Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 10 015
Apply for RFA HL 10 015
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Systems Biology Approach to the Mechanisms of TB Latency and Reactivation (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.838 Lung Diseases Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 9, 2009 and posted on Dec 9, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 24, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,450,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) City or township governments County governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Independent school districts Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) 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 Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses Special district governments Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
- 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) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Systems Biology Approach to the Mechanisms of TB Latency and Reactivation (R01) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-10-015) was issued by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to support research aimed at explaining why Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can persist silently in the body (latency) and what biological events cause it to transition back to active disease (reactivation). The core goal is not simply to collect more descriptive data, but to build integrated, testable explanations of TB latency and reactivation by combining experimental and clinical evidence with rigorous computational and mathematical modeling, with a strong emphasis on what is happening in the lung, since it is the primary site of TB infection and immune control.
A defining feature of this FOA is its insistence on a systems biology strategy that is explicitly multidisciplinary. In the framing used here, systems biology is treated as a team-based approach that links biologists with computer scientists, engineers, and other quantitative experts to analyze complex biological processes as interconnected systems rather than isolated parts. The announcement calls for multiscale computational modeling, meaning applicants are expected to connect processes that occur at different biological scales, for example molecular and gene regulatory events, cellular immune behavior, tissue and granuloma dynamics, and whole-lung or whole-host responses. The models are expected to focus on host lung responses to Mtb and on host-microbe interactions that are believed to drive the switch between latent infection and reactivation in humans.
Another central requirement is that the theoretical models must be grounded in real data and designed to produce hypotheses that can actually be tested. Applicants are expected to use a combination of human and animal data to build and refine their models, but the use of human samples and/or human data is required, not optional. The FOA also emphasizes the integration of omics data (such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and related high-throughput profiling approaches) with biological and immunological measurements, with the idea that omics signals become far more informative when interpreted alongside functional immune readouts, microbiological measures, and clinical phenotypes. Importantly, the computational models should be constructed in a way that enables validation in humans or in non-human primates, reflecting a push toward translational relevance rather than purely theoretical work.
Because this kind of research typically cannot be done well by a single laboratory, the FOA strongly encourages the use of the multiple principal investigator (multiple PI) mechanism. The intent is to make it easier to assemble teams that truly span disciplines, bringing together experts in mathematics and multiscale modeling with clinicians and experimental scientists who understand TB pathogenesis and lung biology. The announcement specifically highlights expertise areas such as tuberculosis research, pulmonology, lung biology, immunology, microbiology, genomics, genetics, other omics fields, and infectious diseases. It also urges applicants to include bioengineers and physicists, reflecting an expectation that new measurement technologies, advanced imaging, microfluidic or tissue engineering systems, and other emerging tools may be needed both to generate the types of data required for modeling and to test model-derived predictions experimentally.
Structurally, this FOA supports R01 Research Project Grants and is positioned as part of a broader program concept: it solicits applications for TB Systems Biology Centers and runs in parallel with a separate funding announcement for a Data Coordinating Center (RFA-HL-10-022). That parallel structure signals that NHLBI anticipated a coordinated, center-like ecosystem where multiple funded projects could share data standards, enable cross-site integration, and accelerate model building and validation through centralized coordination.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.838 (Lung Diseases Research). It did not require cost sharing or matching. The FOA was posted on December 9, 2009, with an original and final closing date of March 24, 2010, and it was archived on April 24, 2010. The estimated total funding amount listed is $3,450,000, with an award ceiling of $250,000, indicating that individual awards were expected to remain within a defined budget cap while supporting a portfolio of multiple projects.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of domestic and non-domestic institutions and organizations. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and a range of government entities (state, county, city or township, special district governments, and eligible federal agencies). The FOA also explicitly included organizations serving specific communities and regions, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized), faith-based and community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and foreign organizations and regional organizations. This wide eligibility is consistent with the multidisciplinary and collaborative intent, allowing participation from institutions with strengths in computation, engineering, clinical TB research, or population-based human sampling.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a push to move TB latency and reactivation research toward integrated, predictive science: teams were expected to combine human data, omics, immunology, microbiology, and animal studies into multiscale computational models that do more than describe correlations. The expected payoff was mechanistic insight into how latent TB is maintained in the lung and what perturbations tip the balance toward reactivation, with models and hypotheses that can be tested in relevant human or primate settings and that could ultimately inform better diagnostics, risk stratification for reactivation, and strategies for prevention or therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the funding opportunity?
The opportunity is "The Systems Biology Approach to the Mechanisms of TB Latency and Reactivation (R01)" with Funding Opportunity Number (FON) RFA-HL-10-015, issued by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the scientific focus of this FOA?
The FOA supports research aimed at explaining (1) why Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can persist silently in the body (latency) and (2) what biological events cause it to transition back to active disease (reactivation). A strong emphasis is placed on what is happening in the lung, because it is the primary site of TB infection and immune control.
What is the core goal: data collection or mechanistic understanding?
