Next Generation Sequencing in Post Mortem Tissue from Patients with Parkinsons Disease (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 21 017

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 21 017

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), within the Department of Health and Human Services, released this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support a single cooperative agreement (U01) focused on generating next generation sequencing data from post-mortem human brain tissue relevant to Parkinsons disease (PD). The scientific goal is to expand the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Parkinsons Disease (AMP PD) by producing high-value molecular datasets that can be integrated with existing AMP PD resources and then made broadly available to researchers. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the work is centered on biospecimens and data generation rather than enrolling or intervening with living participants in a clinical trial framework.

The project scope is explicitly centered on two major data types: single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). snRNA-seq is intended to capture cell-type and cell-state specific gene expression patterns from nuclei isolated from frozen post-mortem brain tissue, which is often the most practical approach for archived human brains. WGS is intended to provide comprehensive genomic variant information, enabling researchers to connect genetic variation with transcriptional signatures and neuropathologic features. Together, these datasets are designed to help clarify mechanisms of neurodegeneration, identify molecular pathways involved in PD, and support target discovery and validation efforts across the PD research community.

A defining requirement is scale and anatomical coverage. Applicants are expected to work with post-mortem tissue from 100 individuals total, spanning patients with Parkinsons disease and normal controls. Sequencing is to be performed in four distinct brain regions per case. The FOA specifies that the selected regions must include areas known to be affected in PD and at least one area that is relatively spared, which is important for contrasting disease-vulnerable versus disease-resistant circuits. This design is meant to support region-specific comparisons, identify selective vulnerability signatures, and distinguish PD-related changes from background aging or post-mortem effects.

Because the success of snRNA-seq and high-quality WGS depends heavily on tissue integrity, the FOA emphasizes that applicants should have access to high-quality brain tissue appropriate for these assays. In practical terms, that implies the ability to source well-characterized specimens (often including neuropathology review and standardized metadata), manage pre-analytical variables (such as post-mortem interval, tissue handling, and storage conditions), and execute consistent processing across multiple regions and individuals. While the summary text does not list every quality metric, the expectation is that the awardee will be able to generate robust, reproducible sequencing data suitable for community-wide reuse.

Data sharing is a central deliverable rather than an optional add-on. The FOA states that all sequencing data, along with any available pre-mortem clinical data, will be broadly shared through the AMP PD Knowledge Portal. This indicates the award will support not only laboratory sequencing but also the associated data management steps required for rapid community access, such as standardized formatting, annotation, quality control reporting, and deposition according to AMP PD portal requirements. The intention is to create a resource that many independent groups can mine for hypothesis generation, validation, and integrative analyses alongside other AMP PD datasets.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01). A cooperative agreement typically means NIH program staff will have substantial involvement, often including coordination around study design choices, milestones, data standards, and alignment with AMP PD consortium needs. The opportunity is cataloged under CFDA 93.853 (health-related research), and it anticipated making one award. The posted award ceiling is listed as 0, which usually signals that applicants should rely on the FOA text and budget guidance rather than a hard cap presented in the summary table.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types: federal recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations, state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, among others as clarified in the FOA. The announcement was created on January 6, 2021, with an original closing date of March 15, 2021, under funding opportunity number RFA-NS-21-017.

In short, this FOA is designed to fund a coordinated, large-scale effort to generate paired snRNA-seq and WGS datasets from multiple brain regions in post-mortem PD and control cases, with strong expectations for tissue access, multi-region sequencing execution, and rapid public data release through the AMP PD Knowledge Portal so the broader field can use the resource to accelerate Parkinsons disease research.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Next Generation Sequencing in Post Mortem Tissue from Patients with Parkinsons Disease (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 06, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 15, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA NS 21 017

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