A Census of Cells and Circuits in the Aging Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 19 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 19 027

A Census of Cells and Circuits in the Aging Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-19-027) designed to kick-start pilot research that maps how the brain changes with age at the level of individual cell types and the circuits they form. The core goal is to generate molecular, anatomical, and functional "census" data from selected brain regions in a standard laboratory mouse strain, C57BL/6J, comparing young and old animals. By focusing on a well-characterized model and explicitly requiring age comparisons, the program aims to produce foundational reference datasets that make it easier to understand what normal brain aging looks like, which is a key step for distinguishing typical aging from age-related disease processes.

The FOA is positioned as a complement to ongoing BRAIN Initiative work, meaning it is not starting from scratch but instead is meant to extend and enrich existing efforts in brain cell typing, connectivity mapping, and functional characterization. The emphasis on pilot studies signals that NIH is looking for projects that can demonstrate feasibility, establish workflows, generate high-value preliminary datasets, and reveal practical lessons that will inform future, larger-scale programs. In other words, applicants are expected to propose focused, high-impact studies in targeted brain regions rather than attempting to comprehensively map the entire brain in a single award.

A central long-term deliverable that this opportunity is intended to inform is the design of a comprehensive lifespan-spanning characterization of brain cells and circuits, culminating in a 3D brain cell reference atlas of the aging mouse brain. "Molecular" data typically refers to approaches that classify and compare cells based on gene expression, epigenetic state, or protein markers; "anatomical" data covers where cells are located, their shapes, and how they are wired; and "functional" data addresses how cells and circuits behave, communicate, and respond during activity. While the FOA summary does not prescribe specific methods in the excerpt provided, the intent is clearly to integrate these complementary viewpoints so the resulting census is not just a list of cell types, but a richer picture of how aging affects cell identity, spatial organization, circuit architecture, and function.

This is an R01 grant mechanism, which generally supports discrete, specified projects with a clear plan and defined aims, and it is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the work must be non-clinical and cannot include a clinical trial as defined by NIH. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.866, which aligns with NIH aging-related programs. The opportunity is discretionary, uses the grant funding instrument, and is administered by NIH.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and institutions, such as state, county, and local governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. In addition, the announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). Taken together, this suggests NIH wanted to encourage broad participation and widen the pipeline of groups contributing to foundational brain aging resources.

Key administrative details from the source data include an original closing date of March 8, 2019, and a creation date of October 23, 2018. The excerpt does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, which sometimes indicates those fields were unspecified in the summarized dataset or were defined elsewhere in the full announcement.

In practical terms, the opportunity is best understood as an effort to seed the next generation of standardized, shareable reference data for brain aging: carefully designed mouse studies that produce interoperable molecular profiles, spatial/anatomical mappings, and functional circuit measurements in young versus old animals, with the explicit aim of enabling a future comprehensive 3D atlas and more systematic lifespan comparisons.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "A Census of Cells and Circuits in the Aging Brain (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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-10-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-03-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 19 027

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