Aging Effects on Osteoimmunology (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA AG 22 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 002

The NIH funding opportunity "Aging Effects on Osteoimmunology (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" (RFA-AG-22-002) is a discretionary research grant solicitation focused on how aging changes the bone marrow environment in ways that shape, and are shaped by, immune system function. The scientific theme is osteoimmunology, the study of two-way signaling between bone and immune cells, especially within the bone marrow niche where blood and immune cells develop and where bone remodeling signals are constantly exchanged. The FOA is driven by the idea that bone health in older age cannot be fully explained using the typical experimental default of very young mice, because those animals are still completing growth and do not display key age-associated immune shifts seen later in life.

A central motivation is that much of the field has built mechanistic models using young mice around 3 to 4 months old, which are not yet fully representative of mature, aging physiology. The FOA emphasizes that the most informative comparisons for age-related questions come from studying older mice that are at least 18 months of age alongside young adult mice that are at least 4 months old. This is important because many clinically relevant features of aging, including altered immune responses and changes to marrow composition, either do not exist or are muted in young animals. In other words, pathways mapped in young marrow niches may not behave the same way once the immune system and bone remodeling machinery have been reshaped by aging.

The research scope includes both normal (adaptive) aging changes and harmful (maladaptive, pathobiological) aging changes within the marrow niche, with a specific interest in how these processes influence health trajectories later in life. The FOA points to well-documented immunology findings such as myeloid skewing (a shift in blood cell production toward myeloid lineages) and declining immune function as hallmark features of aging marrow. It also highlights established links between immune cells, especially T cells, and bone remodeling, including osteoclast differentiation, bone resorption, and overall bone turnover. Even with these known connections, the FOA frames major unresolved questions around the timing, causes, and mechanisms of these changes across the adult lifespan, and why bone loss becomes a more prominent concern in older adults.

Another key concept embedded in the FOA is that bone is not only structural but also acts as an endocrine organ, meaning it participates in body-wide signaling that can affect multiple tissues. Because of that, the NIH is signaling interest in studies that take seriously the complexity of tissue interactions that emerge with age, rather than focusing narrowly on isolated pathways in developmentally young systems. The expectation is that age-appropriate models will reveal different immune-bone interactions than those inferred from young adult or still-developing animals, helping the field move closer to explanations for age-related bone loss and its immune contributions.

From an administrative standpoint, this is an R01 research project grant and explicitly does not allow clinical trials. It is categorized under Health (CFDA 93.866) and is administered by the National Institutes of Health. The posted award ceiling is $300,000 (as listed in the source data). The original closing date was June 15, 2021, and the FOA record shows a creation date of December 10, 2020.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. applicants, such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly welcomes applications from a range of mission- and population-serving institutions and organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Importantly, non-U.S. entities are eligible as well: foreign organizations and foreign institutions can apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Aging Effects on Osteoimmunology (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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-15. (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 $300,000.00 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 22 002

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