Lymphatics in Health and Disease in the Digestive System (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA DK 17 016

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 17 016

This funding opportunity, titled "Lymphatics in Health and Disease in the Digestive System (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" (RFA-DK-17-016), is a discretionary NIH research grant program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It supports investigator-initiated R01 projects that focus on the lymphatic vasculature specifically within the digestive system, with the central goal of improving understanding of how lymphatic vessels form, function, and contribute to both normal physiology and disease processes in digestive organs. The emphasis is on foundational and mechanistic research rather than clinical trials, meaning applicants are expected to propose preclinical, translational, or other non-trial human studies that do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.

The scientific scope centers on lymphatic vessel physiology, development, and pathophysiology as they relate to digestive health and digestive diseases. The FOA is looking for studies that clarify what controls lymphatic vessel "functional anatomy" in the digestive tract and accessory organs. In practical terms, that includes how lymphatic networks are patterned and maintained in specific digestive tissues, how lymph flows through these structures, and how lymphatic vessel properties such as permeability, pumping/contractility, valve function, endothelial behavior, and interactions with surrounding tissue architecture support normal organ function. A major theme is understanding how these features change over time, including during development, during homeostasis in adulthood, and in response to injury, inflammation, metabolic changes, obstruction, or other disease-relevant stressors that affect the digestive system.

A second key focus is causality: the FOA explicitly invites research that explains the mechanisms by which changes in lymphatic vessel function alter digestive organ function. This could include work that connects lymphatic dysfunction to altered fluid balance, impaired lipid absorption and transport, tissue edema, changes in local tissue pressure, fibrosis, or disruptions to normal nutrient handling and barrier functions within digestive tissues. In other words, the program is interested not only in describing lymphatic changes in digestive diseases, but in defining how and why those lymphatic changes contribute to disease initiation, progression, or resolution, and how restoring normal lymphatic function might improve outcomes for digestive organ physiology.

At the same time, there are clear boundaries on what will be considered responsive. Applications will not be viewed as a good fit if the primary emphasis is on immune mechanisms, even if lymphatics are involved. Similarly, proposals mainly focused on the role of lymphatics in cancer metastasis are excluded. The FOA is also restricted to lymphatic vessels in digestive system organs; studies centered on lymphatics in other organ systems would not be responsive, even if the approach is scientifically strong. These limits signal that the program wants projects where lymphatic vessel biology is the main driver of the hypothesis and experimental design in the context of digestive organ function and dysfunction, rather than projects where lymphatics are a secondary component of immunology, oncology/metastasis, or non-digestive organ research.

Administratively, this is an NIH R01 grant mechanism, with clinical trials not allowed under this announcement. The opportunity was created on September 25, 2017, with an original closing date of February 2, 2018. The award ceiling listed is $499,999, and the NIH expected to make about three awards, indicating a relatively selective competition aimed at a small set of high-impact projects. The activity category is listed under food and nutrition and health (CFDA 93.847), which aligns with the digestive system and metabolism-related mission space typically associated with NIDDK-linked initiatives.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant organization types: state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (outside higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as clarified in the FOA's additional eligibility information. Overall, the announcement is designed to attract a diverse set of research organizations capable of conducting rigorous mechanistic studies on digestive-system lymphatic vessel biology, with a clear expectation that the proposed work remains tightly focused on lymphatic structure-function relationships and their direct consequences for digestive organ health and disease, while avoiding a primary focus on immune pathways, metastasis, or non-digestive organ systems.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lymphatics in Health and Disease in the Digestive System (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): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 25, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 02, 2018. (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 $499,999.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 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 DK 17 016

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: