The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) this week provided an update to its research topics of special interest for funding via Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) mechanisms.
Highlighted topics include:
- Animal and cellular models for transfusion of blood products or cell-based therapies
- Improved methods to assess, monitor, or predict cardiovascular toxicity of therapeutic agents
- Imaging, reagents, assays, microfluidics, bioinformatics and nanotechnology for investigations of blood diseases, transfusion and cellular therapies
- Diagnostics: devices, biomarkers, imaging, and assays for non-malignant blood disorders
- Drugs, blood product, cellular therapies, and gene therapy for non-malignant blood disorders
- E-medicine Apps for patients and medical professionals to improve the management of and reduce the impact of non-malignant blood diseases
- Development of targeted molecular imaging reagents/techniques and nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems
- Development of reagents and methods to identify and isolate stem/progenitor cells, and direct differentiation to specific functional organ units
- Development and validation of techniques (or algorithms) to study the microbiome in situ
- Characterization and in vivo or in vitro applications of miRNA panels that directly or indirectly promote lung repair or regeneration
- Development of high throughput methods to apply microfluidics technology in discovery of molecular profiles (DNAs, RNAs, proteins, or metabolites) in a large number of sputum or exhaled breath condensate samples collected from lung disease patients
- Applicable high-definition, biocompatible mesh technologies made from nanoscale materials
Investigators interested in developing applications for these topics are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the NHLBI program official indicated for each topic. Although funds are not specifically set aside for awards on these topics, applications submitted are eligible for special funding consideration.
Further details are available via Notice Number: NOT-HL-16-332 and at the NHLBI Omnibus Grant Solicitations for Investigator-Initiated Applications website.