Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 068
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health released this limited competition Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support a specialized resource project using the R28 grant mechanism, and it is explicitly not intended to support clinical trials. The opportunity is aimed at sustaining and expanding a Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research that is already operating under an existing NIAAA-supported grant. In other words, it is not a broad, open call for brand-new centers; it is structured to fund a specific kind of continuation or closely related resource effort led by a currently supported center, with the goal of strengthening national and international research capacity around alcohol-related brain injury and disease.
The core purpose of the project is to build and maintain a high-quality, well-characterized bank of postmortem human brain tissue relevant to alcohol research. That includes collecting and distributing both fresh-frozen tissue and formalin-fixed tissue, and doing so from two key groups: individuals with alcoholism (or alcohol use disorder-related histories) and appropriate control cases. A major emphasis is on ensuring that the tissue bank is not just large, but clinically and pathologically reliable, meaning cases should have confirmed diagnoses based on clinical histories and neuropathological evaluation. This kind of confirmation matters because alcohol-related brain damage can overlap with other neurologic and psychiatric conditions, and research findings are much more useful when the underlying case definitions are solid and consistently applied.
A second major aim is the development and active promotion of a prospective brain donor program in Australia, referred to in the FOA as "Using our Brains." The intention here is to increase both the quantity and quality of donations over time by enrolling donors prospectively, rather than relying only on opportunistic or retrospective tissue acquisition. Prospective donor programs typically allow more complete clinical characterization, better documentation of alcohol exposure and comorbidities, and stronger links between donor histories and postmortem findings, all of which increase the scientific value of the specimens.
The FOA also calls for establishing an associated DNA (blood) bank derived from the brain donor group. This component is meant to complement the brain tissue resource by enabling genetic and genomic research alongside neuropathology, neurobiology, and other tissue-based analyses. Having matched DNA sources can support a wide range of studies, such as evaluating genetic risk factors for alcohol-related neurodegeneration, exploring gene-by-environment interactions, or integrating genomic data with brain-based molecular measures. Building the DNA bank from the same donor cohort strengthens the ability to connect genetic information with detailed phenotypic and neuropathological profiles.
Finally, the resource center is expected to serve as a platform that actively invites and supports outside investigators. The FOA highlights the goal of encouraging research groups with an interest in alcohol-related brain damage to submit applications for studies using the banked tissues. In practical terms, this positions the center as a shared infrastructure: it curates specimens, promotes awareness of the resource, and enables broader scientific use by making well-annotated tissue and related biospecimens available to qualified research teams. This model is designed to accelerate research by reducing barriers to access and improving consistency across studies that depend on human postmortem material.
Administratively, the opportunity is listed as PAR-23-068, a discretionary grant in the health category, associated with CFDA number 93.273. The original closing date shown is March 14, 2023, and the posting indicates it was created on December 27, 2022. The eligibility language indicates it is a limited competition focused on a currently supported center under the named Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research award, while also noting that additional eligibility details appear in the full FOA and that small businesses are included among eligible applicants in the provided source data. The key takeaway is that the announcement is tightly targeted: it is meant to maintain and expand a high-value, shared brain and DNA resource for alcohol research, strengthen donor recruitment through a prospective program in Australia, and broaden access for research teams studying alcohol-related harm to the brain, all under a resource-project framework rather than a clinical trial program.Apply for PAR 23 068
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research (R28 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): 93.273.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-27.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-03-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a limited competition Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It supports a specialized resource project using the R28 grant mechanism to sustain and expand a Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research that is already operating under an existing NIAAA-supported grant.
What is the FOA number and program identification information?
The opportunity is listed as PAR-23-068. It is associated with CFDA number 93.273 and is described as a discretionary grant in the health category.
Is this opportunity open to brand-new brain tissue centers?
No. Based on the provided description, this is not a broad, open call for brand-new centers. It is structured to fund a continuation or closely related resource effort led by a currently supported center under the named Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research award.
What is the primary purpose of the funded project?
The core purpose is to build and maintain a high-quality, well-characterized bank of postmortem human brain tissue that is relevant to alcohol research, and to strengthen national and international research capacity around alcohol-related brain injury and disease.
What types of biospecimens are expected to be collected and distributed?
The resource is expected to collect and distribute both fresh-frozen brain tissue and formalin-fixed brain tissue.
What types of cases should the tissue bank include?
The bank is intended to include specimens from two key groups: (1) individuals with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder-related histories, and (2) appropriate control cases.
How important is clinical and pathological characterization of cases?
It is a major emphasis. The tissue bank is expected to be clinically and pathologically reliable, with confirmed diagnoses based on clinical histories and neuropathological evaluation. This matters because alcohol-related brain damage can overlap with other neurologic and psychiatric conditions, and strong case definitions improve the usefulness and consistency of research findings.
Is this FOA intended to support clinical trials?
No. The FOA is explicitly not intended to support clinical trials.
What is the "Using our Brains" program mentioned in the FOA?
"Using our Brains" refers to a prospective brain donor program in Australia that the project is expected to develop and actively promote. The goal is to increase both the quantity and quality of donations over time by enrolling donors prospectively.
Why does the FOA emphasize a prospective donor program?
Prospective enrollment typically enables more complete clinical characterization, better documentation of alcohol exposure and comorbidities, and stronger links between donor histories and postmortem findings. These factors can increase the scientific value of the donated specimens.
Does the project include anything beyond brain tissue banking?
Yes. The FOA calls for establishing an associated DNA (blood) bank derived from the brain donor group to complement the brain tissue resource.
What is the purpose of creating a DNA (blood) bank?
The DNA bank is intended to enable genetic and genomic research alongside tissue-based studies. Matched DNA sources can support studies of genetic risk factors for alcohol-related neurodegeneration, gene-by-environment interactions, and integration of genomic data with brain-based molecular measures.
Why is it valuable for the DNA bank to be derived from the same donor cohort as the brain tissue?
Building the DNA bank from the same donor cohort strengthens the ability to connect genetic information with detailed phenotypic and neuropathological profiles.
How is the resource center expected to support outside researchers?
The center is expected to function as shared infrastructure that actively invites and supports outside investigators. The FOA highlights encouraging research groups interested in alcohol-related brain damage to submit applications for studies using the banked tissues, and enabling broader scientific use by making well-annotated biospecimens available to qualified research teams.
What broader impact is the resource center intended to have?
The model is designed to accelerate research by reducing barriers to access and improving consistency across studies that rely on human postmortem material, thereby strengthening national and international research capacity related to alcohol-related brain injury and disease.
What is the closing date shown for this opportunity?
The original closing date shown is March 14, 2023.
When was this opportunity created or posted?
The posting indicates it was created on December 27, 2022.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligibility language provided indicates a limited competition focused on a currently supported center under the named Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research award. The provided source data also notes that small businesses are included among eligible applicants, and that additional eligibility details appear in the full FOA.
What is the main takeaway about the scope of this FOA?
It is tightly targeted to maintain and expand a high-value, shared brain tissue and DNA resource for alcohol research, strengthen donor recruitment through a prospective program in Australia, and broaden access for research teams studying alcohol-related harm to the brain, using a resource-project framework rather than a clinical trial program.
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