Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 13 030
Apply for RFA MH 13 030
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Eradication of HIV 1 from CNS Reservoirs Implications for Therapeutics (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 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 17, 2012 and posted on Feb 17, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 12, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: State governments County governments Special district governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Independent school districts Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
- 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) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession 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 R01 funding opportunity, titled "Eradication of HIV-1 from CNS Reservoirs: Implications for Therapeutics" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-13-030), supports research aimed specifically at understanding and eliminating HIV-1 that persists in the central nervous system (CNS) of people living with HIV who are already receiving effective Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). The focus is narrow and intentional: while HAART can suppress viral replication in blood, HIV can persist in sanctuary sites like the brain and spinal cord, where drug penetration, immune surveillance, and cellular biology differ from the periphery. The participating NIH institutes are the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), reflecting the program's intersection of virology, neurology, immunology, and neurobehavioral health.
The FOA prioritizes innovative projects across five main research areas. First, it seeks basic studies that identify and characterize the specific CNS-based cellular reservoirs that harbor HIV-1 in individuals on HAART, including work that clarifies which cell types in the brain can contain persistent virus and how those reservoirs are measured and validated. Second, it encourages mechanistic research on how CNS reservoirs are established over time, how they are maintained during treatment, and how they can re-emerge, with explicit interest in how the timing and effects of HAART shape these processes. This includes attention to viral expression patterns and viral evolution within the brain, recognizing that HIV populations and selective pressures in the CNS may differ from those in blood or lymphoid tissues.
Third, the announcement calls for development of physiologically relevant models and assays, including animal models and CNS-based cellular systems that realistically reproduce HIV persistence and latency under conditions that mimic effective HAART. The intent here is to close a common gap in cure research: many models do not adequately represent drug-suppressed infection in the brain, or they fail to capture features like the blood-brain barrier, CNS immune environment, and the unique biology of brain-resident cells. Fourth, the FOA supports drug screening efforts for agents that can cross the blood-brain barrier and either reactivate and clear latent infection or otherwise eliminate residual sources of virus in the CNS. This emphasis signals that simply having antiviral activity is not enough; candidate interventions must reach relevant CNS compartments at effective concentrations and demonstrate meaningful impact on persistent or latent virus.
Fifth, the FOA supports the design of therapeutic strategies specifically aimed at eradication of HIV-1 from the CNS. This can include translational approaches that build directly from reservoir identification, mechanistic insights, and model-based testing, and it can involve combination strategies that address both viral persistence and the CNS-specific constraints that make eradication difficult. Projects may span basic to translational research and can be conducted in domestic or international settings, with multidisciplinary teams encouraged (though not required), which leaves room for collaborations among neuroscientists, virologists, pharmacologists, immunologists, and clinicians.
Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant using the R01 mechanism within the health funding activity category, with no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on February 17, 2012, with an original and current closing date of September 12, 2012, and it was archived on October 13, 2012. The associated CFDA numbers indicate relevance across mental health research (93.242), neurosciences and neurological disorders (93.853), and infectious disease and microbiology programs (93.855 and 93.856). Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. domestic organizations (such as state and local governments, higher education institutions, nonprofits, small businesses, and certain for-profit entities), and it also explicitly allows non-U.S. entities and foreign components under NIH policy. The FOA also highlights inclusivity of institutions serving specific communities, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal organizations and colleges, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
In practical terms, the central theme of the announcement is that curing HIV requires addressing viral persistence in the brain, not just in blood, and that CNS reservoirs pose unique scientific and therapeutic challenges. The FOA is structured to move the field from identifying where and how HIV persists in the CNS, through building better models to study it under HAART-like suppression, and into testing and designing CNS-penetrant interventions that can ultimately support eradication strategies tailored to the brain as a distinct reservoir site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this NIH grant?
The funding opportunity is titled "Eradication of HIV-1 from CNS Reservoirs: Implications for Therapeutics" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is RFA-MH-13-030.
What NIH grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The FOA supports research aimed at understanding and eliminating HIV-1 that persists in the central nervous system (CNS) of people living with HIV who are already receiving effective Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). The central idea is that suppressing HIV in blood is not sufficient if the virus persists in CNS "sanctuary sites" such as the brain and spinal cord.
Why does this FOA focus specifically on the CNS (brain and spinal cord)?
The FOA highlights that HIV can persist in CNS sanctuary sites even when HAART effectively suppresses viral replication in blood. The CNS differs from the periphery in ways that can make eradication harder, including drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier, differences in immune surveillance, and the unique biology of brain-resident cells.
Who are the participating NIH Institutes and why are multiple Institutes involved?
The participating Institutes are the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Multiple Institutes are involved because the research sits at the intersection of virology, neurology, immunology, and neurobehavioral/mental health.
What are the main research areas prioritized by the FOA?
