Structural Biology of Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRDs) Proteinopathies (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 22 208

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 208

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity PAR-22-208 supports R01 research projects focused on the structural biology of proteinopathies that drive Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (ADRDs). The central goal is to map, in high structural detail, the specific disease-associated protein species that appear in ADRD conditions by using state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). A key emphasis is that the proteins studied should be expressed in human tissue and human cell sources, keeping the work closely tied to biologically and clinically relevant forms of these proteins rather than relying only on simplified or purely recombinant model preparations.

This opportunity is aimed at researchers who can characterize the architecture, conformations, assemblies, and heterogeneity of pathogenic protein species implicated in ADRDs. In practical terms, projects may involve resolving structures of misfolded or aggregated proteins, identifying distinct fibril or oligomer “strains,” visualizing protein complexes or interactions in near-native environments, and using cryo-ET to place these species within their cellular or tissue context. The FOA is specifically framed around advancing understanding of the molecular and structural basis of ADRD pathology, which can inform downstream work such as mechanism-of-disease studies, target identification, biomarker development, and therapeutic design, even though the FOA itself is not for clinical trials.

Beyond generating structures, applications are expected to include the development of research tools and resources that help the broader field further characterize and validate the protein species being studied. This can include, for example, methods, reagents, standards, workflows, analytical pipelines, or other enabling resources that improve confidence in what protein species are present, how they differ across sources or disease subtypes, and how reliably they can be detected or reproduced. The intent is not only to produce one-off structural snapshots, but to strengthen the foundation of tools and shared capabilities needed to rigorously define ADRD proteinopathies and compare results across studies.

The FOA explicitly ties its motivation to the Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias challenges described in the 2019 update to the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, signaling alignment with national priorities to accelerate progress on non-Alzheimer’s dementias and mixed pathologies. The award mechanism is an NIH R01 research grant, and it is labeled “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning the proposed research must not include prospective assignment of human participants to interventions to assess health-related outcomes. The funding activity category is Health, and the CFDA numbers listed are 93.853 and 93.866.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and institutions: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in that specific category); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), reflecting an openness to a wide range of research environments and collaborations.

Key administrative details from the source include the NIH as the funding agency, the opportunity category as discretionary, the funding instrument as a grant, and an original closing date of 2022-10-07 (noting this is the date provided in the source data). The award ceiling and expected number of awards were not specified in the provided excerpt. Overall, the opportunity is designed to push the field toward more precise, validated, and broadly usable structural definitions of ADRD-related pathogenic protein species using cryo-EM and cryo-ET, while also building practical tools and resources that make those discoveries reproducible and actionable for the wider research community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Structural Biology of Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRDs) Proteinopathies (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): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-06-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-07. (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 PAR 22 208

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