The core goal is to build integrated, testable explanations of TB latency and reactivation. The FOA is explicit that the intent is not simply to gather more descriptive data, but to combine experimental and clinical evidence with rigorous computational and mathematical modeling to produce mechanistic, testable hypotheses.
What does "systems biology" mean in the context of this announcement?
In this FOA, systems biology is framed as an explicitly multidisciplinary, team-based approach that analyzes biological processes as interconnected systems rather than isolated parts. It emphasizes linking biologists with quantitative experts such as computer scientists, engineers, and mathematical modelers.
What kinds of computational modeling are expected?
The FOA calls for multiscale computational modeling that connects processes across biological scales. Examples mentioned or implied include molecular and gene regulatory events, cellular immune behavior, tissue and granuloma dynamics, and whole-lung or whole-host responses, with a focus on host lung responses to Mtb and host-microbe interactions tied to latency and reactivation.
Is a focus on the lung required?
The FOA places a strong emphasis on the lung as the primary site of TB infection and immune control, and it expects modeling and data integration to be anchored in lung biology and host lung responses to Mtb.
Do models need to be based on real data?
Yes. A central requirement is that theoretical models must be grounded in real data and designed to generate hypotheses that can actually be tested.
Is human data required, or can projects rely only on animal models?
Human samples and/or human data are required. The FOA states this is not optional. Applicants may also use animal data, but human data must be included as part of model building and refinement.
Are both human and animal data encouraged?
Yes. The FOA expects applicants to use a combination of human and animal data to build and refine models, while requiring that human samples and/or human data be included.
What is the role of omics in this FOA?
The FOA emphasizes integrating omics data (such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and related high-throughput approaches) with biological and immunological measurements. The intent is that omics signals become more informative when interpreted alongside functional immune readouts, microbiological measures, and clinical phenotypes.
What kinds of non-omics data are emphasized for integration?
Beyond omics, the FOA highlights the value of integrating biological and immunological measurements, functional immune readouts, microbiological measures, and clinical phenotypes to support model construction and hypothesis testing.
Do models need to be validated, and where?
The FOA expects computational models to be constructed in ways that enable validation in humans or in non-human primates, reflecting an emphasis on translational relevance rather than purely theoretical modeling.
What grant mechanism does this FOA use?
This FOA supports R01 Research Project Grants.
Does this FOA encourage a multiple principal investigator (multiple PI) approach?
Yes. The FOA strongly encourages the use of the multiple PI mechanism to enable truly multidisciplinary teams spanning experimental, clinical, and quantitative modeling expertise.
What types of expertise are specifically encouraged for the research teams?
The FOA highlights expertise areas such as tuberculosis research, pulmonology, lung biology, immunology, microbiology, genomics, genetics, other omics fields, and infectious diseases. It also urges including bioengineers and physicists, consistent with expectations for advanced measurement technologies and experimental systems that support modeling and validation.
Why does the FOA encourage bioengineers and physicists?
The FOA signals that new measurement technologies and advanced experimental tools may be needed to generate the data required for modeling and to test model-derived predictions. It references areas such as advanced imaging, microfluidic or tissue engineering systems, and other emerging tools.
How is this FOA positioned programmatically (centers and coordination)?
The FOA is described as part of a broader program concept that solicits applications for TB Systems Biology Centers and runs in parallel with a separate funding announcement for a Data Coordinating Center (RFA-HL-10-022). This indicates an anticipated coordinated ecosystem for data standards, cross-site integration, and accelerated model building and validation via centralized coordination.
Is there a related funding announcement for data coordination?
Yes. A separate FOA for a Data Coordinating Center is referenced as running in parallel: RFA-HL-10-022.
What is the funding activity category and CFDA number?
The opportunity falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.838 (Lung Diseases Research).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA did not require cost sharing or matching.
When was the FOA posted, and what were the closing dates?
The FOA was posted on December 9, 2009. The original and final closing date was March 24, 2010. The FOA was archived on April 24, 2010.
How much funding was estimated in total, and what was the award ceiling?
The estimated total funding amount listed is $3,450,000, and the award ceiling is $250,000. This indicates a defined budget cap for individual awards while supporting multiple projects as part of a portfolio.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); for-profit organizations (including small businesses); and government entities such as state, county, city or township, special district governments, and eligible federal agencies.
Were non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included foreign organizations and regional organizations among eligible applicants.
Were organizations serving specific communities or regions explicitly included?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized), faith-based and community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
What kinds of projects would be a good fit based on the FOA description?
Projects are a fit if they aim to explain TB latency and reactivation using an integrated systems biology approach that combines experimental and clinical evidence with computational and mathematical modeling, includes required human samples and/or human data, integrates omics with immunology/microbiology/clinical phenotypes, and produces testable hypotheses with validation potential in humans or non-human primates.
What is the expected long-term payoff described by the FOA?
The FOA frames the payoff as mechanistic insight into how latent TB is maintained in the lung and what perturbations lead to reactivation, with models and hypotheses testable in relevant human or primate settings. It also notes the potential to inform better diagnostics, risk stratification for reactivation, and strategies for prevention or therapy.
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