Application of Genomic Advances to Wound Repair (R21) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NIH National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) grant opportunity titled "Application of Genomic Advances to Wound Repair (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-NR-12-003) was designed to jump-start exploratory, early-stage research that connects modern genomics with the stubborn clinical problem of chronic wounds. In this announcement, NINR defines chronic wounds as wounds that have not moved through a normal reparative process within three months, and it focuses attention on both the biological reasons those wounds fail to heal and on the practical development of interventions that could prevent chronicity or speed healing once a wound has stalled.

The core goal is twofold. First, NINR is looking for studies that increase understanding of the genomic mechanisms involved in the development of chronic wounds and in wound repair. That includes research aimed at figuring out which genes, gene expression patterns, regulatory pathways, or other genomic factors are linked to delayed healing, persistent inflammation, infection susceptibility, impaired angiogenesis, or poor tissue regeneration. Second, the opportunity explicitly supports the development and testing of genomics-based interventions. In other words, the institute is not only interested in mapping out molecular signatures, but also in translating those signatures into approaches that can be used to prevent chronic wounds from forming or to help them close faster once they occur.

A major theme running through the announcement is risk identification and personalization. NINR anticipates that supported projects will expand the knowledge base needed to identify which individuals are at highest risk for developing chronic wounds, based on genomic profile and related biological markers. The longer-term vision is that these insights could help drive customized therapeutics and tailored interventions, meaning strategies matched to an individual’s genomic characteristics rather than relying on one-size-fits-all wound care. This aligns with broader precision medicine goals, but in this case applied specifically to wound development and healing trajectories.

Mechanistically, the opportunity centers on "genomic advances," which commonly encompasses areas like genetic variation, gene regulation, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and other genome-informed approaches that can clarify why healing succeeds in some people and fails in others. The emphasis on both "development and repair" signals that proposals could reasonably address upstream vulnerability (why a patient is prone to chronic wounds) as well as downstream biology (what blocks repair once tissue breakdown happens). The R21 mechanism also signals that NINR is encouraging innovative, potentially high-impact ideas that may still be in proof-of-concept stages, rather than requiring large-scale definitive trials at the outset.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this was a discretionary grant opportunity using the NIH R21 funding mechanism, which typically supports exploratory and developmental research. The estimated total funding associated with the announcement was $2,000,000, with an award ceiling of $200,000. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The announcement was posted and created on November 18, 2011, with an original and current closing date of January 23, 2012, and it was archived on February 23, 2012. The CFDA listing associated with the program was 93.361 (Nursing Research), placing it squarely within the federal nursing research portfolio even though it draws heavily on genomics and translational biology.

Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations and included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government such as city/township, county, state, special district governments, public housing authorities, and independent school districts. The eligibility language also explicitly included a range of mission-focused and underserved-serving institutions and organizations, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations, along with certain regional organizations and eligible federal agencies. At the same time, the announcement made clear that non-U.S. entities were not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components were not allowed under NIH policy as referenced in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Overall, this opportunity can be summarized as a targeted NIH initiative to move chronic wound research beyond descriptive clinical factors and into genome-informed explanations and interventions. By supporting studies that both uncover genomic mechanisms and test genomics-based approaches to prevention or faster healing, NINR aimed to lay groundwork for better risk stratification and more individualized wound care, with the practical end goal of reducing the burden of chronic wounds through more precise, biologically grounded strategies.

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Next opportunity: Application of Genomic Advances to Wound Repair (R01)

Previous opportunity: Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program (Si2)

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