Susceptibility and Variability in Human Response to Chemical Exposure | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What agency is offering this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) research program.

2) What is the main purpose of this STAR research opportunity?

The central purpose is to support research that explains why different people can respond very differently to the same chemical exposure, and to improve how scientists and regulators account for human variability in chemical risk and health outcome prediction.

3) What kinds of "human variability" is EPA trying to understand?

The opportunity emphasizes susceptibility across different life stages (such as pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age) and/or genetic susceptibility (differences in DNA and related biological pathways that can change how the body absorbs, metabolizes, or reacts to chemicals).

4) What is meant by "susceptibility" in this announcement?

Susceptibility refers to biological and environmental reasons that some individuals or subpopulations are more vulnerable to chemical exposures than others, potentially resulting in higher likelihood or greater severity of adverse health outcomes.

5) What does EPA want projects to produce, beyond general research findings?

EPA is looking for research that can translate knowledge about susceptibility and variability into usable indicators and methods that help predict adverse health outcomes in real-world populations, including particularly sensitive groups.

6) Is the focus on measuring exposure levels or average effects?

No. The solicitation explicitly emphasizes pushing beyond simply measuring exposures or reporting average effects. Applicants are encouraged to develop or refine tools, models, and approaches that detect, validate, and apply susceptibility indicators in an assessment context.

7) What is an Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP), and why is it important here?

An AOP (Adverse Outcome Pathway) is a structured chain of events that links an initial molecular interaction with a chemical to a sequence of biological changes that can ultimately produce an adverse health outcome. EPA highlights AOPs as an organizing framework to help connect modern data streams to interpretable, decision-relevant predictions.

8) How does EPA expect AOPs to be used in supported projects?

Projects are expected to use AOPs as a framework to integrate and interpret susceptibility indicators, biomonitoring data, and high throughput screening data, with an emphasis on improving interpretation so that population-level and sensitive-subgroup responses can be predicted more confidently.

9) What are "susceptibility indicators" in the context of this opportunity?

Susceptibility indicators are measurable signals (for example, biomarkers or other indicators) that can help identify heightened vulnerability in certain individuals or groups, such as increased vulnerability during specific developmental windows or due to genetic variation.

10) What types of research activities appear to fit the scope?

Examples described include work that clarifies mechanistic links between genetic variation and downstream biological responses, identifies biomarkers indicating heightened vulnerability at certain life stages, and improves methods to incorporate susceptibility into risk prediction for diverse populations, all within an AOP-informed assessment approach.

11) What is biomonitoring, as referenced in the announcement?

Biomonitoring refers to measuring chemicals or their metabolites in human tissues or fluids. The EPA notes that biomonitoring capabilities have expanded, but interpretation remains challenging without better understanding of susceptibility and variability.

12) What is high throughput screening (HTS) in this context?

High throughput screening (HTS) refers to rapid, laboratory-based testing that can screen many chemicals across many biological targets. EPA emphasizes the need to better interpret HTS results using frameworks like AOPs and susceptibility science.

13) Why is "interpretation" a major theme of the solicitation?

The announcement indicates that while biomonitoring and HTS capabilities have grown, the limiting factor is often interpretation. Without clearer understanding of what drives susceptibility and variability, integrating these data streams to predict real-world population responses (including sensitive groups) is difficult.

14) Are studies involving humans allowed?

Yes. The announcement explicitly notes that applications may involve human subjects research, indicating openness to carefully designed studies using human participants, clinical or epidemiologic data, or other human-centered approaches, provided all ethical and regulatory requirements are met.

15) What is the assistance listing / CFDA number for this opportunity?

The CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number provided is 66.509.

16) What type of funding mechanism is being used?

This is a discretionary EPA STAR research opportunity offered as grants and/or cooperative agreements.

17) How many awards did EPA anticipate making?

EPA anticipated making about four awards.

18) What is the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount is $2.6 million.

19) What is the maximum size of an individual award?

Individual awards could be as large as $800,000.

20) Is there a minimum award amount?

No minimum award amount is stated in the excerpt; the award floor is listed as $0.

21) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. Cost sharing or matching is not required for this opportunity.

22) When was this opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on June 10, 2013.

23) What are the closing dates mentioned for the application deadline?

The excerpt notes an original closing date of September 10, 2013, and later reflects a current closing date of September 24, 2013. It also lists an archive date of October 10, 2013.

24) Which date should applicants treat as the official due date?

The notice advises applicants to consult the full announcement (including Section IV) for official submission methods and exact due date instructions.

25) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is not fully specified in the provided excerpt. It is listed as "Others (see text field...)" with a direction to consult Section III of the full announcement for detailed eligibility rules.

26) Where can applicants find the official submission instructions?

The notice advises applicants to consult the full announcement, including Section IV, for the official submission methods and exact due date instructions.

27) Who is the EPA contact person for help accessing the full solicitation?

The listed EPA contact is Mitch Lasat, reachable at (703) 347-8099.

28) What is the practical outcome EPA seems to be aiming for from funded research?

EPA is aiming for improved ability to predict adverse health outcomes across real-world populations by identifying why certain individuals or subpopulations are more vulnerable, and by translating that understanding into indicators, models, and methods that fit into an AOP-informed assessment and support interpretation of biomonitoring and HTS data.

29) Does the opportunity restrict research to either life-stage susceptibility or genetic susceptibility?

No. The announcement highlights susceptibility across life stages and/or genetic susceptibility, indicating that projects may address either area or both, as long as they contribute to understanding and predicting variability in responses to chemical exposure.

30) Does the excerpt specify any particular chemicals, endpoints, or target diseases?

No. The provided text describes the conceptual and methodological focus (susceptibility, variability, AOPs, interpretation of biomonitoring and HTS), but it does not name specific chemicals, endpoints, or diseases.