Genomic Research in AAT Deficiency and Sarcoidosis study (GRADS) Cooperative Research Project Grant Genomics and Informatics Center (GIC) (U01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the GRADS Genomics and Informatics Center (GIC) funding opportunity?

The Genomic Research in Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and Sarcoidosis (GRADS) Genomics and Informatics Center (GIC) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-12-014) was a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH funding announcement to support a coordinated, multi-site research program focused on two lung-related conditions: Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AAT deficiency) and sarcoidosis.

Which NIH institute issued this announcement?

The issuing institute was the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What conditions were the GRADS program focused on?

The program focused on Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AAT deficiency) and sarcoidosis, described as serious and relatively understudied lung-related conditions.

What kind of award mechanism was used for GRADS?

GRADS was structured as a cooperative agreement (U01). Under a cooperative agreement, awardees are expected to work in close collaboration with NHLBI and with other funded sites under shared governance and coordination, rather than operating independently.

What was the main purpose of creating a Genomics and Informatics Center (GIC)?

The GIC was designed to serve as the hub for the multi-site network by coordinating across Clinical Centers, running key laboratory and computational pipelines, integrating and analyzing multi-omics data with clinical and immune phenotypes, and preparing shareable datasets for broader dissemination.

Did this FOA fund Clinical Centers as well as the GIC?

No. This FOA solicited applications only for the Genomics and Informatics Center (GIC) under RFA-HL-12-014. A separate FOA (RFA-HL-12-013) ran in parallel for the Clinical Centers.

How were responsibilities divided between Clinical Centers and the GIC?

Clinical Centers were expected to recruit participants with AAT deficiency and sarcoidosis, perform detailed clinical and immunologic phenotyping, and collect biospecimens. The GIC coordinated the network, performed key transcriptome and microbiome assays on collected samples, analyzed and integrated the resulting data with phenotypes, and prepared the data for sharing through NHLBI BioLINCC.

What were the four main responsibilities of the GIC described in the announcement?

The FOA described four main responsibilities for the GIC: (1) coordinate activities across Clinical Centers, including harmonizing operations related to recruitment, clinical and immune phenotyping, and biospecimen collection/handling; (2) perform transcriptome and microbiome analyses on samples collected by Clinical Centers (including mRNA and microRNA profiling and microbial community/virome-focused assays such as viro and phylo chip approaches); (3) analyze omics data and test associations between molecular measures and detailed clinical and immune phenotypes; and (4) prepare a dataset for deposition into the NHLBI BioLINCC repository consistent with NHLBI data-sharing policies.

What types of omics analyses were expected from the GIC?

The GIC was expected to conduct transcriptome and microbiome analyses, including mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) profiling and microbial community and virome-focused assays (the announcement references approaches such as viro and phylo chip methods).

What does it mean that the GIC had to integrate omics data with clinical and immune phenotypes?

It means the GIC was responsible for connecting molecular signals (genomic, transcriptomic, and microbiomic measures) to the clinical characterization and immune phenotypes collected at the Clinical Centers, with the intent of identifying associations with disease subtypes, severity, immune signatures, or other traits.

What was the data-sharing requirement for this opportunity?

The GIC had an explicit deliverable to prepare a dataset suitable for deposition into the NHLBI BioLINCC repository, following NHLBI policies, so external investigators could access and use the data for additional analyses and hypothesis testing.

Why was coordination across multiple Clinical Centers emphasized?

The announcement emphasized coordination because consistency across sites in protocols, metadata, specimen processing, and quality control directly affects whether downstream genomic and microbiome results are comparable across sites and meaningful when combined.

What was the estimated total funding level listed for the opportunity?

The estimated total funding level listed was $12,000,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The announcement indicated that cost sharing or matching was not required.

What was the CFDA number and program category for this funding opportunity?

The opportunity was listed under CFDA number 93.838, Lung Diseases Research, and it was categorized as a discretionary federal grant opportunity in the health category.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included many U.S. and non-U.S. entities, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and multiple institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities. The announcement also indicated that faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, and foreign organizations were eligible.

Were foreign organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The announcement included foreign organizations among eligible applicants.

What were the key dates for this opportunity?

The posted and created date was February 2, 2011. The original and current closing date was May 17, 2011. The archive date was June 17, 2011.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. Based on the closing date (May 17, 2011) and archive date (June 17, 2011), the announcement is archived and not open.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?

The Funding Opportunity Number listed was RFA-HL-12-014.

Where could applicants find the full announcement?

The full announcement was linked through the NIH grants guide.

Who was listed as a contact for access or linking issues?

NIH's Office of Extramural Research webmaster contact was provided for access or linking issues.

What was the long-term goal of the GRADS program as described?

The long-term goal was to generate high-value, shareable datasets by integrating deep clinical characterization with modern genomic and microbiome approaches, accelerating discovery beyond the immediate study team through structured public data release (including BioLINCC deposition).

What made GRADS an "end-to-end" research infrastructure effort?

The opportunity described an end-to-end approach that combined standardized multi-center phenotyping and biospecimen collection, centralized high-throughput omics generation, rigorous bioinformatics/statistical integration, and structured public data release through BioLINCC to maximize scientific return.