Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-26-002
Deadlines
Letter of Intent: February 19, 2025
Submission: March 25, 2025
Purpose
The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support data mining of single cell data sets to identify cell types, transcripts, enhancers, or transcriptional networks that play a role in HIV/ART and SUD-relevant molecular responses, and/or to support functional validation studies (e.g. epigenomic or transcriptomic manipulation, high throughput secondary screening) to confirm or deny a biological role for one or more of the data-mined cell types, transcripts, enhancers, or transcriptional networks in HIV/ART and SUD molecular responses.
Some types of studies that would be appropriate for this NOFO include, but are not limited to:
Data mining
- Data mining of single nucleus or spatial genomics data sets using machine learning, neural networks, artificial intelligence, etc.
- Data mining across species (e.g. rat, mouse, non-human primates, and/or human) to identify conserved transcripts, pathways, or enhancers.
- Integration of investigator-initiated single cell data with existing single cell and other molecular data sets (e.g. epigenomic, proteomic) including those from cell culture, invertebrates, rodents, primates, the SCORCH program, and/or other projects that involve opioid, methamphetamine, cocaine, cannabinoid, or polysubstance exposure and/or HIV-relevant models.
- Data mining of SCORCH single nucleus data in concert with datasets from spatially and/or functionally resolved cellular assemblies relevant to HIV or addiction. Examples include but are not limited to anatomical structures, functional networks, and ensembles such as those characterized by projects funded through the NIDA NExUS Collaboratory on Neural Ensembles & Used Substances
- Identification of molecular differences, if any, between immune or other cells found in both brain and blood.
Functional Characterization
- Manipulation and functional characterization of high priority cell types, transcripts, promoters, or enhancers to validate their role in HIV and addictive processes.
- Functional testing of one or many potentially relevant transcripts or enhancers using cell culture, animal models, organoids, or other models or strategies.
- Characterization of cell types, transcripts, or enhancers using spatial genomics approaches.
- Development of viral vectors or related reagents to probe or manipulate cell, transcript, or enhancer functions.
- Functional validation or characterization of several or many nominated transcripts or enhancers using CRISPR interference, CRISPR activation, epigenome editing, RNA editing, or other high-throughput genomic manipulation techniques.
- Use of genome or epigenome editing technologies to generate knock-in or knock-out animals or human organoids for functional characterization.
- Testing the functional effects of a transcript or enhancer on molecular phenotypes such as gene expression, epigenetic modification, transcription factor binding, 3D chromatin structure, etc.