Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 08 160

  • The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Adverse Metabolic Side Effects of Second Generation Psychotropic Medications Leading to Obesity and Increased Diabetes Risk (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Dec 5, 2008 and posted on Apr 25, 2008.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 22, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Independent school districts Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) County governments Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Small businesses Special district governments.
  • Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
Apply for PAR 08 160

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Opportunity Summary:

The NIH funding opportunity PAR 08-160, titled "Adverse Metabolic Side Effects of Second Generation Psychotropic Medications Leading to Obesity and Increased Diabetes Risk (R01)," supports research focused on the metabolic harms that can occur with psychotropic medications, especially second generation agents that are widely used in psychiatry. The core issue the announcement targets is that certain psychiatric therapeutics are associated with clinically significant weight gain, obesity, and increased risk for diabetes, creating serious long-term health consequences and complicating psychiatric treatment. The FOA is jointly issued by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), reflecting a deliberate effort to bridge mental health treatment with cardiometabolic and endocrine outcomes.

The purpose is to solicit investigator-initiated studies that examine these adverse metabolic effects using animal models and human research across the full lifespan, explicitly including pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations. In other words, the opportunity is not limited to a single age group or setting; it is meant to capture how metabolic side effects emerge, differ, or accumulate from childhood through older adulthood, and how medication exposure intersects with developmental stage, baseline health, and lived context. By allowing both preclinical and clinical approaches, the FOA encourages mechanistic studies (for example, neural, hormonal, inflammatory, genetic, or metabolic pathways) alongside real-world or clinically grounded investigations that can quantify risk and identify who is most vulnerable.

Applications are expected to align with three main scientific goals. First, projects should improve understanding of the nature, rates, and pathophysiology of medication-related metabolic adverse effects. That includes basic descriptive and epidemiologic work (such as incidence, prevalence, trajectories of weight and glucose changes, and time-to-onset patterns), as well as mechanistic work that explains why and how these drugs can drive appetite changes, energy balance disruption, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, or altered glucose regulation. Second, the FOA emphasizes identifying biomedical and psychosocial risk factors that shape who develops these complications. This invites research on factors like genetics, baseline BMI, family history of diabetes, co-occurring conditions, lifestyle patterns, stress exposure, sleep disruption, socioeconomic context, access to healthy food and activity opportunities, and treatment-related variables such as dose, duration, polypharmacy, and switching strategies. Third, the announcement strongly encourages the development and testing of interventions to prevent or mitigate these metabolic effects across the lifespan, which could include behavioral interventions, clinical monitoring strategies, care models that integrate psychiatry and metabolic care, or pharmacologic approaches designed to blunt weight gain or reduce diabetes risk without undermining psychiatric stability.

The mechanism of support is the NIH Research Project Grant (R01), meaning applicants propose a defined, hypothesis-driven project with an established set of aims, methods, and analysis plans suited to a multi-year research effort. The funding instrument is a discretionary federal grant, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. Awards are contingent on the availability of funds and on the quality and competitiveness of the applications received, and the FOA does not promise a set number of awards, instead indicating that meritorious applications will be supported as funds permit.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, independent school districts, state and local governments (including county, city/township, and special district governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and tribal governments and tribal organizations. The FOA also identifies additional eligible entities such as historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects the cross-cutting nature of the problem and the value of multidisciplinary teams and diverse research settings.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted April 25, 2008, with a closing date of February 22, 2012, and an archive date of March 24, 2012, indicating it is no longer open for new applications. It is associated with CFDA numbers 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants) and 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research). The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the full announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide at the listed URL. For access or linking issues, the contact provided is the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as a targeted NIH initiative to reduce a major unintended consequence of modern psychiatric pharmacotherapy by funding rigorous research that clarifies scope and mechanisms of risk, identifies which patients are most susceptible, and produces practical prevention and mitigation strategies that can be applied in pediatric through geriatric care.

FAQs: NIH PAR-08-160 (R01) - Adverse Metabolic Side Effects of Second Generation Psychotropic Medications Leading to Obesity and Increased Diabetes Risk

What is the NIH funding opportunity PAR-08-160 about?

PAR-08-160 is an NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that supported research on adverse metabolic side effects linked to psychotropic medications, with a particular emphasis on second generation agents widely used in psychiatry. The FOA focused on clinically significant weight gain, obesity, and increased diabetes risk that can complicate psychiatric treatment and contribute to long-term health consequences.

What is the official title of this FOA?

The official title is: "Adverse Metabolic Side Effects of Second Generation Psychotropic Medications Leading to Obesity and Increased Diabetes Risk (R01)."

Which NIH institutes jointly issued this FOA?

This FOA was jointly issued by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Why does this FOA involve both mental health and metabolic disease institutes?

