Elucidating the Roles of Transposable Elements in AD/ADRD and Aging (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 22 021

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 021

This opportunity, titled "Elucidating the Roles of Transposable Elements in AD/ADRD and Aging (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (RFA-AG-22-021), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant aimed at advancing mechanistic, hypothesis-driven science on how transposable elements (TEs) become dysregulated and what that dysregulation does in the context of aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (ADRD). The central focus is moving the field beyond mainly observational studies (for example, reports that TE expression is higher in diseased tissue) toward studies that can test cause-and-effect relationships and explain the underlying biology. The announcement is specifically oriented toward building a deeper understanding of TE function and regulation in these conditions, including how TE activation might contribute to pathology and how those pathways could potentially be modified.

A key emphasis of the FOA is on research that can demonstrate causal effects of TE activation in disease and aging. In practice, that means the NIH is looking for projects that do more than catalog TE activity; they want studies designed to probe mechanisms, identify drivers and downstream consequences, and determine whether TE activation is a contributing factor to neurodegeneration, cognitive decline, or other aging-related changes rather than simply a byproduct. The FOA also encourages applications that model therapeutic interventions, meaning studies may include experimental approaches that test strategies to prevent, reduce, or counteract TE activation or its consequences in relevant experimental systems. The goal of that encouragement is to help the field progress toward actionable biological insight that could eventually inform therapeutic development, without requiring that the proposed work be a clinical trial.

The funding mechanism is an R01 research project grant, and the activity category is Health. The FOA explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that applications should not propose clinical trial research as defined by NIH. Applicants can still propose a wide range of preclinical or mechanistic studies, including work using model systems, human biospecimens, or computational approaches, as long as the project does not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial. The CFDA listing associated with the opportunity is 93.866, and the sponsoring agency is the NIH. The original closing date listed for the opportunity was 2021-11-02, and the FOA record shows a creation date of 2021-07-14. An explicit award ceiling is not provided in the source information included.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common domestic applicant types, such as state, county, and local governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether they have 501(c)(3) status or not (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories), and for-profit organizations are eligible (other than small businesses), along with small businesses and other applicant types. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants and organizational categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal government agencies; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations may apply as well. Overall, the opportunity is designed to draw in a wide range of institutions capable of rigorous mechanistic work on TE biology in aging and dementia-related neurodegeneration.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Elucidating the Roles of Transposable Elements in AD/ADRD and Aging (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA AG 22 021

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: