The FY19 Defense Appropriation provides $12 million (M) to the Department of Defense Reconstructive Transplant Research Program (RTRP) to support research projects that specifically address needs in the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA).  As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency J9, Research and Development Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC).

The RTRP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications.  FY19 RTRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in May 2019.  Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released.  This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

Focus Areas:  To meet the intent of the FY19 RTRP Idea Discovery Award and Investigator-Initiated Research Award mechanisms, applicants must address at least one of the FY19 RTRP Focus Areas listed below:

• ·         Reduce the risks of VCA-associated immunosuppression
• o    Define the unique mechanisms of VCA immunogenicity
• o    Develop novel approaches for improving VCA immune tolerance
• o    Identify unique immunosuppression requirements for VCA compared to other solid organ transplants
• ·         Develop reliable non-invasive methods or tools for monitoring VCA graft rejection
• o    Develop reliable non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring chronic VCA graft rejection in a large animal model
• o    Identify and/or validate new peripheral biomarkers for acute and chronic rejection
• o    Develop assays or devices for clinical graft monitoring utilizing validated biomarkers
• ·         Advance existing or develop innovative ex vivo tissue preservation strategies to extend the timeline between procurement and transplantation
• o    Develop novel approaches and models for perfused, hypothermic, high subzero and low subzero, or static preservation strategies
• o    Determine the extent to which VCA tissue preservation technology impacts VCA immunogenicity

 

https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2019/19rtrppreann

 

Idea Discovery Award

Investigators at or above the level of postdoctoral fellow (or equivalent)

·         Supports innovative, untested, high-risk/ potentially high-reward concepts, theories, paradigms, and/or methods.

·         Innovation is the most important review criterion.

·         Project should include a well-formulated testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale and study design.

·         Preliminary or published data that supports the rationale are strongly encouraged.

·         Preproposal is required; full application submission is by invitation only.

• ·         Applications must address at least one of the FY19 RTRP Focus Areas.

·       Maximum funding of $500,000 for total costs (direct plus indirect costs).

• ·       Maximum period of performance is 2 years.

 

Investigator-Initiated Research Award

Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)

·         Supports studies with the potential to make an important contribution to the reconstructive transplant research field, patient care, and/or quality of life.

·         Preproposal is required; full application submission is by invitation only.

·         Preliminary or published data are required.

·         Multiple PI Option supports synergistic partnerships among two to four investigators collaborating on a single application; multi-institutional collaborations are encouraged.

• ·         Applications must address at least one of the FY19 RTRP Focus Areas.

Individual PIs:

·       Maximum funding of $1 million (M) for total costs (direct plus indirect costs).

·       Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Multiple PI Option:

·       Maximum funding of $1.5M for total costs (direct plus indirect costs).

Maximum period of performance is 3 years.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.org prior to the pre-application deadline.  All applications must conform to the final Program Announcements and General Application Instructions that will be available for electronic downloading from the Grants.gov website.  The application package containing the required forms for each award mechanism will also be found on Grants.gov.  A listing of all CDMRP and other USAMRMC extramural Funding Opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420. 

 

Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released.  For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP homepage at https://eBRAP.org.  For more information about the RTRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil).

Point of Contact:

CDMRP Public Affairs
301-619-9783
usarmy.detrick.medcom-cdmrp.mbx.cdmrp-public-affairs@mail.mil