The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications for its Translational Multi-Organ Tissue Chip Systems for Drug Efficacy, Toxicity Testing, and Personalized Medicine in Human Health, Aging and Associated Diseases.
Donor Name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/18/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to develop multi-organ automated microphysiological systems (MPS) for studying the effects of microgravity conditions on human body in low Earth orbit at the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISS-NL). This program will provide insights on human patho(physiology), especially aging-related functional decline and age-related diseases. The multi-organ MPS configuration will allow better modeling of the whole organism. Improved automation with extended longevity of MPS will facilitate longer experiments in space and the collection of more physiologically relevant data. The inclusion of samples representing the broad spectrum of diversity in the human population will allow for better modeling of aging progression and development of interventions. Funds from the NIH will be made available through the UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement mechanism. During the initial UG3 phase, support will be provided to develop robust complex organ systems, which can manifest the hallmarks of human age-related tissue and organ dysfunction and recapitulate the progression of aging-associated diseases when exposed to prolonged microgravity. The multi-organ integrated systems will be validated and tested on the ground to assess capability of chips to sustain flight-related stresses and to provide evidence of the functional utility of the proposed models for experiments at the ISS-NL. Following administrative review, the UH3 phase will build upon successful UG3-developed models to facilitate the assessment on the ISS-NL of the hallmarks of aging, biomarkers of associated diseases, bioavailability, efficacy, and toxicity of therapeutic agents. It is anticipated that these studies will lead to the identification of novel treatment mechanisms through better understanding of age-related disease biology, pathways and mechanisms underlying age-related tissue and organ functional decline and age-related diseases, drug screening, assessment of candidate therapies for efficacy and safety. This program will establish the pre-clinical foundation to inform clinical studies on Earth.
Major Goals of the UH3 phase:
(1) to demonstrate the functional utility of the models for understanding the effects of microgravity on human physiology, (2) to correlate these effects with hallmarks of aging and markers of age-associated conditions, (3) to identify novel targets for drug screening, (4) to assess candidate therapies for efficacy and safety. These goals will lead to the establishment of pre-clinical foundations that will inform clinical trial design. To achieve this, the applications should focus on outcomes that may include:
- Cross-validation of model end-points with clinical measures in humans
- Characterization of the parameters of response to exposure to the space environment on the ISS-NL
- Developing translatable pharmacodynamics (i.e., target engagement) biomarkers for well-validated therapeutic targets
- Conducting preclinical efficacy testing of candidate therapeutics using innovative approaches, data acquisition and analyses
- Extensive characterization and clinico-pathological staging in the models with the corresponding stages of clinical disease using translatable biomarkers
- Developing strategies for rapid, open-access dissemination of data, and methodology, for rapid distribution of models for their use in a therapy development
Funding Information
The following NIH components intend to commit the following amounts in FY2025:
- NCATS intends to commit $5M in FY2025 to fund 4-5 awards.
- NIA intends to commit $ 600,000 in FY2025 to co-fund 1 award
Project Period
The project period may be up to 2 – 3 years for the UH3 phase. The maximum project period for the entire UG3/UH3 award is 5 years.
Eligibility Criteria
Higher Education Institutions
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
- Hispanic-serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
- Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
Local Governments
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
Federal Governments
- Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
- U.S. Territory or Possession
Other
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations
Foreign Organizations
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
- Foreign components, are not allowed.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
