Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 15 003
Apply for RFA DE 15 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Approaches to Eliminate HIV and Opportunistic Pathogens from Oral Reservoirs (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 27, 2014 and posted on Aug 27, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 28, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses Special district governments Independent school districts Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education 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 City or township governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Small businesses State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) 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 Foreign Institutions Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-DE-15-003), titled "Approaches to Eliminate HIV and Opportunistic Pathogens from Oral Reservoirs (R01)," is a discretionary grant program focused on advancing basic and translational research aimed at understanding and ultimately eliminating persistent infection in the mouth. The central premise is that even when people receive Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) and achieve strong systemic control of HIV, residual "reservoirs" can remain in certain tissues, including the oral cavity. These reservoirs can harbor latently persistent, reactivation-competent HIV, along with other opportunistic oral pathogens that take advantage of immune dysfunction. The FOA is designed to fund projects that dig into the underlying biology of these oral reservoirs, with the idea that a clearer picture of how persistence is maintained in oral tissues will inform strategies to purge or eradicate infection and reduce disease complications.
A major emphasis of the announcement is mechanistic research: studies that clarify the immunologic, pathogenic, molecular, and cellular processes that allow HIV and opportunistic organisms to persist in oral sites despite therapy. In practical terms, applicants are expected to tackle questions about what cell types and tissue niches in the oral environment serve as sanctuary sites, how latency is established and maintained, how the local immune environment influences persistence, and what triggers reactivation. The oral cavity is biologically distinct from blood and other tissues due to its specialized mucosa, salivary factors, microbiome, frequent antigen exposure, and recurrent inflammation, all of which can shape pathogen persistence and immune clearance. The FOA seeks proposals that connect those oral-specific features to the problem of residual infection and incomplete eradication.
The FOA highlights two broad strategic directions for intervention-oriented research. The first encourages approaches that aim to purge and abolish HIV and opportunistic pathogens after HAART has reduced active replication, leveraging cytopathic killing and immune-mediated clearance. This line of work aligns with the concept that once latent or low-level infection is driven into an active or vulnerable state, infected cells may be eliminated either because the pathogen harms the host cell directly (cytopathic effects) or because the immune system can recognize and remove infected cells more effectively. The second direction encourages alternative strategies that bypass or complement HAART by directly eliminating latently infected cells and residual pathogens that are HAART-resistant or otherwise able to persist. This could include methods that specifically target infected cell populations, disrupt the mechanisms that maintain latency, or enhance local immune responses in a way that promotes clearance within oral tissues.
From an applicant and administrative perspective, this opportunity uses the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism and sits within the health research category under CFDA 93.121 (Oral Diseases and Disorders Research). It was posted on August 27, 2014, with an original and final application due date of July 28, 2015, and it was archived on August 28, 2015. NIH listed an estimated total funding amount of $3.5 million for the FOA, and it did not require cost sharing or matching. While the posting is archived now, the details remain useful as a reference point for the kind of oral-reservoir eradication science NIH has explicitly prioritized, and similar themes often reappear in newer FOAs and parent announcements.
Eligibility for this FOA was broad and inclusive, spanning academic institutions, nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses), federal and state entities, local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and a wide range of minority-serving institutions (such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian-serving institutions). Importantly, foreign organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also eligible, and foreign components were permitted under NIH policy. That wide eligibility reflects NIH's interest in attracting diverse expertise, including virology, oral biology, immunology, microbiology, and translational therapeutics, as well as the global relevance of HIV persistence and oral opportunistic infections.
Operationally, NIH provided a standard contact pathway for access or technical issues via the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster, and the full announcement was hosted on the NIH Grants Guide website. Overall, the FOA can be understood as a targeted push to move beyond systemic viral suppression toward true clearance in oral tissues by funding work that explains why oral reservoirs persist and tests credible strategies to eliminate both HIV and opportunistic oral pathogens that contribute to morbidity in people living with HIV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and reference number of this NIH funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled "Approaches to Eliminate HIV and Opportunistic Pathogens from Oral Reservoirs (R01)" and its NIH reference number is RFA-DE-15-003.
What kind of grant mechanism does this opportunity use?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 Research Project Grant mechanism.
What is the overall purpose of this FOA?
The purpose is to support basic and translational research that improves understanding of persistent HIV infection and opportunistic oral pathogens in the oral cavity, with the long-term goal of informing strategies to eliminate these infections from oral reservoirs and reduce related disease complications.
Why does the FOA focus on the oral cavity specifically?
The FOA is based on the premise that even when Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) achieves strong systemic control of HIV, residual reservoirs can remain in certain tissues, including the mouth. The oral cavity is biologically distinct due to specialized mucosa, salivary factors, the oral microbiome, frequent antigen exposure, and recurrent inflammation, all of which can influence pathogen persistence and immune clearance.
What is meant by "oral reservoirs" in this announcement?
Does this opportunity focus only on HIV, or also on other pathogens?
It addresses both HIV and opportunistic oral pathogens. The FOA emphasizes that oral tissues can harbor residual HIV and also opportunistic organisms that may persist due to immune dysfunction.
What research areas or themes are emphasized?
A major emphasis is mechanistic research. The FOA prioritizes studies that clarify immunologic, pathogenic, molecular, and cellular processes that allow HIV and opportunistic organisms to persist in oral sites despite therapy.
What kinds of mechanistic questions does the FOA encourage applicants to study?
The FOA encourages work that investigates topics such as: which cell types and tissue niches in the mouth act as sanctuary sites; how latency is established and maintained in oral tissues; how the local immune environment influences persistence; and what triggers reactivation of latent or low-level infection in oral sites.
How does HAART relate to the scientific premise of this FOA?
The FOA starts from the idea that HAART can reduce active replication and provide strong systemic control, yet residual HIV may remain in tissue reservoirs like the oral cavity. The research focus is on understanding and eliminating that residual infection and related opportunistic pathogens.
What are the two broad intervention-oriented research directions highlighted in the FOA?
The FOA highlights two strategic directions: (1) approaches intended to purge and abolish HIV and opportunistic pathogens after HAART has reduced active replication, leveraging cytopathic killing and immune-mediated clearance; and (2) alternative strategies that bypass or complement HAART by directly eliminating latently infected cells and residual pathogens that are HAART-resistant or otherwise able to persist.
What does "purge and abolish" mean in the context of this FOA?
It refers to strategies that attempt to drive latent or low-level infection into an active or vulnerable state so infected cells can be eliminated either because the pathogen causes cytopathic effects or because immune responses can recognize and clear infected cells more effectively.
What does it mean to "bypass or complement HAART" in the FOA?
It refers to strategies that do not rely solely on HAART-mediated suppression, and instead aim to directly eliminate latently infected cells and residual pathogens that persist despite HAART, including approaches that target infected cell populations, disrupt latency maintenance, or enhance local immune clearance within oral tissues.
What type of research (basic vs. translational) does the FOA support?
The FOA supports both basic and translational research, as long as it advances understanding of oral reservoirs and informs credible strategies for eliminating HIV and opportunistic pathogens from oral tissues.
Which CFDA program area is associated with this opportunity?
The FOA is associated with CFDA 93.121, "Oral Diseases and Disorders Research."
How much total funding did NIH estimate for this FOA?
NIH listed an estimated total funding amount of $3.5 million for the FOA.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated that cost sharing or matching was not required.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included academic institutions; nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses); federal and state entities; local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of minority-serving institutions (including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian-serving institutions).
Were foreign organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components were permitted under NIH policy.
Why did the FOA allow such broad eligibility?
The FOA reflects NIH's interest in attracting diverse expertise relevant to the topic, including virology, oral biology, immunology, microbiology, and translational therapeutics, as well as recognizing the global relevance of HIV persistence and oral opportunistic infections.
When was the FOA posted, and what were the application due dates?
It was posted on August 27, 2014. The original and final application due date was July 28, 2015.
Is this FOA still active?
No. NIH archived the FOA on August 28, 2015.
If it is archived, why might the details still matter?
Although archived, the FOA can still serve as a reference point for the type of oral-reservoir eradication research NIH has explicitly prioritized. Similar themes can reappear in newer funding opportunities and parent announcements.
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full announcement was hosted on the NIH Grants Guide website.
Where could applicants get help with access or technical issues?
NIH provided a standard contact pathway for access or technical issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.
What is the main takeaway of this FOA in plain terms?
The FOA represents a targeted effort to move beyond systemic viral suppression and toward true clearance in oral tissues by funding research that explains why oral HIV reservoirs and opportunistic oral pathogens persist, and by encouraging strategies designed to eliminate them and reduce morbidity in people living with HIV.
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