Resource Networks for Protein Polymorphisms in Alzheimers Disease and its Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 21 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 21 012

The NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-AG-21-012 seeks applications for U24 cooperative agreements to create several coordinated resource networks focused on misfolded protein polymorphisms involved in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The main problem this program is trying to solve is the long-standing lack of standard, shared reference materials in the field, which makes it hard for labs to reproduce one another's findings when studying different structural forms of amyloid-beta (Abeta) and tau. Under this FOA, the expectation is that funded networks will function as centralized, community-facing resources that can reliably produce, characterize, standardize, and distribute key materials such as seeds, oligomers, and fibrils to outside investigators so that experiments across institutions can be compared on more equal footing.

Scientifically, the opportunity is grounded in the idea that Abeta and tau do not exist as single, uniform entities in disease. Instead, they can adopt multiple structural variants (often described as polymorphs) including oligomers, protofibrils, and mature fibrils, and different polymorphs may carry different biological activities, toxicities, or spreading behaviors. In recent years, many groups have built assays and reagents to measure the biophysical properties of these variants and have also developed detection tools, including imaging approaches, chemical probes, and immunological reagents, that appear to recognize specific conformations. This FOA aims to consolidate and professionalize that progress by supporting networks that establish common standards and well-characterized reagents, enabling the research community to test hypotheses about which polymorphs matter most, how they relate to pathology, and how patient-to-patient variation in Abeta and tau structures might map onto differences in symptoms, progression, or neuropathological patterns.

From a practical standpoint, the resource networks supported under this mechanism are meant to be service-oriented and collaborative rather than purely hypothesis-driven research projects. The cooperative agreement (U24) structure signals that NIH will have substantial involvement, with an emphasis on coordination, shared practices, and delivery of usable products to the community. The long-term vision described in the announcement centers on three linked outcomes: first, establishing widely accepted standards for misfolded protein polymorphs; second, improving understanding of the pathological roles of these polymorphs; and third, using emerging analytical tools to better connect structural differences in patient-derived Abeta and tau to real-world biological and clinical variability, ultimately strengthening the interpretability and reproducibility of AD/ADRD experiments across the field.

Administratively, this is a discretionary health funding opportunity from the National Institutes of Health under CFDA 93.866, using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. Clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA. The original closing date listed is June 17, 2020, and the stated award ceiling is $1,000,000. While the source data does not specify the exact number of awards expected, the language indicates support for "several" networks rather than a single center, implying multiple coordinated awards may have been anticipated.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, including state, county, and local governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; public housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions, reinforcing an intent to include diverse institutional participants. At the same time, foreign participation is restricted: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Overall, this opportunity is best read as an infrastructure-building and standardization effort for the AD/ADRD research community, focused on creating reliable shared resources for Abeta and tau polymorphs (seeds, oligomers, fibrils) and aligning methods so that discoveries about misfolded protein structure and function can be validated across labs and connected more convincingly to human disease variation.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Resource Networks for Protein Polymorphisms in Alzheimers Disease and its Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-01-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-06-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA AG 21 012

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: