The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit developmental/exploratory research to better understand the biology, natural history, and directionality of oral complications associated with pharmacotherapies used to treat opioid use disorders (OUDs).
Donor Name: National Institutes of Health
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/14/2023
Size of the Grant: $250,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
This study is part of the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative to speed scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis. The NIH HEAL Initiative bolsters research across NIH to (1) improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction and (2) enhance pain management.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a comprehensive treatment program that involves the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three drugs to treat opioid dependence as part of a MAT: buprenorphine, methadone, and intramuscular extended-release naltrexone. Buprenorphine is available in oral (buccal and sublingual film or tablet), subdermal, and extended-release injection formulations. Due to recent efforts to make MAT for OUD more accessible along with the ongoing opioid crisis, buprenorphine prescriptions have steadily increased in recent years. During 2017-2018, there were over 55,000 active buprenorphine prescribers, and over 1 million prescriptions were dispensed in 2018.
Scope
Sublingual/buccal administration of buprenorphine is the preferred route of administration because absorption is fast and half-life is prolonged. Other routes have poor bioavailability due to the first-pass effect, in which the liver and intestine break down the majority of the drug. Despite the reported oral complications, the benefits of buprenorphine clearly outweigh the risks. Given the important role of buprenorphine in treating OUDs and significant knowledge gaps regarding oral complications, it is critical to gain an understanding about the mechanism(s), clinical course, and directionality of the effect of buprenorphine upon the oral cavity to inform risk mitigation strategies and support its continued use.
Examples of basic science research that fall within the scope of this FOA include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting developmental or exploratory research that seeks to better understand the relationship between the chemical effects of buprenorphine or other pharmacotherapies for OUD and the perturbations of tooth structures and/or oral tissues.
- Identifying changes in critical oral cavity parameters and the physiology and interaction of the microbiome community with each other or host factors (e.g., diet, salivary protective factors, biochemical changes in the local oral environment) in the presence of buprenorphine or other pharmacotherapies for OUD.
- Characterizing the interaction of the oral microbiome, host factors, biochemical processes, or alveolar bone in the oral cavity environment in individuals receiving treatment for OUD to better understand the direct and indirect contribution to oral disease initiation and progression.
- Exploring the effects of oral buprenorphine formulations on neuromodulation of metabolic (e.g., oral epithelial cell turnover, salivary production), neurotrophic, or other factors that lead to pathologic perturbations of the dental pulp and/or local oral environment, relative to other drug delivery formulations.
- Developing pharmacologic approaches, including animal model development, to minimize the impact of OUD pharmacotherapeutics upon the local oral environment.
Funding Information
- The combined budget for direct costs for the two year project period may not exceed $250,000 and needs to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
- The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 2 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:
- 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 Government
- 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.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
