This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages small business applications for exploratory clinical trials of investigational agents (drugs, biologics, surgical therapies or devices) that may contribute to the justification for and provide the data required for designing clinical studies. Diseases chosen for study should be based on the NINDS strategic plan and clinical research interests (www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/areas/index.htm). Successful applicants will be given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure. Following peer review, NINDS will prioritize and order trials that are given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure. The NeuroNEXT Clinical Coordinating Center (CCC) will work with the successful applicant to efficiently implement the proposed study. The NeuroNEXT Data Coordinating Center (DCC) will provide statistical and data management support. The NeuroNEXT clinical sites will provide recruitment/retention support as well as on-site implementation of the clinical protocol. Applicants do not need to be part of the existing NeuroNEXT infrastructure.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is part of a suite of FOAs to support the development of safe, effective, and non-addictive therapeutics to treat pain. The goal of this FOA is to support team-based research projects to develop assays, screening and early optimization work to develop a non-addictive therapeutic to treat pain. Discovery and validation of pharmacodynamic markers efficacy and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies are also responsive. The result of the project should be to advance a hit or lead to the point where they can meet the entry criteria for RFA-NS-21-010 HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) within the 5 years of the award, there is no opportunity for renewal of this award. Applications should propose a plan that will lead to the development of analgesics with a rigorous biological rationale and scientifically sound assays. If the data does not currently exist, the proposal must include a strong plan for developing data linking the putative therapeutic target(s) to the proposed pain indication and supporting the hypothesis that altering the target activity will produce desirable outcomes for the disease. This FOA is not specific for any one or group of pain conditions. Projects to develop therapeutics for acute pain, chronic pain, painful neuropathy, musculoskeletal pain, headache disorders, osteoarthritis, diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, eye pain, sickle-cell pain, post-surgical pain, cancer pain, visceral pain, post stroke pain, myofascial pain, painful disorders of the orofacial region and other conditions will be considered.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is part of a suite of FOAs to support the development of safe, effective, and non-addictive therapeutics to treat pain. The goal of this FOA is to support team-based research projects to develop assays, screening and early optimization work to develop a non-addictive therapeutic to treat pain. Discovery and validation of pharmacodynamic markers efficacy and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies are also responsive. The result of the project should be to advance a hit or lead to the point where they can meet the entry criteria for RFA-NS-21-010 HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) within the 5 years of the award, there is no opportunity for renewal of this award. Applications should propose a plan that will lead to the development of analgesics with a rigorous biological rationale and scientifically sound assays. If the data does not currently exist, the application must include a strong plan for developing data linking the putative therapeutic target(s) to the proposed pain indication and supporting the hypothesis that altering the target activity will produce desirable outcomes for the disease. This FOA is not specific for any one or group of pain conditions. Projects to develop therapeutics for acute pain, chronic pain, painful neuropathy, musculoskeletal pain, headache disorders, osteoarthritis, diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, eye pain, sickle-cell pain, post-surgical pain, cancer pain, visceral pain, post stroke pain, myofascial pain, painful disorders of the orofacial region and other conditions will be considered. Projects to develop analgesics for a combination of chronic overlapping pain conditions or for specific disease or pathological conditions will also be considered. Projects that seek to identify pain treatment targets in specific populations such as women, children, older adults, and other underrepresented groups will also be responsive to this FOA. Input from patients and caregivers on the therapeutic goals of the project is encouraged. The goal of each 5-year U19 application should be to identify candidate therapeutic(s) that will be ready to be submitted to RFA-NS-21-010 for further optimization.

This FOA is intended to: (1) increase our understanding of how music affects the brain when it is used therapeutically and/or (2) use that knowledge to better develop evidence-based music interventions to enhance health or treat specific diseases and disorders. Proposed R01 projects can investigate how music is processed by or modifies the brain, or how it affects specific biological functions during childhood development and learning, adulthood, and aging. Projects can also include preliminary interventions that provide a basis for therapeutic interventions. When appropriate, collaborations among basic researchers, technology developers, music intervention experts, or other clinical researchers are highly encouraged.