The FOA prioritizes innovative projects across five main areas: (1) identifying and characterizing CNS-based cellular reservoirs of HIV-1 in individuals on HAART; (2) understanding mechanisms of establishment, maintenance, and re-emergence of CNS reservoirs during treatment, including effects and timing of HAART; (3) developing physiologically relevant models and assays (including animal models and CNS cellular systems) that mimic HIV persistence/latency under HAART-like suppression; (4) screening drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier and can impact latent or persistent HIV in the CNS; and (5) designing therapeutic strategies aimed at eradication of HIV-1 from the CNS, including translational and combination approaches.
Does the FOA support basic research, translational research, or both?
Both. The FOA supports projects spanning basic to translational research, including foundational reservoir biology as well as development and testing of CNS-focused eradication strategies.
What does the FOA mean by "CNS reservoirs" of HIV-1?
In this FOA, CNS reservoirs refer to CNS-based cellular sources that can harbor persistent HIV-1 in people on effective HAART. The FOA emphasizes identifying which cell types in the brain can contain persistent virus and how those reservoirs can be measured and validated.
What kinds of studies are included under reservoir identification and characterization?
The FOA encourages basic studies to identify and characterize specific CNS-based cellular reservoirs in individuals receiving HAART. This includes determining which brain cell types can harbor persistent virus, and developing or applying approaches to measure, validate, and confirm those reservoirs.
What mechanistic questions does the FOA want researchers to address?
The FOA calls for mechanistic research on how CNS reservoirs are established, how they are maintained during treatment, and how they can re-emerge. It explicitly notes interest in how the timing and effects of HAART shape these processes, as well as viral expression patterns and viral evolution within the brain.
Why does the FOA mention viral evolution in the brain?
The FOA recognizes that HIV populations and selective pressures in the CNS may differ from those in blood or lymphoid tissues. Understanding viral expression patterns and evolution in the CNS is framed as relevant to explaining persistence and informing eradication strategies.
What types of models and assays does the FOA encourage?
The FOA encourages development of physiologically relevant models and assays, including animal models and CNS-based cellular systems, that realistically reproduce HIV persistence and latency under conditions that mimic effective HAART.
What gap is this FOA trying to address with model development?
The FOA notes that many existing models do not adequately represent drug-suppressed infection in the brain, or fail to capture important CNS features such as the blood-brain barrier, the CNS immune environment, and the unique biology of brain-resident cells. The FOA aims to close this gap by supporting more realistic CNS persistence/latency models under HAART-like suppression.
What is the FOA looking for in drug screening projects?
The FOA supports screening for agents that can cross the blood-brain barrier and either reactivate and clear latent infection or otherwise eliminate residual sources of virus in the CNS. It stresses that antiviral activity alone is not enough; candidate interventions should reach relevant CNS compartments at effective concentrations and show meaningful impact on persistent or latent virus in the CNS.
What types of therapeutic strategies are responsive to the FOA?
The FOA supports therapeutic strategies specifically aimed at eradication of HIV-1 from the CNS. This can include translational approaches building from reservoir identification and mechanistic insights, and it can involve combination strategies that address viral persistence along with CNS-specific constraints that make eradication difficult.
Are multidisciplinary teams required?
No. The FOA encourages multidisciplinary teams, but does not require them. The announcement leaves room for collaborations among neuroscientists, virologists, pharmacologists, immunologists, and clinicians.
Can projects be conducted outside the United States?
Yes. The FOA states that projects can be conducted in domestic or international settings, and it explicitly allows non-U.S. entities and foreign components under NIH policy.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad. The FOA includes many types of U.S. domestic organizations such as state and local governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, small businesses, and certain for-profit entities. It also explicitly allows non-U.S. entities and foreign components under NIH policy.
Does the FOA highlight any specific institution types for inclusivity?
Yes. The FOA highlights inclusivity of institutions serving specific communities, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal organizations and colleges, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the funding activity category?
The FOA is within the health funding activity category.
When was this funding opportunity posted and when did it close?
The FOA was posted on February 17, 2012. The original and current closing date listed is September 12, 2012.
Is this FOA still active?
No. The FOA was archived on October 13, 2012.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA numbers are 93.242, 93.853, 93.855, and 93.856, indicating relevance across mental health research, neurosciences/neurological disorders, and infectious disease/microbiology programs.
What does the FOA say about HAART and why it matters for this research?
The FOA is focused on people living with HIV who are already receiving effective HAART. It emphasizes that while HAART can suppress viral replication in blood, HIV can persist in CNS sanctuary sites where conditions affecting persistence and treatment (such as drug penetration and immune surveillance) differ from the periphery.
How is this FOA structured in terms of the research pipeline it wants to support?
The FOA is structured to move the field from (1) identifying where and how HIV persists in the CNS, to (2) building better models to study persistence under HAART-like suppression, and then to (3) testing and designing CNS-penetrant interventions intended to support eradication strategies tailored to the brain as a distinct reservoir site.
What is the central theme or takeaway of this announcement?
The FOA emphasizes that curing HIV requires addressing viral persistence in the brain, not only in blood, because CNS reservoirs create distinct scientific and therapeutic challenges that must be directly targeted for eradication.
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