The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) have announced their research funding opportunities for fiscal year 2022. Here’s an overview of the research funding opportunities for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Learn more about these awards and others in our upcoming webinar, which is free of charge, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 1 PM (Eastern).

Pilot Clinical Trial Award

Research supported through this award

Supports exploratory clinical trials of novel therapeutics to demonstrate feasibility and inform the design of more advanced trials in ALS. Must support a clinical trial and may not be used for preclinical research studies.

Under the Clinical Care Tier, you may also submit an application for research not investigating a novel therapeutic but proposing a clinical trial to optimize established ALS clinical care, e.g., optimization of respiratory care strategies, improvements to approved devices and assistive technologies, specific symptom management strategies.

The maximum amount of funding for direct costs is $2 million, or $1 million for the Clinical Care Tier, and the maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Applying

This award is for independent investigators at or above the level of Assistant Professor (or equivalent).

Preliminary data are required.

Applications investigating a therapeutic must include plans to generate biomarker data. Biomarkers may measure target engagement, pharmacodynamic effects, and/or be predictive/cohort-selective.

Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.

Deadlines

Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): April 29, 2022, 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Invited Application: July 28, 2022, 11:59 PM (Eastern)

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number

W81XWH-22-ALSRP-PCTA

Clinical Biomarker Development

Research supported through this award

Supports maximization of clinical ALS resources and biorepositories to better define subtypes, predict therapeutic response, or assess prognosis. Emphasis is on the development of clinical biomarkers to enrich clinical trials in ALS. Biomarkers may measure target engagement, pharmacodynamic effects, and/or be predictive/cohort-selective. Data and resources sharing (biosamples/data sets/analyses) are important and scored criteria.

Types of efforts that will be supported include: • Using patient-based resources to link biosamples to rigorous molecular data • Collecting and analyzing biospecimens as a companion to an anticipated/ongoing clinical trial • Correlating clinical trial-related data (e.g., biosample analyses, imaging, or epidemiological data) with clinical outcomes/ responses to therapies.

The maximum amount of funding for direct costs is $500,000, and the maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Applying

This award is for independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.

Deadlines

Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): April 29, 2022, 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Invited Application: July 28, 2022, 11:59 PM (Eastern)

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number

W81XWH-22-ALSRP-CBDA

Therapeutic Development Award

Research supported through this award

Supports secondary preclinical validation and Investigational New Drug- enabling studies for ALS therapeutics.

The maximum amount of funding for direct costs is $1 million, and the maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Applying

This award is for independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent).

Preliminary data are required, including strong rationale and efficacy data for the chosen therapeutic in at least one ALS[1]relevant model system.

Biomarker development and/or characterization (if not already validated), in parallel to the main therapeutic effort, is a critical component of the Therapeutic Development Award.

Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only

Deadlines

Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): April 29, 2022, 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Invited Application: July 28, 2022, 11:59 PM (Eastern)

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number

W81XWH-22-ALSRP-TDA

Therapeutic Idea Award

Research supported through this award

Supports hypothesis-driven preclinical therapeutic development. (Projects focusing primarily on investigating ALS pathophysiology are outside the scope of this award mechanism.)

Biomarker Option: Applications that include development of biomarkers in parallel to the main therapeutic effort, and that meet criteria outlined in the Funding Opportunity Announcement, will qualify for a higher level of funding.

The maximum amount of funding for direct costs is $500,000, or $600,000 for the Biomarker Option, and the maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Applying

This award is for independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent). Early Career Investigators are encouraged to apply.

Preliminary data are not required.

Pre-application submission is required; application submission is by invitation only.

Deadlines

Pre-Application (Pre-Proposal): April 29, 2022, 5:00 PM (Eastern)

Invited Application: July 28, 2022, 11:59 PM (Eastern)

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number

W81XWH-22-ALSRP-TI