considered. There is interest in studying the role of the cytoskeleton in nuclear-cytoplasmic communications, and in spatio-temporal relationships during the aging process and in age-related diseases.

This FOA seeks applications that propose innovative research strategies aimed at increasing the understanding of the changes in cellular architecture that occur during the aging process. Studies on cytoskeleton structure and function, the impact of the cytoskeleton on intracellular organelle interactions, and signaling or regulatory molecules controlling cellular architecture will be considered. There is interest in studying the role of the cytoskeleton in nuclear-cytoplasmic communications, and in spatio-temporal relationships during the aging process and in age-related diseases. 

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 inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools 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 highly encouraged.

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 inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools 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 highly encouraged.   

The Biological Anthropology Program supports basic research in areas related to human evolution and contemporary human biological variation. Research areas supported by the program include, but are not limited to, human genetic variation, human adaptation, human osteology and bone biology, human and nonhuman primate paleontology, functional anatomy, and primate socioecology. Grants supported in these areas are united by an underlying evolutionary framework, and often a consideration of adaptation as a central theoretical theme. Many proposals also have a biocultural orientation. The program frequently serves as a bridge within NSF between the social and behavioral sciences and the natural and physical sciences, and proposals are commonly jointly reviewed and funded with other programs.

The Biological Anthropology Program supports basic research in areas related to human evolution and contemporary human biological variation. Research areas supported by the program include, but are not limited to, human genetic variation, human adaptation, human osteology and bone biology, human and nonhuman primate paleontology, functional anatomy, and primate socioecology. Grants supported in these areas are united by an underlying evolutionary framework, and often a consideration of adaptation as a central theoretical theme. Many proposals also have a biocultural orientation. The program frequently serves as a bridge within NSF between the social and behavioral sciences and the natural and physical sciences, and proposals are commonly jointly reviewed and funded with other programs.

The General & Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program supports fundamental engineering research that will lead to the development of new technologies, devices, or software that improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities. Research may be supported that is directed toward the characterization, restoration, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction of persons with disabilities and their environment. Areas of particular interest are disability-related research in neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics. Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering knowledge that facilitates transformative outcomes. We discourage applications that propose incremental improvements. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director prior to submitting a proposal.

The General & Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program supports fundamental engineering research that will lead to the development of new technologies, devices, or software that improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities. Research may be supported that is directed toward the characterization, restoration, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction of persons with disabilities and their environment. Areas of particular interest are disability-related research in neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics. Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering knowledge that facilitates transformative outcomes. We discourage applications that propose incremental improvements. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director prior to submitting a proposal.