View item

US Department of Defense – Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program – Innovations in Care and Support Award
Sponsor: US Department of Defense 		Closing Date: 26-Jun-2019
The Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program (PRARP) was initiated to address the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as they pertain to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD). The PRARP’s mission is devoted to (1) understanding the association between TBI and AD/ADRD, and (2) reducing the burden on affected individuals and caregivers, especially in the military and veteran communities.

For FY19, the PRARP is requiring applications to describe the type of dementia that will be the research focus of the application. These are limited to Alzheimer’s dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, mixed dementia, and vascular dementia. Mixed dementia research is defined as AD and any of the related dementias described above. Note: Research that focuses exclusively on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is discouraged.

The FY19 PRARP seeks applications for the following mechanism-specific Overarching Challenges:

• Paucity of Research Resources: The paucity of research resources and models to examine the interrelationship between TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, veteran, and civilian communities and to translate these findings
• Paucity of Clinical Studies: The paucity of clinical studies to examine the interrelationship between TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, veteran, and civilian communities
• Diagnostics and Prognostics: The need for technologies, tests, surveys, questionnaires, devices, biomarkers, or analyses to detect TBI sequelae for AD/ADRD utilising new and/or pre-existing datasets
• Epidemiology: The paucity of epidemiological research to examine the interrelationship between TBI, risk and resiliency factors, and subsequent AD/ADRD for the military, veteran, and civilian communities
• Quality of Life: The need for technologies, assessments, interventions, or devices to benefit individuals living with the common symptoms of TBI and AD/ADRD
• Family and Care Support: The need for technologies, assessments, interventions, or devices that enhance the lives of those providing care and families of individuals living with the common symptoms of TBI and AD/ADRD

The FY19 PRARP seeks applications for the following mechanism-specific Focus Areas:

• Mechanisms of Pathogenesis: Identification of contributing mechanisms to include circuit dysfunction associated with TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD
• Biomarkers: Development of methods to diagnose, prognose, or characterise neurological changes or risk/resiliency factors associated with TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD
• Quality of Life: Research intended to alleviate, stabilise, or characterise the symptoms, or deficits, common to TBI and AD/ADRD
• Family and Caregiver Support: Research intended to reduce the burden of care on the caregivers or families of individuals living with the common symptoms or deficits of TBI and AD/ADRD
• Epidemiology: Utilise new and existing studies and datasets to examine the relationships between risk and resiliency factors for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD
• Novel Target Identification: Basic research (non-human) directly leading to identification of new targets for the development of existing or new investigational medicines, drugs, or agents for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD
• Nonpharmacological Interventions and Devices: Research into non-medication-based interventions and devices to improve quality of life or caregiving for those living with the common symptoms of TBI and AD/ADRD
• Bioinformatics: Tools, including machine learning, to access, annotate, curate, store, and visualise large existing or novel datasets, e.g., multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), other imaging techniques, surveys, questionnaires, and diagnostics for TBI and subsequent AD/ADRD

An application that proposes research outside of these FY19 PRARP Focus Areas is acceptable for all mechanisms, as long as the applicant provides a strong rationale.

The PRARP Innovations in Care and Support Award (InCASA) mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY19. Its intent is to support innovative research that improves the quality of life and care for individuals living with the common symptoms of TBI and/or AD/ADRD and/or their families and care providers. The proposed work should innovatively challenge existing research paradigms or exhibit high levels of creativity within the contexts of the PRARP’s mission and vision. This can include innovations and research for symptom reduction (e.g., cognitive, behavioural, function, mood), resiliency factors, increasing or maintaining independence, and support for families and care providers.

Key Dates
Pre-applications due to UQ R&I: 19 June 2019
Pre-applications (Letter of Intent) close with US Department of Defense: 26 June 2019
Applications due to UQ R&I: 3 July 2019
Applications close with US Department of Defense: 17 July 2019

Overview

Key Mechanism Elements
Applications must address one or more of the following FY19 PRARP Overarching Challenges:
• Paucity of Clinical Studies
• Diagnostics and Prognostics
• Epidemiology
• Quality of Life
• Family and Care Support

Applications should address at least one of the following FY19 PRARP Focus Areas:
• Biomarkers
• Quality of Life
• Family and Caregiver Support
• Epidemiology
• Nonpharmacological Interventions and Devices
• Bioinformatics
Research considering pharmacologic interventions is specifically discouraged under this mechanism. Preliminary data, while not required, are encouraged.

Eligibility
• Level I: The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an independent, early- career investigator within 3 years of his/her first independent faculty position (or equivalent)
• Level II: The PI must be an independent investigator at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent)

Funding
Level I:
• Maximum funding of USD $225,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement
Level II:
• Maximum funding of USD $500,000 for direct costs (plus indirect costs)
• Maximum period of performance is 3 years
• Indirect costs may be proposed in accordance with the institution's rate agreement

How to Apply
Step 1. Completing the application
Please see the US Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) website at https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prarp and https://cdmrp.army.mil/prarp/default for further information. Pre-applications are submitted via the CDMRP’s Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (EBRAP) and full applications are submitted via Grants.gov. For complete instructions for pre-applications and full applications, you must refer to both the Program Announcement and General Application Instructions documents.

Step 2. UQ R&I internal review and feedback
Ahead of internal review, ensure all online components on EBRAP or Grants.gov are complete. To initiate review, email your completed Funding Application Coversheet to internationalgrants@research.uq.edu.au.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to make contact with the UQR&I international team (via internationalgrants@research.uq.edu.au) well in advance of the UQR&I internal deadline to discuss their application.
Website: https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prarp

Return