The FOA reflects an intentional effort to bridge psychiatric treatment with cardiometabolic and endocrine outcomes, since certain psychiatric therapeutics are associated with weight gain and increased diabetes risk.

What kinds of medications are central to the research focus?

The FOA targets metabolic harms that can occur with psychotropic medications, especially second generation agents commonly used in psychiatry.

What is the main health problem the FOA aims to address?

The central problem is medication-associated metabolic harm, including clinically significant weight gain, obesity, and increased risk for diabetes, which can lead to serious long-term health consequences and complicate psychiatric care.

What research approaches were encouraged (preclinical, clinical, or both)?

Both were encouraged. The FOA solicited investigator-initiated studies using animal models and human research, allowing mechanistic studies as well as clinically grounded investigations.

Did the FOA specify particular age groups for study populations?

Yes. The FOA explicitly included research across the full lifespan, including pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations.

Is the FOA limited to one clinical setting or population type?

No. It was intended to capture how metabolic side effects emerge, differ, or accumulate across developmental stages and contexts, rather than restricting studies to a single setting or age group.

What is the NIH activity code/mechanism of support for this opportunity?

The mechanism of support is the NIH Research Project Grant (R01).

What does the R01 mechanism imply about the expected project structure?

It implies that applicants were expected to propose a defined, hypothesis-driven research project with clear aims, methods, and analysis plans suitable for a multi-year effort.

What were the three main scientific goals emphasized in the FOA?

The FOA emphasized: (1) improving understanding of the nature, rates, and pathophysiology of medication-related metabolic adverse effects; (2) identifying biomedical and psychosocial risk factors that influence who develops these complications; and (3) developing and testing interventions to prevent or mitigate these metabolic effects across the lifespan.

What does "nature, rates, and pathophysiology" include in this FOA?

It includes descriptive and epidemiologic work (such as incidence, prevalence, trajectories of weight and glucose changes, and time-to-onset patterns) as well as mechanistic studies explaining how these drugs may influence appetite, energy balance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, or glucose regulation.

What types of mechanisms were mentioned as examples for mechanistic research?

Examples included neural, hormonal, inflammatory, genetic, or metabolic pathways.

What kinds of risk factors did the FOA highlight?

The FOA highlighted both biomedical and psychosocial risk factors, including genetics, baseline BMI, family history of diabetes, co-occurring conditions, lifestyle patterns, stress exposure, sleep disruption, socioeconomic context, access to healthy food and activity opportunities, and treatment-related variables.

What treatment-related variables were specifically called out as potential risk factors?

The FOA referenced variables such as dose, duration of exposure, polypharmacy, and switching strategies.

What kinds of interventions were encouraged under this FOA?

The FOA strongly encouraged development and testing of interventions to prevent or mitigate metabolic effects across the lifespan. Examples included behavioral interventions, clinical monitoring strategies, care models integrating psychiatry and metabolic care, and pharmacologic approaches designed to blunt weight gain or reduce diabetes risk without undermining psychiatric stability.

Did the FOA require cost sharing or matching funds?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is listed for this opportunity.

Did the FOA guarantee a certain number of awards?

No. It did not promise a set number of awards, indicating instead that meritorious applications would be supported as funds permit, contingent on availability of funds and application quality.

What types of organizations were eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad across public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, including institutions of higher education (public/state-controlled and private), nonprofits (501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, independent school districts, and multiple levels of government.

Which government entities were listed as eligible applicants?

Eligible government entities included state governments, county governments, city/township governments, and special district governments. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities were also listed.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Tribal governments and tribal organizations were included among eligible applicants.

Were specific institution categories like HBCUs or Hispanic-serving institutions included?

Yes. The FOA listed historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations were identified as eligible entities.

Could non-U.S. (foreign) organizations apply?

Yes. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations were included in the eligibility list.

Were U.S. territories or possessions included as eligible entities?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions were listed among eligible entities.

Is this FOA still open for applications?

No. The FOA has closed and was archived. The posted date was April 25, 2008, the closing date was February 22, 2012, and the archive date was March 24, 2012.

What is the sponsoring agency for this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What CFDA numbers are associated with this FOA?

The FOA is associated with CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants) and CFDA 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research).

Where was the full announcement hosted?

The full announcement was hosted through the NIH Grants Guide at the listed FOA URL.

Who is the contact for access or linking issues related to the announcement?

The contact provided for access or linking issues is the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.

What is the overall intent of this FOA in practical terms?

Overall, the FOA is a targeted NIH initiative aimed at reducing unintended metabolic consequences of modern psychiatric pharmacotherapy by funding research that clarifies scope and mechanisms of risk, identifies who is most susceptible, and develops prevention/mitigation strategies applicable from pediatric through geriatric care.

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