Molecular Mechanisms of Blood-Brain Barrier Function and Dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's related dementias (AD/ADRD) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 20 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 20 004

This funding opportunity, RFA-NS-20-004, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant solicitation using the R01 research project grant mechanism, with clinical trials not allowed. It focuses on basic and translational research aimed at clarifying how the blood-brain barrier (BBB) works at the molecular level, what drives BBB dysfunction, and how that dysfunction connects mechanistically to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). A central theme is moving beyond correlation by identifying causal or mechanistic links between BBB breakdown and neurodegenerative processes associated with AD/ADRD, including how BBB impairment might influence disease initiation, progression, or pathology, and conversely how AD/ADRD pathology could damage BBB integrity and function. The initiative also explicitly highlights the role of comorbidities, encouraging research that explains how conditions that often co-occur with aging and dementia risk can alter core molecular pathways that maintain BBB health and stability.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under NIH health research activities and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.853 and 93.866. The original application due date listed is October 9, 2019, and the posting (creation) date is July 10, 2019. The notice lists an award ceiling of $499,000. While the number of expected awards is not specified in the provided source data, the structure and budget cap suggest a standard R01-style competition aimed at supporting well-developed projects that can deliver detailed mechanistic insight rather than pilot-only observations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. entities and several categories beyond typical academic institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (when they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The solicitation also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types, emphasizing inclusion of Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This expansive eligibility signals an intent to attract multidisciplinary and multi-sector expertise, including neuroscience, vascular biology, immunology, aging research, and other fields that can illuminate BBB-related mechanisms in dementia.

In practical terms, applicants are being asked to propose rigorous, hypothesis-driven studies that explain molecular mechanisms of BBB function and failure in the context of AD/ADRD and relevant comorbid conditions. The “clinical trial not allowed” designation indicates the work should not be structured as a prospective human intervention study designed to evaluate clinical outcomes, but it can still encompass a wide range of mechanistic research approaches typically supported under R01s, such as cellular and molecular studies, animal models, advanced imaging or omics approaches, and analyses of human specimens or observational data sets, so long as the project does not meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial. The overarching goal is to produce mechanistic knowledge that can ultimately support better understanding of dementia biology and, over time, inform prevention or therapeutic strategies targeting the BBB and neurovascular unit.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Mechanisms of Blood-Brain Barrier Function and Dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's related dementias (AD/ADRD) (R01 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): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-07-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-10-09. (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 $499,000.00 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 NS 20 004

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