Elucidating the Effects of ART on Neuronal Function in the Context of SUD and HIV (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA DA 22 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 22 003

This funding opportunity, RFA-DA-22-003, is a National Institutes of Health grant announcement led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that supports R01 research projects focused on how antiretroviral therapy (ART) affects the brain in people living with HIV, especially when HIV occurs alongside substance use disorders (SUD). The central scientific problem it targets is that many individuals with HIV experience neurological and cognitive complications known as HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND), and it remains important to separate what is driven by the virus itself versus what may be contributed by long-term exposure to antiretroviral (ARV) drug regimens used to suppress viral load. The opportunity is explicitly aimed at research that clarifies the effects of ART on neuronal and glial structure and function, and it places special emphasis on situations where the nervous system is also influenced by chronic exposure to commonly abused substances, including opioids, cocaine and other stimulants, cannabinoids, and nicotine.

At a practical level, the announcement is looking for mechanistic and experimentally rigorous studies that can explain how ART might alter brain biology, how those effects might intersect with the neurobiological impact of chronic drug exposure, and how these combined influences could help explain the persistence or patterning of neurocognitive deficits observed in HAND. The focus on both neurons and glia signals interest in a broad view of brain function, including synaptic integrity, neuroinflammation, myelination and support functions, and other cellular or circuit-level changes that could plausibly translate into cognitive or behavioral outcomes. Because the call highlights the need to determine the "contributions of antiretroviral ARV treatment regimens" to neurological deficits, it is essentially encouraging applicants to disentangle overlapping causes in a real-world clinical context where effective viral suppression often coexists with ongoing substance use or a history of it.

The mechanism is an R01 research project grant, and the notice specifies "Clinical Trials Not Allowed," meaning the supported work should not be designed as a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of an intervention in humans. Applicants can still typically propose a wide range of non-trial human, animal, and laboratory-based approaches, as long as they fit NIH definitions and do not constitute a clinical trial. The funding instrument type is a discretionary grant, and the activity category is listed under education and health. The CFDA (assistance listing) number associated with this program is 93.279, which corresponds to drug abuse and addiction research.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic institutions and organizations, reflecting NIH norms for investigator-initiated research capacity across sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). It further notes eligibility for eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), underscoring an interest in broad participation and the potential relevance of this research globally.

Key administrative details from the source data include an original closing date of February 2, 2022, and a creation date of June 23, 2021. While the excerpted record does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, the scientific intent is clear: to advance understanding of how ART itself may affect the nervous system, how those effects interact with chronic exposure to substances of abuse, and how that combined biology contributes to HAND-related neurological and neurocognitive impairment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Elucidating the Effects of ART on Neuronal Function in the Context of SUD and HIV (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-02-02. (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.

Apply for RFA DA 22 003

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