Inter-Organelle Communication as a Platform to Interrogate the Interactions of Hallmarks of Aging (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 23 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 23 012

This NIH grant opportunity (RFA-AG-23-012) is an R01 research solicitation focused on aging biology, specifically on how different "hallmarks of aging" influence one another through inter-organelle communication. The central idea is that aging is not driven by isolated cellular problems, but by networks of interacting processes, and a key way those processes may connect is through signaling and material exchange between organelles such as mitochondria, lysosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, peroxisomes, and related cellular compartments. The FOA is looking for innovative, mechanistic studies that can identify and characterize these cross-organelle pathways and then use that knowledge as a platform to understand how multiple hallmarks of aging become linked, reinforced, or modulated over time.

The scientific emphasis is on mechanistic approaches rather than descriptive observations. In practical terms, proposed projects are expected to go beyond simply showing that two organelles change with age. Competitive applications would typically aim to map the directionality and causality of communication (what signal is sent, from which organelle to which target, under what conditions), define the molecular players involved (proteins, lipids, metabolites, ions, nucleic acids, contact-site machinery, vesicular trafficking components, stress response pathways), and connect those communication routes to interactions among aging hallmarks. While the FOA text provided does not list specific hallmarks, the broader "hallmarks of aging" framework commonly includes processes such as genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, dysregulated nutrient sensing, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, telomere attrition, and chronic inflammation. The program goal here is to use inter-organelle communication as the lens to interrogate how these types of processes intersect rather than treating them as separate, parallel tracks.

Administratively, this is a discretionary federal grant under the NIH, with the activity category in health research and the CFDA number listed as 93.866. The funding instrument is an R01, and the FOA explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the supported work must be non-clinical-trial research. That typically allows a wide range of basic, translational, and preclinical studies, including cell-based systems, animal models, and human biospecimens or data analyses, as long as the study does not meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial (for example, prospectively assigning human participants to an intervention to evaluate health-related outcomes).

The opportunity is broadly open to many types of applicants. Eligible applicants include standard U.S. public entities (state, county, city/township governments, special districts), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and a range of nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) organizations, other than higher education institutions). It also allows applications from for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses, as well as Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and other applicant types captured under "Others." The FOA also highlights additional eligible groups and institution types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), indicating an intent to encourage wide participation across institutional settings and geographies.

In terms of timing and scale, the source data lists an original closing date of 2022-10-11 and an award ceiling of $250,000 (as provided in the record). The expected number of awards is not specified in the excerpt. Taken together, the FOA is best read as a targeted call for rigorous, hypothesis-driven research that uses organelle-to-organelle communication as a unifying mechanistic framework to explain how aging-related cellular processes connect, amplify each other, or potentially create intervention points that could alter trajectories of aging biology without conducting clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inter-Organelle Communication as a Platform to Interrogate the Interactions of Hallmarks of Aging (R01 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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• 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 AG 23 012

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