Resource Networks for Protein Polymorphisms in Alzheimers Disease and its Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 22 030

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 030

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-AG-22-030 supports the creation of cooperative, shared research infrastructure focused on misfolded protein polymorphisms in Alzheimers disease (AD) and Alzheimers disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). It is offered as a U24 Cooperative Agreement, meaning the award is intended for building and operating a community-serving resource with substantial NIH involvement and coordination, rather than supporting a single labs independent research project. The FOA is explicitly marked Clinical Trial Not Allowed, so the work is centered on resource development, standardization, and distribution activities rather than prospective clinical interventions.

The central purpose is to establish resource networks that can reliably produce, characterize, standardize, and distribute key pathogenic protein species used across the AD/ADRD field, specifically seeds, oligomers, and fibrils. These materials are often difficult to prepare consistently from lab to lab, and even small differences in preparation methods can change the biological behavior of the proteins and lead to irreproducible findings. By building coordinated networks that provide well-defined, quality-controlled preparations to other investigators, the program aims to reduce variability across studies and make experimental results more comparable and reproducible across institutions.

A major scientific driver behind the FOA is the idea that misfolded proteins can exist in multiple structural forms, often referred to as polymorphs or strains, that may differ in toxicity, seeding capacity, spreading behavior, and pathological signatures. The opportunity is particularly focused on polymorph variation in three proteins strongly implicated across AD/ADRD: amyloid beta (Abeta), alpha-synuclein, and tau. A long-term goal is to develop and apply emerging analytic tools capable of distinguishing these polymorphs and linking them directly to patient-to-patient differences. In practical terms, the program envisions a resource that not only distributes standardized reagents but also helps establish common standards, reference materials, and characterization pipelines so researchers can better interpret how a specific polymorph relates to disease mechanisms and heterogeneity.

Because this is framed as a resource network, the expected outcomes go beyond making reagents available. The FOA emphasizes establishing standards and improving community-wide consistency, which typically implies developing rigorous production protocols, documentation, batch-to-batch quality assessment, and distribution processes that other groups can trust and adopt. It also implies a coordinating function: helping the field converge on shared definitions and measurement practices for polymorph identity and activity, and using state-of-the-art analytical approaches to map the relationship between biochemical or structural variation and disease-relevant phenotypes.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is broadly open across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. 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; nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (other than federally recognized governments). The FOA also highlights additional eligible categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-U.S. (foreign) entities, and U.S. territories or possessions. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the activity falls under the Health category with CFDA number 93.866.

Key administrative details in the source information include the original closing date of January 10, 2022, and the funding instrument being a Cooperative Agreement (U24). The announcement does not list an award ceiling or an expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, but the intent is clearly to stand up networked, shared capabilities rather than isolated projects. Overall, the opportunity is designed to strengthen the foundations of AD/ADRD research by creating dependable, standardized misfolded protein resources and harmonized methods, enabling clearer comparisons across studies and faster progress in understanding how different protein polymorphs relate to disease variability and pathology.

• 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 2021-11-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-10. (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.

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