The FY20 Defense Appropriation Act provides $16 million to the Department of Defense Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s Program (NETP) to support research to better understand and treat the neuro-degenerative effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) associated with military deployment, environmental, and/or occupational exposures. Research into military service-related risk factors is critical for past, present, and future Service members who may be affected PD. 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 Announcement/Funding Opportunity is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).
The NETP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY20 NETP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in April 2020. 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.
Applications submitted to the FY20 NETP must address at least one of the following Focus Areas:
· Quantifiable gene - environment interactions and the risk for or progression of Parkinson’s disease. Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of areas that are encouraged:
○ Genome wide genotyping/sequencing of existing cohorts (must include data sharing plan)
○ Environmental exposures (toxins, medications, dietary, caffeine, among others)
○ Unbiased screens with biological validation
· Basic biology of non-motor symptoms that could lead to the development of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease following neurotoxin exposure. Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of areas that are encouraged:
○ Sleep
○ Cognition (relevant to PD)
○ Psychiatric dysfunction
○ Autonomic dysregulation
· System-level mechanism of dopamine refractory motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, including postural instability, freezing of gait, and treatment-associated dystonia, that could lead to development of new treatments in patients with neurotoxin exposure. Though not limited to this list, the following are some examples of approaches that could be used:
○ Circuitry
○ Pathophysiology
○ Neurochemistry
· Clinical and research application of digital health technology leading to development of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease in those individuals exposed to neurotoxins.
○ Early identification
○ Innovative data analytic methods
○ Disease subtyping
https://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2020/20netppreann
Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Independent investigators at or above the level of assistant professor (or equivalent)
Supports highly rigorous, multidisciplinary, high-impact research projects that have the potential to make an important contribution to neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research. This award mechanism supports the full spectrum of research from basic science through clinical research.
· Preliminary data to support feasibility are required.
o Any unpublished, preliminary data provided should originate from the laboratory of the Principal Investigator (PI) or a member(s) of the research team.
· Clinical trials are not allowed
Applications to this award mechanism must address at least one of the four FY20 NETP Focus Areas.
· Maximum funding of $1.2M in total costs
· Maximum period of performance 3 years
Early Investigator Research Award
Postdoctoral or clinical fellow, instructor, or assistant professor within 10 years of advanced degree or residency training completion (or equivalent)
Verification of eligibility criteria must be provided in an Eligibility Statement signed by an appropriate institutional official and the PI.
Supports neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research opportunities for individuals in the early stages of their careers, under the guidance of a designated Mentor.
· The Early Investigator is considered the Principal Investigator (PI) of the application and must exhibit strong potential for, and commitment to, pursuing a career as an investigator at the forefront of Parkinson’s disease research; however, the PI is not required to have previous Parkinson’s disease research experience.
o Applications must include at least one Mentor, appropriate to the proposed research project, who has experience in Parkinson’s disease research and mentoring as demonstrated by a record of active funding, recent publications, and successful mentorship. The selected Mentor(s) should also demonstrate a clear commitment to the development of the PI toward independence as a neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s disease researcher.
· Preliminary data not required
· Clinical trials are not allowed
Applications to this award mechanism must address at least one of the four FY20 NETP Focus Areas.
· Maximum funding of $400,000 in total costs
· Maximum period of performance 2 years
Synergistic Idea Award
Each investigator must be at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
· Supports new ideas that represent synergistic approaches to neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research involving two to four faculty-level (or equivalent) Principal Investigators (PIs).
· The combined efforts of the PIs should utilize their complementary and synergistic perspectives to address a central problem or question in neurotoxin exposure- and treatment-related Parkinson’s research.
· Designed to support both new and pre-existing partnerships, and encourages participation of PIs from other research fields.
- o The NETP seeks applications from investigators working in a wide spectrum of disciplines including, but not limited to, basic science, engineering, bioinformatics, population science, translational research, and clinical research.
· Preliminary data is not required
· Clinical trials are not allowed
Applications to this award mechanism must address at least one of the four FY20 NETP Focus Areas.
· Maximum funding of $3M in total costs
· Maximum period of performance is 4 years
A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) at https://eBRAP.orgprior 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 USAMRDC 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 NETP 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
